Adirondacks State Park - 2016
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I have been to Adirondacks State Park three other previous times. The size, scale and topology are amazing. Previously summiting Mount Marcy and Algonquin Peak, I wanted to explore another part of the High Peaks region. The Five Mountain Loop seemed interesting. There are five four thousand foot mountains in close proximity, Dix Mountain, East Dix, South Dix, Hough Peak, and Macomb Mountain. My plan was to summit Dix Mountain and finish the day at the second lean-to near Dix Pond. The second day would involve summitting East Dix, South Dix, and Macomb Peak. The third day would include Hough Peak on the way out.
I parked at the trailhead parking northwest of the Round Pond trailhead. I was pleased to see a couple people from Ottawa register ahead of me, and break trail! This made both the navigation and travel much easier. I was surprised at the number of frozen stream crossings, but fortunately a favorable collection of rocks or strong ice allowed passage. I reached the earlier lean-to near the north fork of the Boquet River around Noon. However, a few miles ahead at 3500' the trail was destroyed by an earlier mudslide. While the ice on top of the stream looked fairly solid, I was concerned about weak spots, and the inability to self arrest on the frozen surface without any additional protection. I was by myself. I used my snowshoes with the additional tails to move up the sides of the stream, and then cross over into the forest to resume the trail. However, the mudslide resulted in no subsequent trail maintenance on the other side. So in addition to no break in the trail, downed trees and limbs bisected the trail. Even with snowshoes, I was descending fairly deep into the snow. As the sun was setting, I realized that the second lean-to is no longer a suitable goal for the day. In addition, even reaching that location, I would have to return across this terrain again. I decided to return to the initial lean-to I passed at Noon.
It was the tail end of a cold spell over the region. That night the low reached five degrees. I stored my food away from the lean-to, so the scampering mice left my gear without any damage. The following morning, I hiked back toward the trailhead and attempted Noonmark Mountain. Noonmark has a nice, promontory position over the Ausable Valley. It is an exposed rocky outcrop, and that exposure resulted in a lot of ice. Having seen those conditions before in the Adirondacks, I was glad to have my crampons and ice axe. The crampons allowed me to safely front point a number of features. I reached the summit of Noonmark around Noon. It was a pleasant conspicuous view of the area. Given my challenges around the Dix Mountains, I was glad to get to the top of this peak. After another two hours, I returned to my vehicle.