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This post is more or less a time stamp and a reminder for me more than anything else.

Every year around this time, I put myself through the rigors of a 30 day cleanse.  This year, due to an amazing vacation full of vice, it will be an abridged 27 day cleanse.  Getting all of the toxins out of my body feels great, but it does take some discipline, especially with a fridge like this!

The tradition was born after hearing the wonders from some co workers who observe Ramadan.  The benefits they talked about were great, and after doing it for a few years I concur!  For me though, there isn't a religious connotation, just a way to shock the body, and get levels back to normal.  Amanda and I have two pretty big races coming up, so it comes at a great time and will provide some extra motivation:)

Buck Mountain (NY) 2,374'

... unparalleled views of the Adirondack Range and Lake George

Date:  August 17, 2012
Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Susan Harnden
Elevation Gain: 2,253'
Distance:  6.0 miles R/T
Difficulty: Moderate


We drove from Wilton to Lake George and it took us about 35 minutes to reach the trail head, we were the second car in the lot on what seemed to be a quiet Friday morning.  We signed the register and got on our way!

We had been warned that there were a lot of rattlesnakes in this area, so our crew was on high alert for the pesky little buggers.  It was early in the morning and quite cool when we started, so thankfully we did NOT end up seeing any rattlesnakes on our hike.  What we DID see was a trail in great shape, from a lot of use.  It started gently and rolled through the NY woods.  It was great being back east and seeing familiar flora and fauna (namely brown toads and daddy long legs).  The smells in the woods were also reminiscent of NH and it just felt great to be back in that type of environment.  One curve-ball the trail threw at us were the six (6) stream crossings.  3 on the way up, and 3 on the way down.  Multiply this by the three members in our party, and there were 18 chances for said streams to get the best of us.  They were small, but they were streams nonetheless!  I am happy to report that on this expedition, we triumphed with an 18-0 victory.

Navigating streams!

The first mile was really cool, rolling up and down through the woods.  The second and third miles were where it started to get steeper, and where most of the gain takes place.  We summitted in 1:45 and caught a hazy, early morning view of Lake George and the Adirondacks.  The mountain sits right on the lake, and has a ton of polished rock where you can sit and enjoy views and delicious lunch!  Good thing for our early morning start, since as soon as we got to the top, we were joined by roughly 35 raucous junior high kids - apparently a soccer team(s)?  On the way down, one guy coming up asked us if it were true, since seeing the team logged in the register at the TH, that there was a 35 person hiking group ahead?  Is there really a hiking party of 35 people at the top?  Yessir!  Enjoy your lunch in solitude!

Usain Bolting at the summit

Susan relaxing with a view!

On top of ol' Buck!

We celebrated our hiking achievement- as well as our patience after sitting in traffic for an hour- by getting some ice cream at this place called Martha's in Lake George.  It was delicious!  For some unknown reason, I had the gall to order a medium ice cream.  Not sure what got a hold of me, but when this thing was handed to me, I knew I was in trouble.  With an ice cream cone measuring approximately 8" above the cone in 85 degree weather, there was no time to waste!

Recovery Week(s)

I just finished a great book about some of the disasters that have occurred in the mountains of Colorado.  I read it because I wanted to gain a perspective of what has been happening on mountains I have climbed or are on my list.  The book came at a great time, as we had done day trips to Bierstadt and La Plata in consecutive weekends, and it was nice not to have to wake up at 2:30am and drive somewhere!

In the book Colorado 14er Disasters, the author talks a lot about the sequence of events and mindsets that have precluded some of the fatal events in our mountains.  I just wanted to touch on a few of the points Nash made that I found interesting...

Point 1:  There is a "cascade of errors" that preclude a large error.  This is so true.  The case he mentions occurred up on Holy Cross, where a hiking party of two separates, and a lady vanishes.  The author goes into how the "leader" had forgotten his lunch, his water purifier, took the wrong trail and still tried to lead someone up the Halo Ridge of Holy Cross.  The risk multiplies by every error made.  Wrong trail all by itself?  Not a big deal really.  However if you are on the wrong trail, with a novice, neither of you know the route, you are behind schedule, no food, no water, etc...now you got yourself into a pickle.  It just reinforces thinking about your day.  This "cascade of errors" was also evident in the 127 Hours movie.  Ralston forgot some gear, didn't tell anyone where he was going, these things all add up.

Point 2:   Nash details the psyche of climbing parties.  I found this to be interesting.  He states the soloists are most exposed if something goes wrong, obviously one is on his/her own.  The couple that splits up comes in second in line, especially if one is more skilled than the other.  He says that leaving a novice on their own for whatever reason is more dangerous than the solo, because of the fact the novice had no intentions of being alone in the first place.  Spot on.  Then comes a party of three, and finally the optimal solution - a party of four experienced climbers.

Very interesting stuff to chew on during some down time.  We are looking forward to heading east this weekend to see our families!  We have tossed around hiking trips to Mt. Washington and Mt. Marcy while home.  If we do one of them, you'll see the writeup here!