The Crows, Hurricane, and Nun-da-ga-o Ridge

A few months have passed since my last new blog post. A minor crosscountry skiing mishap in early March led to a slight injury to my ankle. With only minor discomfort, I continued to run daily and hike. This led to an overuse injury in the ankle tendons. With increased swelling and discomfort, I took a break from most activity. I managed to roll the weakened ankle several times during my recovery further antagonizing the original injury. Eventually the injury required a trip to the doctor and physical therapy with nearly two full months of limited activity. Finally by early June, my ankle has recovered enough to take on light runs and hikes.

I tested my ankle on a couple of easier hikes with good results before trying a more ambitious outing. I was looking for a moderate hike with good distance that didn't put me too far into the backcountry in case I aggravated my ankle. A couple of hikes that have been on my radar for a while and could be combined into a one longer hike fit the bill. 

Big Crow and Hurricane Mountains rise to the east of Keene, NY. Both peaks are on the Lake Placid 9 hiking list; with Hurricane also having a firetower, adding to its appeal. Both mountains are known for  good scenery. The peaks also share a common trailhead. A lesser visited loop called the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge also starts at the same trailhead. Linking the three destinations allows for a 11 mile route with decent elevation changes and great scenery.

With perfect late spring weather forecasted, I headed to the Crow Clearing trailhead in Keene on Wednesday, June 16th. My dog and frequent hiking partner, Choya, happily came along for the trip. I began hiking about 720AM. My first destination for the day was Big Crow Mountain. Both Big Crow and the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge share a common trail for a half-mile before splitting. Big Crow lies just .2 miles from the split. After a quick .7 miles and nearly 600 feet of elevation gain from the trailhead, I reached the summit of Big Crow. Despite its modest elevation of only 2,815', the open summit provides excellent views. Fog in the valley enhanced the view. The view takes in a good chunk of the High Peaks. 

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Trailhead sign

Lingering morning fog

Hurricane Mountain

Big Crow view

I decided to head over to Little Crow Mountain, another half-mile or so beyond Big Crow. I went to the summit, which had only partial views. From what I read, there may be better views on Little Crow from ledges below the summit. After stopping at the high point, I returned back over Big Crow to the start of the Nun-d-ga-o Ridge.

Saddle between Big and Little Crow

The Nun-da-ga-o Ridge first caught my eye on a map.  Its description promises little traffic with plentiful views over numerous open ledges. Although the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge Trail appears on maps and guide books, the trail no longer sees maintenance. Many people report difficulty following the unmarked trail, especially where it crosses bare ledges. If you are wondering about its unusual name, trail builders wanted it to sound like a native name, so they made up a name that sounded native that has no meaning. Some maps so the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge as the Soda Range. 

Start of the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge

First view along the ridge

Traversing a rock slab

Hiking the ridge clockwise, the trail soon reaches its first viewpoint on an open rocky area. Frequent ledges soon followed, each offering a look at the High Peaks across the valley. Occasionally the trail required some easy scrambling as the trail made its way around sections of small cliffs and ledges. The trail never traverses too close to any steep drops. Plenty of roots or rocks to grab kept the scrambling relatively safe. Choya never had any issues negotiating the terrain. 

Ledge along the ridge

A scrambly section

Crossing a large rocky clearing

Choya on a rooty climb

A particularly nice vantage point along the ridge 

Whiteface

Looking over Big Crow

Choya with Lost Pond in background

The Nun-da-ga-o Ridge travels about three miles from the split near Big Crow to Weston Mountain. Heading clockwise, the trail encounters more frequent open sections of bare rock and more views the further you travel. This last mile of the ridge offers plenty of views. The ridge ends at 3,182' Weston Mountain.  Weston offers a particularly nice vista as it looks over Lost Pond. 

Working my way across ledges

Lost Pond

View from Weston

Dix, Nippletop, and Colvin I believe

Although the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge is unmaintained and not marked, most people shouldn't have too much trouble following the trail. A lot of online trip reports mention difficulty following the route where it crosses open rock. I found the route to be pretty straightforward. The dense forest limits wandering off route and the path usually followed the obvious direction. At times the vegetation encroaches the trail, but the tread remains obvious. After heavy rains the day before, the wet vegetation left my clothing a quite wet where I brushed against encroaching branches.

After Weston, the trail drops steeply toward Lost Pond. Along the way it passes a lean-to. Once past the lean-to, a few herd paths lead a short distance to the pond. Hurricane Mountain dominates the view over the south end of the pond.  

Hurricane over Lost Pond

After passing the outlet of the pond, the trail gradually drops a mile and passes another lean-to, before reaching the trail for Hurricane Mountain. If you are not interested in visiting Hurricane Mountain after the Nun-da-ga-o Ridge, continue downhill another mile back to the trailhead. To reach Hurricane, follow the marked trail to reach the summit in two miles.

Despite gaining 1,400 vertical feet, the North Trail to Hurricane climbed gradually most of its route. Only in the last half-mile did it seem to have rough sections. I didn't keep track of time, but I seemed to reach the summit pretty quickly. Near the top, the trail hits some rocky stretches before exiting the forest to the open summit. The firetower comes into view shortly after leaving the trees.

Fire tower coming into view

At just under 3,700', Hurricane Mountain stands as the high point in its namesake Wilderness Area. The summit provides nearly 360-degree views from its bare peak. To capture even better views, climb the fire tower to take in a true 360-degrees with no obstruction. Many of the High Peaks can bee seen from Whiteface to the north, Giant to the south, and the Great Range to the west. Other High Peaks such as Marcy and Algonquin rise in the background. Majority of Lake Champlain comes into view to the east with the spine of the Green Mountains in Vermont stretching as far as the eye can see.

Choya on Hurricane

Whiteface

Great Range,Colvin, and Nippletop

Looking over Champlain

Champlain and Green Mountains

By itself, Hurricane is a relatively short hike compared to most High Peaks, that can be reached from three different trailheads. It's also featured on multiple hiking lists and was even named best hike in New York by Outside Magazine. Expect to have company on Hurricane. Even on a Wednesday morning, I encountered at least a dozen groups. 

Looking north over Nun-da-ga-o

Looking down the west ridge of Hurricane

After a break to enjoy the views and a quick snack for Choya and me, we descended back down the North Trail. We were back at the junction relatively quickly, passing several groups along the way. From the junction, we traveled the last mile back to the trailhead.

Back at the junction below Hurricane

We reached the trailhead about 1245PM. The 11 mile hike took us just under 5 1/2 hours. My last hike anywhere near this difficulty was on March 17th, nearly three months earlier. It was great to get back on the trail for a more challenging hike. Best of all, my ankle was in good shape after the hike, even with nearly 4,000 feet of elevation change of the course of 11 miles.

Dix, Nippletop, Colvin, and Great Range

Although I hiked this as a single trip; the Crows, Nun-da-ga-o Ridge, and Hurricane Mountain can all be hiked by themselves. Any of these trip make a worthwhile destination on their own. Hurricane offers some of the best summit views in the Adirondacks and has a fire tower.  The Crows offer a great bang for your buck. Big Crow can be reached in less than a mile with worthwhile scenery. The Nun-da-ga-o Ridge offers the chance to get away from the crowds on a less-often hiked trail that gives you view after view. 

Closeup of Dix, Nippletop, Colvin,  and Sawteeth

Lost Pond

No shortage of big mountain views

Choya on Hurricane

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Sawteeth, Pyramid, Gothics, and Armstrong

After a long Adirondack winter, the weather has improved as spring approaches. With comfortable temperatures, sunny skies, and little wind forecasted on March 17th, I was eager to hike in the High Peaks. One peak that I have been wanting to climb since I moved to the Adirondacks is Pyramid Peak. Although it stands at 4,596', it doesn't have enough prominence to be considered a ranked peak. All accounts claim that Pyramid Peak offers some of the best views in the Adirondacks. With a bluebird forecast for the day, combined with snowy views, Pyramid was my top priority for the day. 

While enroute to Pyramid, I would pass within a half-mile of Sawteeth, one of the seven remaining Adirondack 46ers that I still needed to climb. Even better, a short distance beyond Pyramid stands Gothics, one of the ten highest Adirondack summits. Although I have already climbed Gothics, I was happy to see the excellent scenery from its alpine summit in winter. I planned on hiking a loop. Another 46er that I previously visited, Armstong Mountain, stands just .4 miles from my route and also offers pretty good views from its summit. With several peaks boasting great views and another 46er to tick off my list, the day seemed perfect for a hike.

My hike started in St Huberts at the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) trailhead. In the summer this trailhead can be a nightmare for parking, filling up extremely early. When I started hiking about 7AM, there were only five other cars. Any hike from this trailhead involves walking an access road through private property of the Ausable Club. Most hikes in the area involve at least some walking along the club's private dirt road, Lake Road. My hike involved walking the full distance of the road before reaching the start of the Weld Trail, a distance of roughly four miles from the trailhead. The road walk travels along a stream through the forest with no traffic and isn't too bad and serves as a nice warm-up.

AMR gate

Following Lake Road

View along the road

The Weld Trail begins by crossing the outlet of Lower Ausable Lake. The views from the outlet are quite scenic as the mountains rise steeply from the lake. I considered taking the slightly longer Scenic Trail but it had not been broken out and I didn't want to break snow for three miles, so I continued on the Weld Trail.

Lower Ausable Lake

On the right track

Crossing the outlet of the lake

Dam

Soon after the start of the Weld Trail, a short side trail heads toward Rainbow Falls. The 150-foot falls was frozen solid. Even in its frozen state, the waterfall looked quite impressive. I would like to check it out when its actually flowing.

Rainbow Falls

Generally the Weld travels gradually as it gains its elevation. Although the trail was well-packed, I wore snowshoes in the deep snow.  As with any winter hike, the snow covers most obstacles and I moved pretty quickly. I soon reached the junction at the saddle between Sawteeth and Pyramid and started my climb up Sawteeth.

Weld Trail

Sawteeth/Pyramid junction

The trail climbs rather steeply at times as it makes its way up Sawteeth, steeper than I expected. The first views of the Great Range are seen part of the way up the climb. Near the summit there is a small clearing with more views toward the Great Range. At 4,134', Sawteeth stands as the 32nd highest Adirondack peak and my 40th of the 46er summits. After reaching the summit, I returned to the first vista, which has better views, and had a snack before dropping back the saddle between Pyramid and Sawteeth.

First views from Sawteeth

Impressive bare rock

Upper Great Range from Sawteeth

I began the climb toward Pyramid. I anticipated a steep climb, and wasn't let down. The trail moved into clearings along slides that were taking the full brunt of the sun. The snow was quite soft in the clearings making for some slippery footing, even with aggressive crampons on my snowshoes. Although I wasn't postholing, I was slipping some as I climbed and my poles sank deeply.

After a short but tough climb, I reached the summit of Pyramid Peak. The small clearing on the summit features stunning views and lived up to its hype as one of the finest in the High Peaks. In your face views of the Upper Great Range dominate the view with its numerous slide-scarred slopes. The views reach beyond the Great Range with nearly a 360-degree panorama. I took quite a few photos and enjoyed the view for a bit before pushing on.

View from Pyramid

Vermont in the distance

Making my way through the trees below Pyramid

Section of soft snow

Gothics

Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge

Dix and Nippletop

Good look at the scarred terrain

Haystack, Marcy, and Basin

Marcy, Basin, Saddleback, and Algonquin

Upper Ausable Lake in the foreground Boreas in the distance

Giant and Rocky Peak Ridge

Fog over Lake Champlain with Green Mountains
in the distance

Pyramid's view

Upper Great Range

Haystack, Skylight, and Marcy

East side of Gothics

The trail from Pyramid doesn't lose much elevation. The route often stays in the open with nearly continuous views. Despite the full sun, the snow was more solid in the slightly cooler temperature as I gained elevation. The trail exits the trees as it gains Gothics summits.

Climbing through open terrain

Looking back at Pyramid

Haystack and Skylight

Close up of the highest of the High Peaks

Open ledges near Gothics summit

Nearing Gothics summit

I quickly reached the 4,734' summit of Gothics, the 10th highest Adirondack summit. Given its location in the heart of the Great Range and its alpine summit, the scenery from Gothics is among the best in the Adirondacks. The summit is even more impressive in winter. Gothics is a peak that I was happy to revisit. I took a longer break on Gothics to enjoy the scenery and have another snacks. Just like Sawteeth and Pyramid Peak, I had the summit of Gothics to myself, a real treat. 

MacIntyre Range

Dix and Nippletop

Mountains to the south

Lakes to the south

Haystack, Skylight, Basin, Marcy, and Saddleback

Packed trail along Gothics

Gothics open summit

I don't hike enough in winter. The snow covers the obstacles along the trail, allowing for smooth footing on otherwise rough footing in summer. There were numerous tracks also visible in the snow. My best guess is marten tracks. The descent from Gothics followed an open, snowy ridge.

Descending Gothics

Looking back toward Gothics

Tracks in the snow on Gothics

I reached the junction of the Beaver Meadow Trail, my descent route soon after leaving Gothics. Since I was only .4 miles from Armstrong Mountain. I knew that Armstrong's open ledge also had some nice views so I made the short side trip to take in one more summit.

View from Armstrong

The upper reaches of the Beaver Meadow Trail has a reputation for rough terrain. In the snow, the trail was generally smooth with the snow hiding most obstacles. A couple ladders near the upper reaches of the trail were mostly bypassed with deep snow covering the rungs. The higher elevations of the trail also provide nice views across slides on Gothics east side, including views of Pyramid and Sawteeth.

Looking south

Dix in distance

Gothics and Pyramid

As I made my way down the Beaver Meadow the trail entered thicker forests with less views. I passed a pair of older hikers that I saw on the road walk in the morning. They had no snowshoes and were running into postholing issues. As I lost elevation, I started to encounter softer snow. With the snowshoes, I didn't sink, but slid a little on steeper sections.

Descending through hardwoods

Near the lower reaches of the Beaver Meadow Trail, I passed Beaver Meadow Falls. Just like Rainbow Falls, it was frozen solid. At 60' and quite a bit lower than Rainbow Falls, it looks impressive and quite pretty in its frozen state. I would like to see it when flowing as well.

Beaver Meadow Falls

Meadow along Beaver Meadow Trail

Not long after the falls, I reached the road again. On the road, I removed my snowshoes, hat, and gloves. In the valley, the temperature was approaching the upper 40s and in the full sun. My walk out on the road wasn't quite as long as the walk in. I reached my car about 140PM. My total loop was in the 14.5 mile range, with almost half of it on the road. 

View from Gothics

I can't say enough good things about this hike. The weather cooperated perfectly with brilliant sunshine, summits in the 30s, and hardly any wind. I climbed four summits and had them all to myself, which is not common on such a beautiful day in the High Peaks. With the exception of a few groups on the road, I only encountered one other group on the trails all day. All four summits have good views, especially Pyramid and Gothics, which are among the finest in the Adirondacks. The snow stayed firm enough for the majority of the hike, not causing too many problems. This was my second winter outing in a row in the High Peaks with nearly flawless conditions.

 

Upper Great Range from Sawteeth

Upper Great Range

Views from Sawteeth

Elevation profile

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