Today's Hike

Holy cow!

EDIT: At work today, I just had time to look at the photos. I just read the narrative and it is really, really cool. What an adventure.

To all, Marcski, Nepa... sorry I have been somewhat awol, a shitload going on.

Harvey wrote

Holy cow!

Seriously... those Kids are hardcore.

Holy batventure Robin, you guys had a fun day. Those kids of yours are sure getting a great education. Are they 46ers yet?

Thanks guys ^^

PeeTex, no, they're not 46ers although they've tons of hiking.  Daniel's got Cascade and Porter, Sylvie zero. Daniel's plenty ready to do more High Peaks, Sylvie doesn't really have the all-day stamina that most of the 4000-footers (all actually) require.  We do the majority of our outings all together, so maybe when she gets older.  The mountains will wait, as they say.  Our goal with the kids is to make the outdoors fun and to have them grow up knowing firsthand what an amazing place the Adirondacks are.

Jeff, you undoubtedly get my vote for outdoor Dad of the Year.   I'm having this beer for you!  

I 2nd that... Very cool. Way cool.  

Those are great cave shots. I am getting claustrophobic sitting at my desk.

Hike from our trip to Hawaii a couple weeks ago.  Volcanoes National Park.  In addition to doing the typical tourist Crater Rim Drive with the usual stops we decided to hike the Kilauea Iki trail.  This is a 4 mile loop that takes you through lush tropical rain forest down/up the sides of of the crater, with a trek across a still steaming crater floor that was a pool of lava 56 years ago.  Not that strenuous for experienced hikers, but a good workout none the less over the course of the 2+ hour excursion.  Very cool, one of the most unique places I may ever have been.  Pictures really don't do justice to the magnitude of the landscape, but here are some shots.....as I can get them to load.

Ok, so the pictures may have to wait until tonight.

The next hike we did was on Oahu.  The Manoa Falls Trail to the the Aihualama Trail, which takes you to the Puaoa Flats and Nu'uanu Overlook.  The Manoa Falls Trail itself is rather tame, suitable for all ages.  About a half hour up.  The waterfall is spectacular.



The Aihualama Trail takes you through up a rock scramble, through a bamboo forest, past fascinating Banyan Trees, and onto a 14 switchback climb up a steep mountainside that tops out at 1,800 feet.  An hour and fifteen up on this trail put the trek to the summit at two hours, three and change round trip.  Knife edge drop off are what theses fascinating Oahu mountains offer, with the payoff at the top....



I'll add and fix more pics when I have time later.

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I know it's hard to get sharp images in that kind of light, but the pics are still good IMO.

I think you could write "The (Awesome) Family Guide to the Chimney Mountain Caves" and get some traction with it.

Harvey wrote

I think you could write "The (Awesome) Family Guide to the Chimney Mountain Caves" and get some traction with it.

More like the Getting After It With Kids field manual!

Harvey wrote

I know it's hard to get sharp images in that kind of light, but the pics are still good IMO.

My camera crapped out about a month ago and I haven't replaced it yet.  I generally go through a decent quality P&S every two years (this last one lasted about a year and a half).  So the photos were all taken on my iPhone.  Personally I kind of like the fuzzy/blurry effect in many of the photos - it captures the feeling of being in the cave pretty well, where your range of vision is limited and people / objects come in and out of view.  The blurry focus in the first pic can be 100% attributed to Sylvie - at age 7 everything she does is accompanied by a blur of motion, including photography.

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2nd one looks like you were on round

Nice shots.

How old do we think this is?

Adk Jeff wrote

That's what I was thinking. Wonder if it was placed there by  Verplanck Colvin who did a lot of the original surveying of the ADKs. It certainly looks old enough.

http://www.pobonline.com/articles/90079-famous-adirondack-surveyor-honored-by-new-york-surveying-association-assemblyman-mceneny

" Today surveyors continue to reference his detailed maps and field notes of the area. In 1997, the Colvin Crew was established, with support from the New York State Association of Professional Land Surveyors, to "follow in the footsteps of New York's premier surveyor of the wilderness" and re-discover the more than 300 monuments Colvin planted throughout the area. For surveyors who find these rare, historic monuments hidden throughout the Adirondack High Peaks, it's like finding long lost buried treasure. "

SB is correct^^.  The summit bolt was placed by Verplanck Colvin early during his Adirondack Survery, which began in 1873 and lasted nearly 20 years.  The year is no longer legible, but I believe it was placed in 1874.

And Skimore is correct as well:  the second peak was Round Mountain.

Any more guesses on peak #1 (the summit with the bolt) ?  That peak is also known (to rock climbers at least) for a second bolt that's placed just below the summit, halfway up a vertical handcrack that splits the summit cliffs. It was put there by Fritz Weissner, climbing pioneer of the Gunks and Adirondacks, sometime in the 1930's. That climbing route is rated 5.8 and is considered an Adirondack classic.  Like many of the Weissner classics, the route is simply known as "the Weissner Route" or "the Weissner Handcrack."

Anyhow, here's another photo from just below the summit of peak #1.   It should be pretty obvious now...

I would like to do that one day.

Also, he put some of the first routes up in Smugglers Notch, I am not sure if he completed the main cliff with Elephant's Head though. Time to check the guidebook!

Wonder what the purpose of the summit bolt is Jeff ? To mark the high point solely ? Or also to mark the transit's position when he surveyed?

In the link except I posted, it comments on " 300 monuments " Colvin planted in the ADK...safe to say they're these summit bolts ?