climbing traverse Adirondacks?

I’ve enjoyed traverses with climbing in other regions. Last week I saw an idea in Climbing magazine for the Adirondacks:
Start with the Trap Dike, then Mt Marcy, finish on the north face of Gothics by climbing the “New Finger” route. Well I did a traverse, but not that.

What are some other ideas for a traverse connecting different climbing routes in the Adirondacks?

I prefer traverses with easy climbing so I don’t have to carry a rope -- or only a short rope and less five pieces -- or maybe a thin rope for a rappel. So a long ridge (or two) with some interesting climbing sections. Or 2 or 3 face climbs connected by trail running.
I’d especially like to hear for the Adirondacks something with more sections with interesting positive holds (rather thn frictionn slabs).

Actually I _attempted_ that traverse idea from the magazine. Started from ADK Loj, but got rain poured on me as I crossed Avalanche Pass. Decided this was not the day for my long-awaited attempt on the Trap Dike. Traversed around the N side of Avalanche Lake and never even saw that dike. So I continued to Lake Colden, then Feldspar, and did a West->East traverse of Mt Marcy. Then the Range trail over Basin and Saddleback to Gothics which I climbed by the “cable” trail up the W ridge.

conclusion: If you don’t like rock-hopping and little friction slabs and long days, this traverse is not worth considering just to link up two well-reputed climbing sections.

How about a better idea?

Ken

what I found along the Colden - Marcy - Gothics traverse (without the recommended climbing routes):

• rock-hopping was a high percentage of it. Other regions where I’ve tried traverses, the trail sections between the climbing had a high percentage of packed dirt or sand, or some small-grain scree or gravel, so I could do a fair amount of running. But this area of the Adirondacks had lots of sizable rocks on the trail - (or maybe the rocks _were_ the trail).

. . (After starting on with some nice trail-running, at first I hated the sustained rock-hopping. But then I came to like it. Decided that rock-hopping was an interesting engaging skill (as easy solo rock climbing), and doing it efficiently and fast and safely was a worthy way to spend a day. Using two hiking poles definitely helped me to enjoy it.

• water was a high percentage of it. Hopping rocks and walking logs as a way to keep my shoes from getting immersed in the abundant standing or flowing water. Or mixed with dirt ... equals mud. I did fairly well at avoiding it the first few hours, but later I accepted the inevitable of shoes plastered with mud - feet wet all the time.
• slabs without positive holds: Lots of little ones. A few big ones. With mud on my shoes. Glad that I was wearing shoes with serious sticky rubber. Glad that anrthosite rock has rather good friction with my approach shoes.
• long day -- I didn’t measure, but I’m guessing iike 7000 vertical feet and 20-25 miles distance. I was out over 12 hours. My legs were real sore when I finished (and the next day).
• even if I had included the two “official” climbing rouutes, I think the climbing + scrambling is almost all friction slabs - (except for two short sections of interesting class 3-4 sections with holds on Trap Dike and Saddleback W face).

sections ...

• Mt Marcy W face was a long non-difficult slab. Felt like a worthy addition to a rope-less traverse of the Adirondacks. And I liked the approach up Feldspar Brook and Lake Tear. So ...
• I might consider traversing Colden NW->SE then Marcy W->E as a shorter link-up. But ...
• closed trail -- A ranger told me that the trail from Colden desxcent to Lake Arnold to Feldspar for W->E traverse of Marcy was badly damaged (? under water ?) and dlosed fo reconstruction. I was lucky my route that day didn’t need to use it.
• the magazine did not mention using the 1990 SouthEast slide on Mt Colden as descent from Trap Dike.
• Saddleback W ridge had interesting scrambling moves with positive holds (too bad it's not longer)
• Basin W face - lots of slabs.
• Gothics W ridge - without using the fixed cable - felt to me like a sufficient dose of sustained friction slab climbing - (instead of “New Finger” class 5 on N face).
• shorter traverse to try might be just Basin -> Saddleback -> Gothics, with some less-difficult climbing route on Gothics.

I recommend checking out my buddy MudRat's website:

adirondackmountaineering.co…

He's the expert on all things slide climbing in the ADK.

Thanks -- looks like he also knows all about the hiking to link between some climbs.

Ken, I just wanted to acknowledge this post is super cool and I've not yet organized all my thoughts on it but will sometime this week. :)

[Mudrat is *the man* and has been for quite some time, great stuff. There's also Drew Haas's slide climbing guide which is still applicable, even with all the newer slides.]

Plenty of opportunity for logical (and illogical) link-ups in the High Peaks. This sort of thing has a long tradition here which is being carried on both summer and winter. I'll second (or third) checking out Mudrat's site and his trip reports on the High Peaks Forum.

I vaguely remember seeing the article you mention and thinking that of all the possible traverses in the region that one is FAR from the best, too little climbing spread out over a lot of hiking. Just out of curiosity what do you mean by the "West Face" of Marcy? I'm not familiar with any slides there.

If you're looking for a traverse on the Great Range try this one: Up New Finger on N.F.O.G. to the summit, descend the cables and then head down the Orebed Trail, up Back In The Saddle to Saddleback's summit, descent the hiking trail past the cliffs, take a left down the South Slide and ascend either the Southeast Face (5.5) or East Face (4th class) of Basin. Classic.

Another link-up that seems to be somewhat popular is to link the Case Route (mostly scrambling with a few short sections up to 5.5) on Wallface with the Trap Dike hiking over Cold Brook Pass en route.

If you want an objective that involves some good trail running head into Whiteface Landing and climb the Lake Placid Slide to the summit (really runable until well past the lean-to), from the summit drop down into the ski area and climb one of the sides on that side. Return to your car via Whiteface Landing.

Unfortunately you're going to find that due to the nature of the bedrock here the vast majority of your climbing is going to be holdless friction slabs. Even the harder slides (Think Wine Bottle or All Things Holy) are mostly lower-angle climbing broken by headwall cruxes.

Rocks, roots, mud and running water will all be your constant companions of any traverse of the High Peaks region. Trails here tend to be in poor shape and difficult compared to places out west and even the White Mountains over in the Granite State. I know of several people who hike in trail runners and the switch over to approach shoes or loose rock shoes for the slide sections in order to avoid climbing with muddy shoes.

Good luck, have fun!

MaxSuffering and the other are right...so many opportunities to be creative in scrambling. Like he said, the trails are brutal in some areas so your most efficient and my favourite traverses are often on a single mountain. Here’s a few examples, but there are many other ways to do similar things depending on if you’re more or less ambitious.
1. Giant:
a. 4 slide linkup: summitpost.org/giant-s-west…
b. 3 slide linkup: adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for…
c. Different 4 slide linkup: adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for…
2. Dix:
a. 4 Slide linkup (with a 5.4 technical solo)—Ring, South Fork, Buttress, Hunters Pass Slide: adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for…
b. All 9 Finger slides in a day: mackenziefamily.com/46/trip…
3. Gothics-East, South and North (new finger) Slide day-climb. This is low technical: adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for…
4. Saddleback & 3 on Basin: adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for…;highlight=a+day+in+the+heat
5. Great Range bushwhack (Connecting slides on each of the 8 High Peaks of the Ranges):
a. adirondacklifemag.com/blogs…
Enjoy!
MudRat

Kevin MudRat MacKenzie wrote:...so many opportunities to be creative in scrambling... Here’s a few examples, but there are many other ways to do similar things depending on if you’re more or less ambitious.

Well, there you have it! lol

Ken, only thing I would echo is the sentiment that these linkups/traverses are serious undertakings. Even the trails (as it sounds like you're aware) aren't a cakewalk (emphasis again placed on plenty of mud, roots, scrambles, standing water, slippery rock, mud, and more mud), and to access many of the slides there's extended bushwhacking involved which further complicates and extends the outing. These obsticles can't be overstated.

While people like MudRat can do these traverses, they're extremely fit - well above the fitness of most hikers and/or climbers. Doing the math for some of the Great Range stuff mentioned, you would be looking at the effort expended on a Great Range hiking traverse just to linkup the Gothics, Saddleback, and Basin slides. Certainly doable (ie - it sounds like it has been done), but only for those in the bestest shape. That's just a general disclaimer, not aimed at anyone in this thread. It sounds like only badasses are interested in these things anyway. ;-)

Kevin, thanks for pointing out the requirement for fitness to do the traverses.

I guarantee that Ken is aware and is fit to do all kinds of traverses and other "badass" stuff.

I am not, so I do lesser trips.

Do you guys generally carry a SPOT Tracker or something else in case you have an emergency?

Greg Petliski wrote:Just last week I ascended the Bottle slide, descended the Eagle slide, and ascended the Finger slide. Wasnt challenging from a climbing sense, just the usual crazy bushwhacking, but oh so fun, made even more fun and spiritually fulfilling by the acid I took mid-Bottle. Trip report and some juicy photos here adkhighpeaks.com/forums/for… I have a buddy who has gone up the SE 1990 slide on Colden and descended the Trap Dike. Theres so many options out there. Check out Mudrat, hes the slide god up there. Tree pose on Eagle slide. It is such a wild, beautiful, wonderful place up there in that cirque.

I'm doing the Wine Bottle Slide on Colden in Sept. Gothics Arch is Plan B if it's too wet.

Greg Petliski wrote: Need a partner?

just texted you buddy. not for that trip, but definitely something else.

Kevin Heckeler wrote:That's just a general disclaimer, not aimed at anyone in this thread.

SMarsh - I'm no badass either, I'd be thrilled with just getting one slide on Giant.

Michael C wrote: I'm doing the Wine Bottle Slide on Colden in Sept. Gothics Arch is Plan B if it's too wet.

IMO, I'd switch the 2 if it was wet. I'd say Colden has more traction than Gothic Arch if wet. There's alot of lichen by comparison...at least on the steeper sections. The 5.7 on Wine Bottle is only a 15' crack climb with a stand of trees below. The footwall is about 5.2. Gothic Arch is considerably more exposed.

Though not slide climbs at all, a friend and I have discussed doing a winter trilogy. Starting at AMR with Gothic Arch or S. Face Direct, then down the Orebed trail, overKlondike notch and into Avalanche Pass to do all of The California Route on Colden. From the summit, go down to the outpost and cross over into Indian Pass. Climb The Diagonal, and finish the trip at Tahawus. I forget what the distance would be, but it's long.

Though not slide climbs at all, a friend and I have discussed doing a summer "trilogy" in honor the legend himself. Starting at AMR with Gothic Arch or S. Face Direct, then down the Orebed trail, over Klondike notch and into Avalanche Pass to do all of The California Route on Colden. From the summit, go down to the outpost and cross over into Indian Pass. Climb The Diagonal, and finish the trip at Tahawus. I forget what the distance would be, but it's long.

Okay, I'll jump back in. My idea for a while has been to get dropped off either at Tahawas or ADK Loj with climbing gear and a lightweight backpacking rig and traverse to Keene Vally. On the way hit Diagonal, California Flake, something in Panther Gorge (originally The Cloudsplitter but with so much good new stuff in there maybe something else -The Wreck Of The Lichen Fitzgerald needs a second ascent), Gothic Arch and Fruedian Slip.

Mileage? Elevation Gain? Somebody else can figure that and the other logistics out for themselves. Ausable Inn stops serving a 9pm, may be important.

Nice thread.

Love this thread! Not to get side tracked, but do people outside of the area know what the "Trilogy" is? Although link ups have been around forever, this one certainly covers excellent routes/terrain and has some great history. Love some of the other ideas getting tossed around here!

I think it's more of a locals/Bivy regulars thing.

To my knowledge The Trilogy as originally envisioned (Gothics NF -> Agharta -> Trap Dike) still hasn't been done. Joe, and then Emilie skipped Agharta and I beleive climbed Grand Central instead.

I have a few ideas on how to make this one work and include Agharta, but it would take ideal snow conditions while at the same time having Agharta in climbable shape, probably a rare event.

MaxSuffering wrote: Okay, I'll jump back in. My idea for a while has been to get dropped off either at Tahawas or ADK Loj with climbing gear and a lightweight backpacking rig and traverse to Keene Vally. On the way hit Diagonal, California Flake, something in Panther Gorge (originally The Cloudsplitter but with so much good new stuff in there maybe something else -The Wreck Of The Lichen Fitzgerald needs a second ascent), Gothic Arch and Fruedian Slip. Mileage? Elevation Gain? Somebody else can figure that and the other logistics out for themselves. Ausable Inn stops serving a 9pm, may be important.

So I am devising a "traverse", more like a backcountry climbing trip, one would be out of the Garden and another out of Upper Works. I would start in upper works, do Arch madness, then camp at beaver point, then do the cloudsplitter on marcy and camp at beaver point again, then do cali flake and hike back out. A northern (or eastern) trip would include a JBL base camp, doing freudian slip, south face gothics (that 5.10d i forget the name) then something on wolfs jaw. I'll probably do it this week or weekend if i can find someone to haul up with me!

Also hi Will, its Forrest haha

This thread is great. I recently did a link up of Cruciflyer -> Otis Gully -> Trap dyke, which was a lot of fun, although it does have 2 mandatory rappels, or at least 1 mandatory rappel and some scary down climbing. I think I agree with Kevin on single mountain link ups being the way to get the highest feature to mileage ratio. 

Also, as for the Trap Dyke to Case Route link up, I would recommend making that a single day endeavor. It really does suck carrying camping equipment (especially the damn bear can!) up and over the pass.