My alarm went off at 5:15am and I knew it was time to go get my ass kicked in the Sawtooths (Adirondacks) and be flagelatted by a biblical plague monstrosity of prison-bar-width conifers for the rest of the day, and hike deep, dark into the night. I brought my usual arsenal of supplies and safety gear, except I could have used an escalator from the Mall.
I was on the 6am ferry from Vermont to NY with only one other car who was most assuredly not going to the Sawtooths, because I'm sure he was not a masochist bushwhacko.
I hit the trail by 7:40 leaving from the parking area at the very end of the Averyville road. I approached Sawtooth 1 from the north because I'd gotten Intel that the northern approach was less thick. It was LONG. It was like 5 miles or so to reach the summit of Sawtooth 1. It felt like it went on forever, - like watching the Roots series 8 times in a row long, but at least not terribly thick.
4 1/2 hours later, I arrived at the summit of Sawtooth 1 on possibly the most perfect Adirondack weather day any hiker could ever hope for - not a cloud to be seen for over a hundred miles, zero wind, cool temperatures and no biting bugs in sight. Even though it is a long slog to get to, Sawtooth 1 is one of my favorite Adirondack peaks. Absolutely stellar views in almost all directions as shown in the photos below. I swear I could see Russia the view was so expansive.
Now it was time to really be assaulted by nature's unrelenting trillions of conifers, seemingly punishing humanity for inventing plastic, as the trees on the front descent of Sawtooth murdered me in the millionth degree as if I were getting fired at with nail guns by scores of angry construction workers. I finally made it several hours later after navigating cliffs, snarls, and what felt like a truly special balsam Christmas in hell until I staggered atop Sawtooth 3 the north peak.
From there it was only a short whack to Sawtooth 3. I pressed on, knowing that I had already stared the depths of hell in the face, unsurpassed in awfulness, choked and helplessly spit out by the forces of nature which no human can reckon with. At long last I stumbled onto the summit of Sawtooth 3 at 5 'o clock, welcomed by a ribbon tied to a tree in front of a demolition hurricane of apocalyptic blowdown. I ate like my 375th Powerbar for the day and then managed to get up for the long slog down to the Northville Placid Trail, which would prove to be the hardest part of an already impossible day.
The problem with coming off the Sawtooth 3 to the east is that in order to get to the Northville Placid Trail, you have to cross a marsh bog that will devour you like an anthrax-diseased hippos jaws. It was 7 o'clock and rapidly getting dark. I had no choice but to jump over the marshy wetland, and not quite making the jump, I fell forward into grassy muck that got me soaking wet and smelling like a neglected slaughterhouse on a humid day in 1800s Chicago.
I still had 9 miles to go. I hiked those 9 miles on the Northville Placid Trail, smelling of the putrifying stench of that God forsaken mud bog, sloshed in the grossest wetness known to mankind. (I had dry emergency gear, but wasn't cold and wanted to keep going) I staggered out onto the Averyville road at 11:45, some 16 hours after I started, my body feeling like I fought George Foreman for each of those 16 hours, but all the while retaining a nebulous satisfaction of having accomplished 3 tough Sawtooth bastards on the beautifullest of Fall Adirondack days.
Just before sunrise over Camel's Hump VT on way to NY.
At top of Sawtooth 1.
Stunning views from Sawtooth 1
More incredible views from Sawtooth 1
I was on the 6am ferry from Vermont to NY with only one other car who was most assuredly not going to the Sawtooths, because I'm sure he was not a masochist bushwhacko.
I hit the trail by 7:40 leaving from the parking area at the very end of the Averyville road. I approached Sawtooth 1 from the north because I'd gotten Intel that the northern approach was less thick. It was LONG. It was like 5 miles or so to reach the summit of Sawtooth 1. It felt like it went on forever, - like watching the Roots series 8 times in a row long, but at least not terribly thick.
4 1/2 hours later, I arrived at the summit of Sawtooth 1 on possibly the most perfect Adirondack weather day any hiker could ever hope for - not a cloud to be seen for over a hundred miles, zero wind, cool temperatures and no biting bugs in sight. Even though it is a long slog to get to, Sawtooth 1 is one of my favorite Adirondack peaks. Absolutely stellar views in almost all directions as shown in the photos below. I swear I could see Russia the view was so expansive.
Now it was time to really be assaulted by nature's unrelenting trillions of conifers, seemingly punishing humanity for inventing plastic, as the trees on the front descent of Sawtooth murdered me in the millionth degree as if I were getting fired at with nail guns by scores of angry construction workers. I finally made it several hours later after navigating cliffs, snarls, and what felt like a truly special balsam Christmas in hell until I staggered atop Sawtooth 3 the north peak.
From there it was only a short whack to Sawtooth 3. I pressed on, knowing that I had already stared the depths of hell in the face, unsurpassed in awfulness, choked and helplessly spit out by the forces of nature which no human can reckon with. At long last I stumbled onto the summit of Sawtooth 3 at 5 'o clock, welcomed by a ribbon tied to a tree in front of a demolition hurricane of apocalyptic blowdown. I ate like my 375th Powerbar for the day and then managed to get up for the long slog down to the Northville Placid Trail, which would prove to be the hardest part of an already impossible day.
The problem with coming off the Sawtooth 3 to the east is that in order to get to the Northville Placid Trail, you have to cross a marsh bog that will devour you like an anthrax-diseased hippos jaws. It was 7 o'clock and rapidly getting dark. I had no choice but to jump over the marshy wetland, and not quite making the jump, I fell forward into grassy muck that got me soaking wet and smelling like a neglected slaughterhouse on a humid day in 1800s Chicago.
I still had 9 miles to go. I hiked those 9 miles on the Northville Placid Trail, smelling of the putrifying stench of that God forsaken mud bog, sloshed in the grossest wetness known to mankind. (I had dry emergency gear, but wasn't cold and wanted to keep going) I staggered out onto the Averyville road at 11:45, some 16 hours after I started, my body feeling like I fought George Foreman for each of those 16 hours, but all the while retaining a nebulous satisfaction of having accomplished 3 tough Sawtooth bastards on the beautifullest of Fall Adirondack days.
Just before sunrise over Camel's Hump VT on way to NY.
At top of Sawtooth 1.
Stunning views from Sawtooth 1
More incredible views from Sawtooth 1
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