Doubting Myself on the Grand Peaks Traverse
Adirondack HigH Peaks Wilderness – Lake Placid, NY
26
JUNE, 2020
June of 2020 was not the greatest time to be a backpacker. In fact, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant time in general. It was the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Life had been turned upside down. Lockdowns, panicked hoarding of supplies, every retail and restaurant establishment closed, and states closing their borders. Mainly it was simply a time of fear. In the midst of that surreal period I checked off a bucket-list item of mine and did a much-needed backpacking trip to New York’s Adirondack High Peaks Wilderness.
Trip Background and Traveling to Lake Placid
The trip wasn’t my idea. Fellow YouTuber and good friend Jeremy (YouTube channel ‘All Things Outdoors’) had proposed the trip and done all the planning. That would turn out to be both a blessing and a curse. Avoiding much of the work involved in planning a backpacking trip was nice. However, having no clue what I was getting myself into would come back to haunt me later. But deciding to go was a no-brainer. Since I started backpacking, a trip to New York’s Adirondacks has always been high on my list of destinations. After the long 13-hour drive from Indiana to Lake Placid, I pulled into the historic Art Devlin’s Olympic Motor Inn for the night. The Inn oozes Olympic history! The rest of the gang would arrive hours later, so I headed out to explore Lake Placid.
Exploring Lake Placid and the 1980 Winter Olympic Sites
Lake Placid has been home to two Winter Olympic Games – in 1932 and 1980. The story behind Lake Placid hosting the 1980 games is fascinating – you can read about it here. The 1980 Winter Olympics were special to me. Not only because I watched every minute of it on TV but also because I had ties to upstate New York through my Grandparents. I arrived early in Lake Placid to allow myself time to explore the various Olympic venues. The rink where the ‘Miracle on Ice’ occurred was near the Devlin Motor Inn. So too was the outdoor speed skating rink where Eric Heiden won five gold medals. I also drove to Whiteface Mountain, where downhill skiing took place, as well as the Bobsled and ski jumping complexes. Unfortunately, all venues were closed due to Covid!
“The Great Range Traverse is an Adirondack hiking classic, and considered one of the hardest hikes in the country. The traditional route climbs 10 peaks, eight over 4,000 feet. It’s 25 miles long, ascending more than 9,000 feet during that time. There’s no water available, and some steep climbing (including ladders), and exposure above tree line.” Trail Review
The Plan
I met everyone late that afternoon by the pool at the Motor Inn. We walked to a bar/restaurant near the hotel. The restaurants in Lake Placid had just opened for outdoor seating on the very day we arrived. Before that time, they were open for carryout service only (thanks to Covid). Over pizza and beer, we talked about the plan for the hike. The following day we would start from the Klondike Notch Trailhead south of Lake Placid. From there, we would hike the Klondike Notch Trail to the Wolf Jaw Trail and spend the first night at the Wolf Jaw shelter. The 2nd day is when the ‘fun’ would begin!
The next day we would continue up the Wolf Jaw Trail to the summit of Upper Wolf Jaw Mountain. Then along the Grand Traverse proper, summiting Armstrong Mountain, The Gothics, Saddleback Mountain, and finally Basin Mountain. If we survived all that, we would descend downhill to the Johns Brook shelter for the night. On the 3rd day, we would head back uphill to summit Mount Marcy (the highest point in New York) and then hike the 10 miles downhill back to the trailhead. It all sounded straightforward over pizza and beer, but as I thought about it back in the quiet of my room, the plan seemed a bit ‘ambitious.’
The Grand Peaks Traverse
The first hiking day was straightforward and relatively mild. It gave no hint of what would come on the 2nd day. The first night at the shelter was pleasant though it did rain hard all night. It took only a short time on day 2 to realize we were into an entirely different type of hiking. The trail steepened dramatically and became rougher. In my mind, I thought the trail would flatten out once we reached the Upper Wolf Jaw summit ridge. Boy, was I wrong! The trail continued to increase in difficulty, often requiring as much use of the arms as the legs. Finally, we made it to the summit of Upper Wolf Jaw and stopped for a break to capture the incredible views. I realized our pace had been less than 0.5MPH. The Grand Traverse ridge walk for day 2 was 6 miles! A bad feeling started to creep in.
No water, slow pace, physical exhaustion… and increasing doubt
The descent off Wolf Jaw was treacherous. Then it was again up the ‘trail’ toward Armstrong. The hiking was brutal and VERY slow. I was starting to get physically exhausted, but worse, I was running out of water. We were averaging about 0.3MPH, and there was no water to be found. A little basic math told me it would take a LONG time to hike the 6 miles of the Traverse, and lack of water would be a real problem. Doubts about my ability to complete the hike were starting to flood into my thinking. But there were no bailout options. I began to feel ‘trapped,’ and a bit of panic started creeping in. It was an unpleasant time!
Some much-appreciated ‘therapy’, food, and a ‘second wind’
At the saddle between Armstrong and The Gothics, we took a break. I confessed my deteriorating mental state to Justin (YouTube channel ‘It’s Good in the Woods’). Justin put his arm around me and said, ‘we’ll get you through this, no matter what.’ His words were exactly what I needed. I caught my second wind between the renewed confidence and additional energy from the food. We pressed on up the steep, rugged climb to the summit of The Gothics. When we reached the summit, we took another much-needed break. The views in every direction were incredible. We could see all the ground we covered behind us and everything still in store in front of us.
Descent from The Gothics and a change of plans
The descent from The Gothics is legendary (infamous, actually). It is incredibly steep and completely exposed. They have installed wire cables in the steepest stretch to arrest your descent. In the saddle between the Gothics and Saddleback Mountain, a side trail takes you down to Johns Brook. It is the first bailout point available. Given the circumstances, discretion was the better part of valor, and I decided to take the bailout. The trail intersection is also the first water source we had come to. We all tanked up, and I said my goodbyes to the rest of the gang. But after some discussion, we decided to stick together, and we all headed down the Orebed Brook Trail towards the shelter.
Reflecting on the Grand Peaks Traverse
In hindsight, I had no business being on the Grand Traverse hike. If I had done even a modest amount of pre-trip research on the ‘trails’ we would be hiking, I likely wouldn’t have gone on the trip. At a minimum, I would have spent weeks before the trip getting physically prepared, especially my upper body strength. My ‘vision’ of the hike, and hiking in New York in general, dramatically underestimated the difficulty of the Adirondack High Peaks trails. Calling them trails is overly generous. Once we reached the traverse, the hike was more like a Ninja Warrior course than a hiking trail. We sometimes used our arms as much as our legs and many other body parts! But despite being in over my head, I am glad I went. If I had canceled I would have missed out on a bucket list opportunity and regretted it forever.
Even with all the ‘drama’ from my first attempt, I would return without hesitation for a second hike. The problems I ran into were all my fault. Often, backpacking a first hike ends up a little rough. It becomes what we like to call a ‘learning experience!’ There is no doubt I learned a great deal from my first Grand Peaks hike. Most (all?) people hike the Grand Traverse ridge section as a day hike with no packs. We never saw any other hikers attempting it with full packs. Also, I would take MUCH more water with me along the ridge. I could have overcome my other issues if I had had enough water. Don’t let my experience scare you away. The Grand Peaks Traverse is a great hike. Bucket-list worthy for sure, and a ton of fun.
