(Part 2) Best products from r/Adirondacks

Recently finished reading Monsters of the Northwoods.... super good book! It's all about local Bigfoot type stuff... lots of stuff around the lake George area in Whitehall. I can't say if these things exist but I've been witness to some super weird stuff in the adks myself, so who knows.

Monsters of the Northwoods https://www.amazon.com/dp/0925168009/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_gXiVzbG8GMDKB

I do most of my hiking in the winter and solo quite often. Winter climbing has it's own learning curve. You have different gear, different conditions, and your body is going to act differently. So you have to adjust. As you know with climbing, the best way to learn while not getting yourself in a bind is to take it slow and read as much as you can. You might already have this book. The first half still applies even though we're not talking K2. I have a Shepard mix too, there will simply be days that your dog can't handle because they don't tolerate equipment as well as people do. Just get into it slowly. The problem with winter is not that it's terribly difficult - it can just be very unforgiving. Every mistake in rough weather you make compounds to make your problems worse and the longer you take to fix them the harder everything gets. Having a well oiled "machine" for taking care of everything will help you and that takes experience.

So I would start off pretty low key and use this time to figure out your system and take close attention of your dog's limits (picking up feet is the sign my dog is getting too cold and we need to adjust). Play it safe, always have an "oh shit" bag of things so you can survive if you get caught over night. And get a SPOT or PLB just in case. Sometime as simple as a broken leg can easily kill you in the winter.


Edit: I would start on a few sub 3k peaks when it's full on winter, then do something like cascade first because it has a good mix of everything you'll encounter (from snow, to ice, to wind). Start off sub 8 mile peaks and you should be fine.

I recommend a head net and bug spray also buy a red dragon finally it'll be mud season don't mess up the trails. Consider canoeing. Less bugs on the water too.

The CL50 map that the website usually links to was updated last week, and I don't know if they actually got the update posted online. There's always the NatGeo map that has a realy nice look and feel.

If you're into Facebook, there is a Cranberry Lake 50 group that can answer a lot of your questions.

I'm not sure if we're talking about the same site? I linked to Nat Geo's index of their paper (I think they are actually some kind of plastic) maps to order online. You can also order them through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Adirondack-Bundle-National-Geographic-Illustrated/dp/1597752258/

There is an interactive map in the link that I shared, but it's just an aid to see what maps cover what areas, not for trip planning.

I bought Vasque last year and did some winter hikes in extreme temp. Twice attempted Mt. Washy, did Marcy and Whitface. Marcy was one of the closest temp in winter with -23F at the trail head.
These worked just fine without foot warmer.

NEVER compromise on winter gear , least of all boots or gloves.

Vasque Men's Snowburban II UltraDry Snow Boot, Ebony/Dried Tobacco, 8.5 M US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQVK0VM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_T9u9BbBHQZ7A4

Here is the desktop version of your link

They might, but most people get these. https://www.amazon.com/Micro-Spikes-855333000-Kahtoola-MICROspikes/dp/B0030I3Y48

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01BQ2BKG8

I have this one. It's plenty large enough for small push pins.

I overmapped when I did it over 2 trips 4 and 5 years ago lol. I brought the Nat Geo map and the Adirondack Paddler's Guide. Obviously I wasn't paddling but that one shows all the campsites while the Nat Geo map only shows lean-tos.

Also note that the new sections of trail on both ends where it connects to Route 3 are not on either map since those sections were just recently completed to cut off a bunch of the road walk.

I would suggest bringing the Nat Geo map for mileages and such and a paper print out of the one on the CL-50 site since it shows campsites and the new sections.

Yup that is true! Privileged information is a book. I'll link below but it seems it's out of print and you'd have to buy used. Sad because it's so fascinating! It's written by his lawyers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061002259?fp=1&pc_redir=T1

I'll see if I can find a pdf or something. I have a copy at home because I know people in the book (his family) personally and it touched my tiny hometown in a big way. If you're at all familiar with Moriah, NY you may recognize some of the landmarks.

Thank you LookingForViews - your advice and comments have been invaluable throughout my mini adventure this time. I wanted to thank first before I forget!

I'm very curious about "several reasons why one would choose to hike a peak when it offers no views." Care to elaborate?

I wish I had taken a full picture of the rented snowshoes I used ... here's one that only shows the tip of it. https://imgur.com/08kLpTo

I recall toward the rear it said "Ascent" But it was all metal except for straps, not plastic. I just looked up and this one looks like the one I had ... the strap is exactly the same. This strap to me was a nightmare but maybe I wasn't using it correctly. Yes, their binding is finicky!!! https://www.amazon.com/MSR-5643-Evo-Snowshoe-22-Inch/dp/B00LFJNDUE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518653733&sr=8-1&keywords=msr+evo+ascent+red

When you glissade on snowshoes, do you worry that you may not be able to stop and hit a tree or something? Or are you always sure that you can make a stop when you need to?

You are so right about coming down Phelps with this snowshoes' strap going awry all the time like it was! I also know for the next time I won't carry so many clothing, and 3 liters of hot water was also a little too much to carry. I ended up dumping one liter. It really slowed me down and my roommate at the lodge was very worried about me for returning so late! (I got lost too ... between Marcy Dam and loj! and I also lost rented poles and had to track back .... which I didn't use anyway...!)