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Honestly... I'd think twice about combing a first winter High Peak ascent with a first winter overnight. Either one of those alone is a task demanding substantial prep work on your part to ensure that you undertake it safely. To try to combine the two does raise the likelihood that you end up biting off more than you can chew. I think you'd be well advised to pick one of those goals (either a day hike up a High Peak in winter, or a winter overnight) and focus solely on that specific goal.

FWIW: I'm a Winter 46er, and I also have substantial cold weather camping and backpacking experience. I only overnighted in the backcountry for 1 of the High Peaks in winter (Marcy) while working towards the goal of becoming a Winter 46er- the 45 other peaks I climbed as day trips. Winter camping especially just demands so much added time and attention for even the simplest of camp chores that the advantages of being located closer to the peaks are largely negated by the added time and effort it takes just to get out of camp in the morning. I found that with alpine starts (3-4 AM) for day hike attempts at winter summits, I was usually passing overnight groups while they were still in camp getting ready for the day, and often beat overnight groups to the summits by a fair margin. Granted, they had less distance to hike at the end of the day to get back to camp (vs my hike back to the trailhead), but again, evening chores in camp are no easy task in winter either. When you're tired and exhausted from a tough ascent, the prospect of having to spend 2 more hours in the cold and dark and wet cooking dinner and melting snow for drinking water isn't particularly appealing.

I'll also ditto /u/OCMule's books suggestion. While much of what Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills covers is honestly overkill for winter hiking and camping even in the High Peaks, the first few chapters are pretty much the bible of general winter hiking and camping skills and equipment.

The National Outdoor Leadership School also publishes a really good book on the subject of winter camping that will give you far more (and better) info than you could hope to gain through posts on reddit.

I'd also strongly recommend obtaining a Wilderness First Aid (WFA) certification prior to your trip if you don't already have one. Absolutely 100% essential skills for winter backpacking or winter day hikes in the High Peaks are knowledge of how to identify early signs/symptoms of cold weather injuries (hypothermia, frost bite) and how to respond accordingly. WFA certifications can usually be obtained in a single weekend. Courses are offered throughout the year through organizations like the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Appalachian Mountain Club.

I wrote a post with some general information on climbing High Peaks in winter recently that you may also find helpful.

One other quick comment concerning stoves since you ask about them specifically: White gas stoves are the gold standard of reliability for cold weather camping. I'm a big fan of the MSR Dragonfly, as it allows you to easily simmer (something that not all white gas stoves are very good at).

Everyone else's are great, but, I'm here to bring you the best! :D

Non-fiction, which meet "the adirondack vibe":

The Dangerous River -- amazing paddling tale, very exciting.

Adirondack French Louie -- the ultimate Adirondack hermit, all else I can say is Ba da holee feeeesh! (not a mystery/thriller, but, very much has the vibe)

Fiction:

The Martian -- although tainted by the movie, if you haven't seen the movie, read the book. It's an amazing adventure tale and while out adventuring in the Adirondacks, just amplifies the adventure, I think.

(edit: formatting)

That one should be required reading for winter hikers (hikers in general). Not everyone dies but some do (tragically and needlessly), others escape with a few missing extremities, and yet others unscathed only due to pure luck.

Another good one, that's focused on the Adirondacks, is Peter Bronski's At the Mercy of the Mountains. If you found 'Not Without Peril' engrossing, you'll like 'At the Mercy' as well.

FWIW, check out chapter 8 about Steven Thomas. That one strikes a chord because I still recall seeing his "Lost" posters. They were nailed to trail-registers back when I started hiking in the High Peaks (in the Paleozoic Era). Talk about a sobering sight for a budding new hiker!

Unlike the recent Whiteface skier, who showed up in Sacramento, Steven Thomas was never found (not even a trace). However, I recall some people theorizing that he "disappeared himself" to start anew elsewhere. However, that theory is unproven and certainly doesn't give his family any comfort.

The High Peaks are spread over a fairly broad area. Trails are usually marked, but I'd say going up without a map and a compass (and the knowledge of how to use them) is asking for trouble in a pretty serious way.
If you don't want to spring for a proper trail map, you maybe can make do with the resources on Alltrails.com, though I'm not a user myself and can't vouch personally. I'll link the one I use in the High Peaks.
https://www.amazon.com/Lake-Placid-High-Peaks-Illustrated/dp/156695357X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495934139&sr=8-1&keywords=high+peaks+map

Stay safe, have fun, good luck!

This is the pack is the one my dog is wearing in that picture. It gets the job done. Only minor complaints are the lack of a d-ring (I either use a separate front clip harness underneath or clip the leash to the handle on the back). And a tendency to shift to the side while walking.

Ruff wear packs are really well reviewed, but come at a much higher cost, which is why I don't have one hah.

As for bug spray, I'm still experimenting. There is a repel lemon eucalyptus spay that was recommended to me, or a Picaridin/Icaridin based spray like Bug Guard or Sawyer which is supposed to work well.

In that first pic she is wearing an Insect Shield bandanna, specific for dogs. It worked pretty well for mosquitoes, but did dick-all at keeping biting flies away. She got a nice bite near hear eye that caused some swelling.

Snowblimes Boots, Hillsound microspikes, MSR Revo Ascents snowshoes, any decent rain-pant with a base-layer. MSR whisperlight is the toyota tacoma of backcountry stoves.


Honestly, I would get this book and read the first half. You can learn most of this by trial and error but it's a LOT better to read up ahead of time.


I think the most important for learning to camp in the winter is being able to bail out pretty easily. Whatever your plan is, I wouldn't go further than 2 miles from your car. That way if it really isn't working out you can be back in the car in about an hour.

i picked up At The Mercy of the Mountains at the excellent ithaca book sale a few months ago. it covers the stories of a variety of misadventures, accidents, and deaths which have taken place in the adirondacks over the years. it was a pretty good read and absolutely worth the $.50 or so i payed for it.

Map created by the wonky but still pretty great National Geographic Adirondack Explorer which is no longer available.

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https://www.amazon.com/Adirondack-Park-Explorer-National-Geographic/dp/1597751316 (Not an affiliate link)

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TrailsIllustrated maps are copyrighted and I hope folks respect that by not posting copies here. In my opinion they're well worth the price.

AllTrails.com offers a subscription service where you can view these maps online, print portions at home, etc. I've never used it so I can't vouch for it other than to say it's there.

Amazon also has low-res previews of the map here that may or may not be helpful.

Contested Terrain, if you are interested in Adirondack History and such.

The Great Experiment in Conservation: Voices of the Adirondack Park, this one has everything from biology to history of the park. Each chapter is written by a different author on various topics.

The boy scouts of america's Fieldbook is a decent place to start and it has information on all sorts of things relating to hiking/outdoors which you might like to know. It has a decent chapter on navigation. The best thing you can do is practice. Especially on more leisurely hikes, take the time to invent situations to navigate.

I would highly suggest getting a map so you can see if there are trails there or not instead of just hoping. It's hard to give advice when you're not even sure what you're trying to plan.

The National Geographic maps are the standard for the area. #746 Saranac/Paul Smiths covers the area between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake. You can see on the map there is 1 trail that covers part of the distance between Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, the Jackrabbit Ski Trail. However, since it is a ski trail, I can't vouch for it's hikability (maybe someone else here can). There would also still be road walking/running you would have to do between the two towns.

The town of Lake Placid and south of there, including the High Peaks Region is covered in map #742 Lake Placid/High Peaks

I will say there are plenty of options for other trails if you were to do more of a "basecamp" thing, especially if you're not planning to actually camp but would prefer to stay at a hotel or something in town. You could just stay town, drive to a trailhead in the morning, do your hike, and then drive back to your lodging place in town. I have done this type of trip numerous times and always enjoy it

A good book
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Woods-Extraordinary-Story-Hermit/dp/B01N33DWL9/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526392864&sr=8-1&keywords=the+stranger+in+the+woods+book

https://www.amazon.com/Best-Backcountry-Skiing-Northeast-Classic/dp/1934028142/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1P3O22P8S9SGH&keywords=best+backcountry+skiing+in+the+northeast&qid=1571319679&sprefix=northeast+backcountry+ski%2Caps%2C138&sr=8-1

I picked up this guide book a few years ago and there a few locations in the Adirondacks in there. I know you can ski down Wright for sure. I've never done it though. A few years ago I almost pulled the trigger on an alpine touring setup but ultimately realized that there are only a handful of days where the conditions are good enough for back-country skiing in the northeast.

Bug shirt is my preferred method. No chemicals or sprays. Better than a head net where the blackflies always seem to get in around the collar. Wear a hat to keep it off your face and it's a game changer for me. Relax, don't swat and itch...

https://www.amazon.com/Coghlans-BUGJACKET-Bug-Jacket/dp/B002C3GXQ8

>good sleeping bag liner

What's a good one?

I have this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078GQVSMX/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title

Thank you

National Geographic has an illustrated map that you could cut out.

$6 on Amazon. Lake Placid, High Peaks: Adirondack Park (National Geographic Trails Illustrated Map) https://www.amazon.com/dp/156695357X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_9UYqDb133XPDA

You may want two copies as some of them are on the backside.you might even need a second map.

This map links up with a guide for the high peaks by the Adirondak Mountain Club(?) or something like that.

There's also other maps by the AMC(?) but they are likely more technical.

Edit: it's the ADK not AMC.