A beautiful day in the woods. A 7.2-mile hike via the Jackrabbit trail. We had attempted this same hike from Bloget Road to Bartlett Pond on February 7th but turned around after running out of time and energy. We (Derek mostly) broke trail from the road up.
McKenzie Mountains elevation is 3,861-feet. It is in the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness area, it is visible from many locations in and around Raybrook and Saranac Lake. Unbeknownst to me, it was formerly known as Saddleback, this is because from a distance it is shaped like a saddle.
There are 2 main approaches to McKenzie. The 5.3-mile trail from Rt. 86 which is shared with the trailhead to Haystack just west of Ray Brook. We took the Jackrabbit trail from Whiteface Inn Lane which...
Ampersand Mountain is another popular hike in the Adirondacks, and is part of the Saranac Lake 6 challenge.
The trailhead is off Route 3 a litle over 7 miles west of Saranac Lake, on the right is the parking area, across the road is the trailhead.
When we signed in, we were the only ones on the trail. We would not run into anyone until we were well down and on the way back out. We were able to bare boot the entire way, but added microspikes at around 2,750 feet when it started to get icy/slippery. The hike is fairly short at around 4.7 miles round trip.
At around 2.2 miles (3,000') it seems to level out and become more of a ridge walk, with a small section left to push up through.
We really enjoyed the hike, and even did a little...
About 6 miles round trip from the first gate. Broke trail in snowshoes in about 6-10 inches of snow. It is well packed out now for anyone local interested in taking a nice hike. You will need a four-wheel-drive to get to the first gate at the top of the hill. Dingo and I walked from there down through the marsh to the Ausable River and looped counterclockwise from the trestle. The only thing we saw was a rub and heard songbirds. A nice little hike nonetheless with a 40lb pack, great conditioning.
A beautiful day to be in the woods, and it was well overdue. A 6.6 mile round trip through some open hardwoods, and some spectacular views.
St. Regis Mtn. is reportedly a popular mountain, but today there wasn't much traffic when I started. This hike is much like the hike to Scarface, a gradual increase with a short difficult section towards the end, but neither is overly difficult. I guess this is what makes these hikes popular. The trail is easy enough to follow up and over rolling hills through a mix of soft and hardwoods. Towards the end of the trail, you will come to a sharp right, at which point the climbing really begins, for only about a 1/4 mile. This section is almost like a shute as you go up between crags, ultimately coming...
Make white gravy in skillet, brown as desired, add salt and pepper to taste.
Add a can of salmon, remove bones if desired, mix in with the gravy.
Add a can of peas to gravy including some water from the can of peas.
Mix together and serve over mashed red potatoes.