Solitude in the High Peaks - Pinnacle Peak

I generally avoid the Eastern High Peaks. Many areas lack the solitude and wildness that I find appealing. But you can't beat a great view and I've long been intrigued by a small peak south of Mt. Marcy named the Pinnacle. The Pinnacle sits at the western end of the range that includes Nippletop, Colvin and Blake. At just 3400 feet Pinnacle avoids the 46er curse, and there's no easy way to get there, so even on a gorgeous late summer day crowds seemed unlikely.

View from near the top of the Pinnacle. The Great Range (L. to R.): Mt. Marcy, Haystack, Basin, Saddleback, Gothics. Ausable Lakes in the foreground.

The route follows the Panther Gorge Trail from the Dix Mountain Trail head at Elk Lake. The Panther Gorge trail starts across the road from the parking area (the Dix Trail goes off separately) and provides a southern approach to the highest peaks. Using this trail it's ten miles to the summit of Marcy and this is probably the least used approach to the Great Range. After five miles on the Panther Gorge trail you reach the junction with the Pinnacle Trail and it's an additional 1.8 miles to the top from there. The Pinnacle trail is rough, but relatively level, until after a mile you reach a junction with a private trail coming up from the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. That's where the climb begins. From there you'll gain 1300 feet of elevation in the remaining eight tenths of a mile to the top.

This route does not get a lot of use. I walked it on a perfect late August day and met two people on the trail for the entire day. However, I did see plenty of other hikers. I got a late start and by the time I got to Elk Lake the Dix trail head parking was full (no parking is allowed along the road). This meant that I (and many many others) had to park two miles back along the road at Clear Pond. The extra two miles on both ends of the hike meant that my planned 14 mile hike was going to be an 18 miler. The two extra miles went by quickly in the morning but, at the end of the day, walking slowly back along the road with darkness falling, I was afraid to stop. Not afraid of the dark, but afraid that if I sat down I might not be able to get started again. I got back the car at 8:00 pm after 10 hours of continuous hiking. In addition to the distance, the trail crosses the Colvin Range ridge (in both directions) so total elevation grain for the day was 4300 feet. All in all, one of toughest hikes I've done in recent years.

The lay of the land (screen capture from Google Earth). 

One of the highlights of the day was catching glimpses of what I believe were several (two, possibly more) Bicknell's Thrushes near the summit of Pinnacle (3400 feet). This secretive bird breeds at high elevations in the northeastern U.S. and Canada and, with a very limited breeding range, it is rather rare. Bicknell's is not easily identified in the field but these birds were definitely thrushes and, given the location, Bicknell's Thrush is the likely ID.

Viewed on a map, or in Google Earth, the Pinnacle is a non-descript bump on a ridge surrounded by much bigger mountains. But, as for views, this is a giant. There are fantastic views of the Great Range and crossing the summit there are views of the Dix Range and Elk Lake. The pictures tell the story.

Elk Lake. Looking southeast from the Pinnacle.

The ADK Guidebook says that the trail climbs steeply at times. This nearly vertical ladder near the top qualifies as "climbing steeply".

Mount Marcy (left) and Haystack. The rocky knob of Little Haystack is seen on the far right.

Mt. Macomb. The other Dix range peaks are visible though the trees from the summit of Pinnacle.

Looking south towards Hoffman Mountain and the peaks of the Blue Ridge Range.

Another shot of Marcy and Haystack. With the Upper Ausable Lake just visible in the foreground.

The Pinnacle trail (1.8 miles from the Panther Gorge Trail to the top) passes though a magnificent hardwood forest. Ancient Yellow Birch with diameters approaching 4 feet are seen along with old growth Maple. The Spruce near the summit appear to be untouched by loggers or fire with numerous large trees present. 

No Adirondack hike is complete without encountering an odd fungus along the trail. Despite the distinctive color, and an unusual foul odor, I've not been able to identify this particular variety. 

Northville Lake Placid Trail - One High Ridge

The Northville Lake Placid Trail (NLPT) is not a route for peak baggers. Unlike many other long distance hiking routes, the NLPT does not follow the spine of a mountain range. Instead, the NLPT crosses the adirondack dome via natural corridors provided by the many rivers and streams that define the landscape. Nearly the entire route stays below 2500 feet, with one prominent exception. The section south of Route 28N (east of Long Lake) crosses a steep ridge line at just over 3000 feet.

Walking south on the NLPT from the parking area on 28N, it's 3.5 miles to the ridgeline with 1300 feet of climbing. You ascend gradually for the first three miles and a good chunk of the elevation is gained in the last half mile. The trail then follows the ridgeline for half a mile before dropping off steeply to begin the descent towards Tirrell Pond and points south. I've hiked in this area many times but it's been years since I walked along the ridgeline in mid-summer. What a shame. The half-mile along the crest of the ridge is an uncommon delight.

Spruce, Fir and other common sub-alpine species mix-in, but the canopy along the ridgeline is dominated by Yellow Birch. 

Three thousand feet is not high, even by modest Adirondack standards, but the forest community present on this ridge is uncommonly attractive. Above 2800 feet, on the northern side, the forest canopy is dominated by mature Yellow Birch with an understory consisting primarily of fern-filled meadows. This is not a named ecological assemblage (NYS Natural Heritage Project) and this elevation is considered to be the upper limit for Yellow Birch.

I spent two hours exploring the ridge line and simply sitting, relaxing, and enjoying the solitude.  

Ecological communities are highly variable. There are the defining characteristics of a locale: climate, soil, moisture levels, elevation, slope, and so on, but these characteristics simply provide a baseline. The forests we see today have been shaped by disturbances: disease, fires, storms, droughts and logging. I suspect that the forest present on the ridgeline southeast of Long Lake emerged from an event that took place on November 25, 1950. If you know anything of recent Adirondack history that date should ring a bell. That's the date of the great Adirondack hurricane. What locals refer to simply as the 'blowdown'.

We tend to think of hurricanes as tropical storms but the storm that blew through the Adirondacks on that November day exhibited the same characteristics; heavy rain and intense cyclonic winds formed around a compact low pressure area. With recorded wind speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, this storm would been memorable under any circumstances, but the effects were greatly magnified by the wind direction. Any large tree growing in the Adirondacks has stood fast against many storms and, over time, the trees brace themselves against the prevailing northwesterly winds. The 1950 storm battered the forests from the south and, worst of all, the northeast. Those northeasterly winds hit trees growing on north facing slopes particularly hard and in some places 50 to 75% of the mature trees came down.

Yellow Birch dominate the canopy and ferns fill the understory.

White Pine and Spruce tended to be most vulnerable and on the other end of the spectrum Yellow Birch tends to hold up well against high winds. If you're unfamiliar with Yellow Birch you might be wondering how birch trees could be so tough. The White and Grey Birch so common in suburban yards are the first trees to come down in a storm. Well, we can't pick our relatives, and Yellow Birch is an entirely different sort of tree. Yellow Birch is long-lived and specimens of Yellow Birch are among the oldest and largest trees present in Adirondack forests today. The ridge line southeast of Long Lake was hard hit by the 1950 storm and the mature Yellow Birch present there today prospered in the aftermath of that storm.

The Adirondack forest is damp and mossy. A few degrees warmer, and with a few more inches of rain annually, and the Adirondacks would be a temperate rain forest. Maybe that's what it will become in the future.

If the ridge line is out of reach the first mile of this trail passes through a large Spruce bog of uncommon diversity and beauty. I've walked the boardwalks of this section dozens of times but I enjoy it every single time. The picture is of water flowing in Shaw Brook. Roughly a half mile from the trail head.  

Ghost plant (Indian Pipe) is a heteromycotroph. These plants lack chlorophyll and derive energy from fungus in the soil.