Hiked up Puffer Mountain on Sunday. Historically, most of my hiking has always been on marked trails or herd paths, so this was one of my first true shwacks in the dacks. Started late, like after 2:00, didn't have a GPS, or pants, or gators, or much gear at all. I figured since it was only a few miles each way I should be fine with a water bottle, map, compass, and my side kick Levon. That was a mistake, but I suppose this is how we learn.
Parked at King's Flow, at those Chimney Mountain Cabins or whatever. Put $2 in the honor box - side note: It's cool they only ask $2, I hate when places get tacky with large parking fees. Had the Nat. Geo. map, which showed a trail going straight South along King's Flow for about 1.1 miles before a split. Found the trail from the lot without incident, although I don't remember there being any signage that I noticed. Trail starts as loging road but quickly turns to a hiking trail. Easy walking to the split. The left fork takes you East to Puffer Pond, with the right continuing pretty much straight South.
Took this trail a short ways (maybe .3 miles) until I crossed Puffer Pond Brook, then almost immediately after reached another brook. Informed by my map, my initial plan had been to take that second brook almost to the top; however, I quickly decided that plan sucked. It had been raining a ton, all the rocks were wet and slick, and it was slow going. Instead, I opted for hiking just to the left of the brook, since ultimately I'd have to bear left to hit the summit anyways. My route eventual began to rise and make a sort of ridge to follow up. So for the next mile (I think, no GPS so it could have been less) I basically followed this ridge through nice open woods, making sure to keep the brook close enough that I could keep my bearing by it.
It was around this point that we reached a cliff. We found a slanty crack Levon was able to work through without a second thought. After that though, SGR. While the hike flattened out a bunch, I encountered what seemed like never ending stretches of blow downs above the cliff. The blown downs seemed a little old too, as they often crumbled under foot...which made for difficult travel. I'd say that part of the hike was between 200 and 300 miles. I contemplated bailing like a hundred times, but was able to keep myself going by deluding myself into imagining that it would clear out any minute. There was moose poop all over, and I could get an occasional reprieve from the blow downs by following what seemed like game paths.
Finally, I came to a big dark section of pines, tall and spread out enough to move easier, with few blow downs. I think I was going through this for awhile, but as the moving was so much easier it seemed short. As I progressed the ridge narrowed and I began to see the sky open up on both sides of me. Eventually I could even see the Southern leg of Puffer on my right beyond the depression below.
At this point there we a couple steeper pushes and the the trees began to change to those stubby pines that tell you "you're getting close to the summit." They were thick as anything though. I was ducking and squeezing between them. Levon manged them well by squirming below the branches. Ran my eyes across some pine needles a few time and scratched the bejezus out of my cornea. Now and again I could find like a ten foot opening, but usually the pines would just be replaced by some blow down that was even worse. Without a GPS I just had to keep trying to read the little land I could see and try to keep going up. This wasn't particularly easy as it's generally pretty darn flat up at the top, and the upward-ed-ness is very gradual. I did this for a long time, and was moving super slow. Eventually I got myself so caught up in the pines and the blow downs, I literally couldn't go forward any more. I climbed up the blow downs and looked over the short trees. Up ahead, couldn't have been more than 20 yards, I could see a few more taller trees, but they looked wider so I assumed they were taller trees on the way down instead of higher ground.
Knowing that trying to circumvent back around to those trees might have added another 50 minutes to my trip, and being fairly confident that I had in fact reach the top, I said forget it, and decided to get myself down before I got myself and hiking partner into any more trouble.
I swept back around, then worked myself to the North side of the mountain. Took a bearing on the compass (pretty much straight North), and started heading down. Getting out of the super thick pines seemed MUCH shorter than it had the way I went up. Also, I never really ran into the severe blow down issue on that face. I did encounter some cliffs, which due to poor visibility I noticed just a little later than my comfort level. But I was able to get around them without going too far off my route. Back down into the open woods and to the Puffer Pond Brook trail just West of Puffer Pond. Exactly where I was aiming for! I played it cool since I didn't want Levon to know that I didn't know what I was doing, but I was actually pretty surprise/proud.
From there I took the trail East along Puffer Pond. Took the left from Puffer Pond and hiked the 2 or so miles back out to the lot. Whole trip took 5 hours. I got pretty beat up, largely due to my own lack of preparedness. Scratched my cornea, banged my shin, had cuts up and down my legs and arms. However, the rest of my crew went outlet shopping in Lake George, which I'm sure would have been far more painful.
Parked at King's Flow, at those Chimney Mountain Cabins or whatever. Put $2 in the honor box - side note: It's cool they only ask $2, I hate when places get tacky with large parking fees. Had the Nat. Geo. map, which showed a trail going straight South along King's Flow for about 1.1 miles before a split. Found the trail from the lot without incident, although I don't remember there being any signage that I noticed. Trail starts as loging road but quickly turns to a hiking trail. Easy walking to the split. The left fork takes you East to Puffer Pond, with the right continuing pretty much straight South.
Took this trail a short ways (maybe .3 miles) until I crossed Puffer Pond Brook, then almost immediately after reached another brook. Informed by my map, my initial plan had been to take that second brook almost to the top; however, I quickly decided that plan sucked. It had been raining a ton, all the rocks were wet and slick, and it was slow going. Instead, I opted for hiking just to the left of the brook, since ultimately I'd have to bear left to hit the summit anyways. My route eventual began to rise and make a sort of ridge to follow up. So for the next mile (I think, no GPS so it could have been less) I basically followed this ridge through nice open woods, making sure to keep the brook close enough that I could keep my bearing by it.
It was around this point that we reached a cliff. We found a slanty crack Levon was able to work through without a second thought. After that though, SGR. While the hike flattened out a bunch, I encountered what seemed like never ending stretches of blow downs above the cliff. The blown downs seemed a little old too, as they often crumbled under foot...which made for difficult travel. I'd say that part of the hike was between 200 and 300 miles. I contemplated bailing like a hundred times, but was able to keep myself going by deluding myself into imagining that it would clear out any minute. There was moose poop all over, and I could get an occasional reprieve from the blow downs by following what seemed like game paths.
Finally, I came to a big dark section of pines, tall and spread out enough to move easier, with few blow downs. I think I was going through this for awhile, but as the moving was so much easier it seemed short. As I progressed the ridge narrowed and I began to see the sky open up on both sides of me. Eventually I could even see the Southern leg of Puffer on my right beyond the depression below.
At this point there we a couple steeper pushes and the the trees began to change to those stubby pines that tell you "you're getting close to the summit." They were thick as anything though. I was ducking and squeezing between them. Levon manged them well by squirming below the branches. Ran my eyes across some pine needles a few time and scratched the bejezus out of my cornea. Now and again I could find like a ten foot opening, but usually the pines would just be replaced by some blow down that was even worse. Without a GPS I just had to keep trying to read the little land I could see and try to keep going up. This wasn't particularly easy as it's generally pretty darn flat up at the top, and the upward-ed-ness is very gradual. I did this for a long time, and was moving super slow. Eventually I got myself so caught up in the pines and the blow downs, I literally couldn't go forward any more. I climbed up the blow downs and looked over the short trees. Up ahead, couldn't have been more than 20 yards, I could see a few more taller trees, but they looked wider so I assumed they were taller trees on the way down instead of higher ground.
Knowing that trying to circumvent back around to those trees might have added another 50 minutes to my trip, and being fairly confident that I had in fact reach the top, I said forget it, and decided to get myself down before I got myself and hiking partner into any more trouble.
I swept back around, then worked myself to the North side of the mountain. Took a bearing on the compass (pretty much straight North), and started heading down. Getting out of the super thick pines seemed MUCH shorter than it had the way I went up. Also, I never really ran into the severe blow down issue on that face. I did encounter some cliffs, which due to poor visibility I noticed just a little later than my comfort level. But I was able to get around them without going too far off my route. Back down into the open woods and to the Puffer Pond Brook trail just West of Puffer Pond. Exactly where I was aiming for! I played it cool since I didn't want Levon to know that I didn't know what I was doing, but I was actually pretty surprise/proud.
From there I took the trail East along Puffer Pond. Took the left from Puffer Pond and hiked the 2 or so miles back out to the lot. Whole trip took 5 hours. I got pretty beat up, largely due to my own lack of preparedness. Scratched my cornea, banged my shin, had cuts up and down my legs and arms. However, the rest of my crew went outlet shopping in Lake George, which I'm sure would have been far more painful.
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