Santanoni Range 2014-06-15

First to arrive in the parking lot. Only one other additional person in the Santanonis and I met him near Couchsachraga's bog. He indicated he was heading to Couch and Panther.

Log book indicated the Santanoni Range was much busier the previous day.

Morning was cool (50 F/ 10 C) and overcast; peaks were shrouded in clouds. Trees were dripping with condensation; "car-wash" effect. Bonus: no bugs.

Trails were wet and muddy. I wore boots instead of trail-runners and they worked well for the mud but not so well for the slippery rocks.

The recent heavy rain caused me to be concerned about a few areas:

• The initial stream was not as high as expected and I was able to rock-hop across; I left my sandals clipped to a tree-branch for later retrieval.
• The beaver pond at the base of the Panther Brook herd-path was high but easily crossed via the narrow beaver dam.
• The swampy area at the base of the Express herd-path was surprisingly dry; Santanoni brook was easily rock-hopped.
• Couchsachraga's bog was "extra juicy" but easily crossed via deadfall

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Cloud cover suppressed views on Panther. The rains transformed the normally muddy area on its summit into a pond.

Stopped to mend a broken hiking pole (the second time in the Santanonis); the middle section splintered (carbon-fiber). I wrapped the break with tape then inserted the lower section past the break to act like a splint. Pole was shorter but usable again and much appreciated during the descent of the Express trail.

I finished the trio in just under 8 hours (a personal best).

Santanoni Range. 2014-02-08

Snowy, snowy, Santanoni!

Wow! There's something to be said about this year's winter when February is the first month requiring the use of snowshoes from start to finish! The Santanonis were blanketed in several inches of the fluffy stuff and Doru and I expected to spend many hours breaking trail. However, many others had the same idea, and started earlier than us, so we had nothing more to do that just follow the tracks of those who preceded us.

Doru and I left Montreal at 4:15 AM and arrived at the Santanoni trail-head three hours later. The parking area was filled to capacity! We had planned to meet Doug ("Sparty") and his group of seven (or was it nine?) at 7:00 AM. We missed the starter's pistol but felt confident that we could catch up. The trail-register indicated at least twenty people had signed in to hike the Santanonis.

Full house. Over 20 people are signed in.

We left the trail-head at 7:45 AM in a misty snowfall and a nippy 0 °F (-18 °C). Whereas the skies were clear during our drive along I-87, the clouds refused to vacate the Santanonis. We hoped things would improve later in the morning.

The road was packed down by a combination of snowmobile and snowshoe traffic. We passed a group of three hikers hauling overnight gear to Bradley Pond. Eventually we caught up to the first of several folks associated with Doug's group. After leap-frogging the group's members, Doru and I caught up with Doug shortly before the Express junction.

At the junction, Doug's party began to reassemble and some chose to hang back whereas others pressed on. Doug set a good pace and before long we, Doug, Doru, Suzanne, and I, were following the well-broken Panther Brook herd-path. Clearly we were the umpteeth people of the day because the path was well-trodden and blindingly obvious. There were one or two spots where one might quibble about the path being "off-route" but, as with most wayward winter herd-paths, a path underfoot is easier than a path unbroken.

Somewhere along Panther Brook, Doug paused and invited me to continue. I forged ahead and caught up with a group of seven hikers. Unable to get past more than two of them I became part of their train. With no room to pass, I was obliged to move at their pace which did not suit me well. Four steps, stop, four steps, stop; it felt like stop-and-go rush-hour traffic. By the time I reached Herald Square my toes were painfully cold.

Doru, Doug and Suzanne arrived minutes later and paused for a quick break. We briefly discussed which peak to tackle next and then I had to excuse myself. My toes were aching and I had to get moving, and moving quickly, to reheat my feet. Off I went to Couchsachraga. It was evident from the condition of the path that far fewer people had ventured past Herald Square.

At Times Square, as a public service, I scrawled the direction of Couch in the snow. Last February, while returning from Couchsachraga, we met hikers who were under the impression they were descending to Santanoni. I hoped my ephemeral trail-sign would prevent a similar mistake, at least on this one day.

The descent to Couchsachraga's bog was a breeze and took me a half hour. My feet were now toasty warm. Shortly before Couchsachraga's summit, I met Wayne ("Waynald") and we paused for a lengthy chat. An accomplished and experienced hiker, he and Steve ("Little Brown Mushroom") are making short work of Adirondack trails. They were heading to Santanoni next and would continue to Allen the following day. I wished him luck and pressed on to the summit.

On a fine day, Couchsachraga offers a unique view of Panther and Santanoni. Sadly, timing was everything on this day and I stood alone on Couchsachraga with nothing but a view of a low cloud deck. Oh well, better luck next time.

Not much to see today from Couchsachraga.

I met Doru below the summit and apologized for the appearance of abandonment but I had to keep moving briskly to stay warm. He had no issues with the separation but wondered what was I going to do when I finished early? Would I just hang around in the parking area? I laughed and replied that he need not worry about me and that I'd think of something. In retrospect, I probably should have asked him for his car keys but it just didn't cross my mind at the time.

Cold River valley.

En route to the bog I met Doug and let him know that I was pressing on to Santanoni. Shortly afterwards I passed the "group of seven" and then met only one other hiker, a woman who was possibly part of Doug's team, before reaching Times Square. The ascent out of the bog was a bit of a grunt and it took me an hour to return from Couchsachraga.

I hung my pack from a tree in Herald Square and headed off to Panther. On its summit I met the three backpackers seen earlier and an assortment of other folks. The low clouds provided a few fleeting views but, separated from all the goodies in my pack, it was too cold to wait for the best scenery to appear. The conditions were improving steadily and my hopes were pinned on Santanoni.

Low cloud deck on Santanoni.

Near Panther's summit there is a stretch of steep rock that hikers actively avoid. How? They walk on the cripplebrush. The ascent route was littered with fragments of cripplebrush torn off by snowshoes. While others were actively widening the route, I descended the ice and snow-covered rock with nothing more than a quick skittering sound. Please folks, unless completely buried in firm snow, keep off the cripplebrush.

Reunited with my pack, I returned to Times Square, scribbled "1:25 PM" in the snow (a message to Doru to mark my passage), turned left at the rock and headed to Santanoni. The clouds had lifted and I was eager to see its storied views.

Onward to Santanoni.

Wayne had reported that Rik and Shawn ("Blackbear") had broken out the trails earlier in the day. I tip my hat to them because the route along the so-called ridge seemed "summer-perfect". In fact, some of the route-finding confusion we had encountered at the base of Santanoni, during a trip in snowy October, was completely absent. Rik's route ran clean and true and it was breeze to follow. The stroll through the trees, blanketed in fresh snow, was an answer to the question of "Why hike in winter?"

Why we hike in winter.

I paused at the junction with the Express and took in the view of the High Peaks. The snowpack was easily four feet deep and no cripplebrush was present to obstruct the outstanding view north to the central High Peaks. A few minutes later I "stood tall", on the ample snowpack, next to the summit marker.

I spent about five minutes on Santanoni admiring the scenery. At 2:15 PM I left the summit and returned to the Express junction where, in winter, it offers a less obstructed view of the central High Peaks. The triumvirate of Algonquin, Colden, and Marcy lets you orient yourself and then, with barely a movement of one's head, you can identify twenty peaks peaks from Street and MacNaughton in the west to Allen and Macomb in the east.

The central High Peaks.

I began my descent along the Express path with a sense of déjà vu. In February of 2013, we had started then aborted our descent of the Express because the snow was knee to thigh deep and the route was unbroken. We turned around and returned the way we came via Panther Brook. The snow wasn't nearly as deep today but more importantly the path was broken out. I took one last photo of the view from the Express trail just before it enters into the woods; this is my favorite shot of the day.

Down the Express.

The most direct herd-path to Santanoni has several monikers including "New/Old", "NON", "Express", and simply "Santanoni". On Saturday I felt it deserved the name "Express" as in "Express Elevator"! The upper third was a wild ride down steep chutes and under low-hanging fir boughs laden with fresh snow. The middle third was less steep but required lots of ducking and the final third was just room to anticipate its end.

Along the descent, I  found a balaclava which proved to belong to Wayne. Fifty minutes later, I emerged at the junction with the Bradley Pond trail no worse for wear with the exception of a bruised hip from taking a spill. I scrawled the time in the snow (3:07 PM) and began the easy-breezy walk back to the parking lot. The trail was now smooth as a sidewalk. It was a far cry from its usual messy self outside of winter.

I passed a lone backpacker ascending to Bradley Pond and, at the first stream crossing, caught up with a group of backpackers returning to the trail-head. The road-walk was an opportunity to stride comfortably over packed snow and enjoy the fresh air, blue sky, and low afternoon sun.

Path of the hiker ... and snowmobiler.

Eight and a half hours after departing from the trail-head, I was back and signing out. Now what?

There's an anecdote in Mark Bowden's "Guests of the Ayatollah" that I will never forget. Delta Force's first mission was to rescue the hostages being held at the US embassy in Tehran. They landed at a rendezvous point in the desert but had to abort the mission. A sandstorm caused two helicopters mechanical problems and forced them to return to the aircraft carrier. The mission was now below the threshold of required transport and had to be canceled. As it stood, there was no loss of life. Then things took a turn for the worse.

In the blinding sandstorm, a pilot misinterpreted the directions of a signalman and the helicopter's rotor blades struck a tanker plane. The tanker exploded in a ball of fire that quickly spread to nearby aircraft. Men hurriedly jumped out of the burning aircraft to seek shelter from the inferno. One individual, woken from a nap, saw flames through the windows and his companions rapidly exiting the burning plane. Thinking the aircraft was aloft, he leaped out in full spread-eagle position. He impacted several feet below on the desert sand. He wasn't wearing a parachute. When his buddies asked what was he planning to do after jumping out of a burning plane without a parachute, he replied "One problem at a time!"

So my next problem was to stay warm until Doru arrived with the car keys. I placed my pack on a nearby trailer and pulled out all my spare clothing. I replaced my wet mitts with dry ones and inserted fresh hand-warmers. I stripped off my damp baselayer and, as quickly as I could, replaced it with a dry one. I donned a balaclava and insulated jacket. I was going to put on dry socks but my feet felt warm so why disturb them?

The group I had passed earlier arrived and offered to let me warm myself in their car. I thanked them but explained I was fine. One of them recognized me and we struck up a conversation. Jordan ("Nadroj2*") and his friends had spent the last few days camping at Bradley Pond and had ventured out to Panther. Several minutes later, a ranger (I didn't get his name) arrived and after chatting with everyone turned to me, the lone loiterer, and quipped "I guess you exited ahead of your partners?" I confirmed his suspicion and he asked if I was going to be OK. I confirmed that I was in good shape and if my companion was running late, I would simply put a note on his vehicle and start walking along the road to keep warm.

The ranger proceeded to give me the best tip of the day. We were not in the Eastern High Peaks region so I could build a fire in the woods. "Just don't make one in the parking area, OK?" I thanked him and proceeded to take the opportunity to make a fire. As luck would have it, it was one of the few times I didn't bother to bring matches. Yet, fortune smiled because one of Jordan's friends gave me a nifty waterproof container filled with the most serious-looking matches I've ever seen. I gave him a Clif Builder Bar in return. Jordan sweetened the deal by parting with a package of firestarter. I thanked them, wished them all a safe trip hope, and scurried off into the woods to play with my new toys.

About fifty feet into the woods, I found a tiny clearing and proceeded to clear a sizable area of its loose snow until I struck hard-pack. I found some partially rotted deadfall that I broke into two-foot lengths by swinging it against a tree. I laid the logs on the hard-pack to create a "raft" for the fire. I collected "squaw wood" for kindling and found plenty of "dead and down" wood which I cut to size using the "bash against a tree" technique. After having collected enough fuel, I made a mound of kindling, lit the firestarter using the supplied "hurricane match" and watched it all go up in flames, as it should.

The start of something hot.

Before long my insulated jacket was back in my pack and I was both warmed by the fire and kept busy searching for additional fuel. The campfire's flames lit the woods and its sparks shot up into the clear evening sky and tickled the face of the cold half-moon hovering above. It was a perfect moment and my "problem" was solved.

Something hot.

I didn't have to tend the fire for long because Doru appeared a little over an hour after me. He said he had been concerned about my welfare but after seeing the fire in the woods he understood there was no reason to fret. While he was stowing his gear, I returned to the woods and extinguished the fire. I stirred its sizzling remains with snow, tossed the largest charred bits away into deep snow, then covered the black patch with more snow. Goodbye warm friend, it was fun while it lasted.

Something hot, all gone.

After changing into clean dry clothes, we drove off and swapped stories about the day's experiences. It was a marvelous day to be in the Santanonis and they left us with many good memories.

Photos

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Santanoni, Couchsachraga, and Panther 2013-02-22

The day prior to the ADK High Peaks Foundation's Winter Gathering promised superior weather so there was little hesitation to round up a few friends and head to the Santanoni Range. Snow showers since the President's Day extravaganza (about two dozen forum members visited the Santanonis) deposited an unknown amount of snow so, expecting the worst, we girded ourselves for a long day of trail-breaking and route-finding. Whatever trail-breaking we performed would benefit Saturday's team hiking for the ADK Foundation. The conditions were generally benign but, not to disappoint us, the Santanonis did provide a few head-scratching moments of route-finding.

I cast a few PM's and netted Brian (Pathgrinder) and Tom (BogHollow), genial and hardy gents whose company I've enjoyed on previous hikes. Brian had been waylaid by a knee injury for the last two weeks. It was on the mend and he was anxious to leave his couch and visit Couch. Tom was making the best of unused vacation days. A fourth member, Tim, would join our group midway through the hike.

We left the trailhead at 7:10 PM and returned 10.5 hours later. In the parking lot we met John who was rocking ultra-light gear (including a cuben-fiber pack) and planned to overnight near the Bradley Pond lean-to. Brian had arrived at 6:30 AM and met Tim who proceeded ahead of us. We caught up with him at Panther and he joined our crew at Couchsachraga.

Although the day's forecast promised a sunny day with mild temperatures (in the 20's), the clear and sunny morning was a chilly -2 F. My lightweight pants felt like shorts as every movement forced an unwanted introduction between cold air and warm nethers. For the first time ever, I wore two hats. By the time we reached the end of the road, the brisk walk and warming sun had us peeling off layers before heading into the woods.

The trail was amply paved in snow and free of the usual mess found outside of the winter season. We caught up to John and marched on to the Panther Brook herd-path. We didn't see the cairn for the Express route. We did find at least three faint paths, within a span of 50 yards, leading down to the brook and surmised they were made by hikers who had used the Express trail on President's Day. There was no evidence anyone had used the Express since.

We veered left, off the main trail, and headed to the beaver pond to pick up the Panther Brook herd path. The pond was a blank expanse of snow and was crossed without difficulty. The climb proceeded past the cliffs, along Panther Brook and on to Herald Square. The herd-path had received an inch or two of fresh snow and it was easy to follow the earlier hiker's (Tim's) footprints. At Herald Square they led to Panther whereas the route to Times Square was unbroken. 

Three hours from our departure, we arrived on Panther's summit and met Tim. With only high, thin clouds in the sky, we had unobstructed views of our surroundings. After a few minutes of the usual snacking and photos, we began the short descent to Herald Square. The rock ramp below Panther's summit was surprisingly slippery and I almost took an unplanned butt-slide.

Low clouds on High Peaks.

Panther becomes my 41st winter peak.

Sanatanoni viewed from Panther.

At Times Square we turned right and began the descent to Couchsachraga's bog. The general trend of the route is "down" but there's an unfamiliar (to me) dog-leg in the path. It had us dropping laterally and then ascending the slope before continuing downwards. I honestly don't recall this kink while hiking the path in summer. 

Couch's bog seemed smaller than in summer and, now frozen over, was no longer a "Roach Motel". We stopped in the clearing for a snack before the final leg to Couch. Shortly afterwards, we caught up with Tim and he happily ceded the route to me for trail-breaking.

Couchsachraga's bog awaits the spring thaw.

The fresh snow was slightly deeper on Couchsachraga's slope but the real challenge was following the faint trace of the herd-path. When I reached the rock ramp, I knew the summit was nearby. Couchsachraga became my 42nd winter peak. We congratulated one another and admired the exceptional view of Panther and Santanoni. It seemed more interesting and vibrant, frosted in snowy white, than in summer. 

Still smiling on Couchsachraga.

After another break to refuel and collect more photos, Tim decided to join our merry band and continue with us to Santanoni. We joked that we needed him to break out the Express trail.

Tom took the lead and set a brisk pace to return to Times Square. About three-quarters of the way up, we met John descending to Couch and two other hikers who had taken a wrong turn. They believed our tracks led to Santanoni. We explained their error and offered to guide them to Santanoni. 

Seventy-five minutes from our departure from Couch, we arrived at Times Square. High clouds had rolled in and cast a gray light on Santanoni. We showed the two hikers the route to Santanoni but, seeing the unbroken trail, they declined and left for Panther.

Times Square.

Only a few minutes after I commented that we would be fine if we took the time to carefully follow the traces of the herd path, we lost the path. It seemed to lead us up a rise to a barely covered thicket of spruces. We retraced our steps but couldn't discover our mistake. After taking a visual bearing of the sun's location and our intended direction, Tom plowed into the unconsolidated snow and we began to plod towards Santanoni. 

Breaking trail, and discovering all kinds of hidden impediments, was not going to save time. It was clear we'd need to find the herd path if we hoped to pick up the pace. Eventually I spotted a line in the snow, several yards to our right, and running parallel to our course. We cut across and rejoined the path. As we began climbing Santanoni, we lost and found the path a few more times but never so completely that we had to break a new trail.

After being teased by Santanoni's false summits, we reached its top at 2:15 PM and congratulated one another for a job well done. Getting to Santanoni felt like more work than my trip to Allen. However, the effort made the success more gratifying.

The Three Tee's: Taras, Tim, and Tom on Santanoni.

We didn't spend much time on the summit because we still had a few miles to put behind us. We descended to a point that looked nothing like it did in summer but provided sufficient clues to indicate it was the Express junction. At home, I had used map and compass to calculate a bearing that would lead us in the correct direction once we were on the shoulder. The trick was to safely descend the initial steep section that led to the shoulder.

The initial fifty feet of vertical descent was easy owing to wind-packed snow. Tim was in the lead and, following a gully, sank into deep snow. The chosen path seemed like the correct route but the deep, windblown snow was not going to make it easy. Tim voiced his misgivings and everyone was quick to agree. We had enough trail-breaking and route-finding for one day and now wanted a no-brainer way of getting home.

We climbed back up and began following our tracks back to Times Square. It would add some mileage to the day but it offered no route-finding and a well-packed trail. Besides, I never descended via the Panther Brook path so it was a new experience. In under two hours we were off the peaks and back at the Express junction. 

Bye-bye Santanoni!

The remaining miles seemed to grow longer the closer we approached the trailhead. The road gate was a welcome sight and we signed out at 5:45 PM in the deep blue light of dusk. It had been a very rewarding day and winter peaks 41 through 43 were now indelibly etched in my mind.

Photos

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See Brian's photos.

Santanoni Range 2011-08-05

Santanoni Range: Santanoni, Panther, Couchsachraga.

The Santanoni Range represented the last range to hike before completing my second round this year on Whiteface. My visit would foster a new and healthier attitude towards Couchsachraga, originally not one of my favourite destinations. I think Emmons now occupies that spot.

I left Montreal at 4:00 AM and arrived at the trailhead shortly before 7:00 AM. Only three cars were in the parking lot; I looked forward to a quiet day in the Santanoni Range. I was the first to sign in and was on the trail at 7:10 AM.

Just as I passed the locked gate, an oncoming SUV, with a US Forest Service logo, slowed to a stop and a fellow stepped out to unlock the gate. We exchanged brief pleasantries and I continued up the road. I wondered what they had finished doing so early in the morning.

The morning was sunny, cool and dry. Except for persistent deer flies, I wasn't bothered by mosquitoes or black flies. My plan was to hike the three peaks in a counter-clockwise loop, as I had done last August, by ascending the ridge via Panther Brook and descending via Santanoni Express. Panther Brook herd-path offers running water close to the ridge whereas the Express route is dry for most of its length.

The start of the Panther Brook herd-path is no longer dry. It now crosses the outflow of a beaver pond on spongy logs. I plumbed the murky water with my hiking pole and it sunk about a yard deep. 

I stopped at the last crossing of Panther Brook and sterilized a liter of water. I cached the bottle at Times Square and downed it upon my return from Couchsachraga. It was a welcome addition to the three liters in my hydration bag. By the end of the hike, my clothing recuperated at least one of those four liters. 

The writing on Panther's summit disk has been refreshed. Other than that, all else seems unchanged including the muddy patch just short of the true summit.

I've developed a greater appreciation for Couchsachraga's sense of humour. It lures you with a herd-path that is in better shape than many others. The descent is spiced with a few steep rocky pitches and ends at a filthy 'welcome mat'. I hear Couchie greeting me with 'Hey there! Kick off your shoes and stick around!" After crossing 'The Bog of Lost Soles', you get punked by a few false summits. Finally, a steep trough of rock signals the true summit is nearby and you pop up onto an inauspicious knob. The final gag is that the best view is the direction from which you came so you can best appreciate the elevation loss. Ba-da-bing! Good one, Couchie!

It was my first opportunity to view the replacement for Couchsachraga's stolen summit sign and I think 'ersatz' sums it up. It attempts to capture the original sign's rustic charm but fails. The original's sun-greyed wood with decorative end-caps, loose rope-binding, and engraved serif lettering have been replaced by a painted board. The replacement sign is attached, with a wood-screw, directly to the tree that bore the summit disk. The disk is gone and the tree's trunk has snapped above where the wood-screw was inserted. It's a sad sight.

Couchie's bog continues to be a broth of muck and compost but it seemed easier to cross due to more downed wood. It can now make the following claim, "New and improved! Contains more fiber!" 

En route to Santanoni, my legs collected two more souvenirs. I looked up to view Santanoni and, right on cue, tripped over a fallen sapling. A scraped knee was the price for a moment's innattention. The sapling is now resting off the trail. Later, I stepped over a long-dead tree trunk and down a short drop. I failed to notice a protruding branch-stub and levered my right shin directly into it. The intense pain signalled it wasn't just a scrape and I had probably bruised my tibia. With a swift kick, accompanied by Ukrainian swear words ('sookhin sin' ... there, now you're on the road to learning a new language), I snapped the @!*# spike off the log and it won't be troubling anyone else.

Santanoni's summit marker has been refreshed and moved to a larger tree a few inches away. The view of the High Peaks is wonderful but better from the lookout on Santanoni's closest sub-summit.

Towards Algonquin

The upper terminus of the Express path, located at the second of three sub-summits, seems a bit more defined than last year and that's probably due to increased usage. Within 50 yards of the summit, the Express trail drops steeply through a short eroded channel that is now littered with deadfall. Beyond that, it becomes a smooth path that eventually leads to a slab of rock. I distrust weather-beaten ropes and down-climbed the slab. The Express route's detour around the beaver pond is no longer marked with unsightly flagging tape.

I met (more like startled) one hiker while descending Couchsachraga (Salut Philippe!) and another hardy-looking fellow upon my return to Times Square. The bulk of the hikers I met (five) were encountered along the Bradley Pond trail while I was exiting. It was grand day for peace, solitude, and reflection.

Along the gravel road I paused to photograph several beautiful butterflies, Great Spangled Fritillary, feeding on the nectar of, what I believe to be, Sweet Joe-Pye Weed. It was one of those rare and magical moments that put the finishing touch on a very fine day.

Great Spangled Fritillary butterflies on Sweet Joe-Pye Weed.

I arrived at the trailhead at 3:30 PM, eight hours and twenty minutes after my departure. I cleaned up and headed to Tmax and Topo's for a good night's sleep (and to ice the lump on my shin, thanks David!) in preparation for the following day's hike to Esther. 

Photos

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Santanoni Range 2010-08-07

Santanoni Range: Couchsachraga, Panther, Santanoni


Summary

• Excellent weather. 
• Santanoni Express trail is in good shape.
• Great views from Santanoni. 

Weather
High 60's, low 70's; warm, dry and comfortable. 

Visibility
Very good. 


Details
I left Montreal at 4:30 AM, stopped at the Price Chopper in Plattsburgh to get lunch (sandwich selection was poor at 5:30 AM; no surprise) and reached the trailhead for Bradley Pond at 7:20 AM. A van with five hikers, preparing for a hike, was parked at the junction and I was informed the parking lot was full. I parked behind them.

I geared up and hit the trail at 7:45 AM. By 8:15 I was crossing the aptly described "Tim Burton inspired" bridge and by 9:00 AM I was at the 'lounging rocks' on Santanoni Brook. Beyond that point, the trail gets wetter and there are one or two very muddy sections but nothing outrageous.

'Lounging rocks' on Santanoni Brook.

By 9:30 AM I was at the junction with the Panther Brook herd path. The junction is well marked by a few rocks resting on a boulder. The path crosses the east end of a grassy area that appears to be the remains of a beaver bog. At 10:40 AM I was taking pictures of a log covered with fist-sized stone placed by passing hikers. No clue why people have done this but it's whimsical and made me grin.

The herd path crosses Panther Brook twice and at the last crossing the path veers away from the brook. That's where I decided to fill a spare water bladder with about 2 liters of water. I dumped in two Aquatabs and planned to stash it at Times Square. I reached Herald Square followed by Times Square at approximately 11:00 AM.

Times Square, in all its rustic glory.

Between Herald and Times Square I met a woman who introduced herself as the official Time Square host and indicated she would lead me to the bar. In fact, this witty lady was part of a large, organized group being led across the Santanoni range. They were camping near Bradley Pond and she had just returned from Couchsachraga. The balance of the group was still returning. Over the course of the day, I met many hikers, some of whom I met several times as we crossed and re-crossed one another's routes. It was a very busy day in the Santanoni Range.

I stashed my reserve water supply, had a snack, changed my socks (such a luxury to slip on dry socks), donned my gaiters and prepared myself for the infamous hike down to the mud wallow and then up to Couchsachraga. I left at 11:15 AM.

The trail descends quickly and is very narrow. The bordering firs have lost their needles but not their branches. Some sections poke, scrape and whip you like some sort of hazing ritual. Other than that, most of the trail is in fine shape and the descent is long and uneventful. Along the way the trail passed a steep drop where the views of the Seward Range and Cold River valley were outstanding.

I don't recall the precise time I reached the mud wallow, maybe 11:45 AM, but it signalled the lowest point of the descent. I chose to follow a path slightly right of dead-center. I was able to find enough downed timber and semi-solid patches of earth to allow me cross the mess without mishap. My hiking poles helped me maintain my balance on the tricky stuff and probe the muck to find solid footing. There were a few spots where the poles happily slid into the mire to a depth of a foot and a half. But, overall, it wasn't as bad as I had expected. I suspect it's a very different place after a heavy rain.

The infamous Couchsachraga bog.

After several ups and downs, I reached the summit of Couchsachraga, and my 44th High Peak, at 12:20 PM. After the requisite self-portrait and another snack I was joined by two more hikers. The views from Couchsachraga are fine but a little disheartening because you get to see just how far down you've come from Times Square.

A summit sign with character.

I left the summit at 12:35 PM and returned to Times Square at 1:50 PM. All in all, the round-trip to Couchsachraga took me approximately 2.5 hours. Times Square contained at least a half dozen hikers and we readily struck up a conversation and recounted our best, and worst, times in the 'Dacks.

On my return from Couchsachraga's summit, I finished the contents of my primary water supply. Upon arriving at Times Square I retrieved my cache of water and discovered it tasted like Clorox. It was disgusting. I thought it would either ruin my liver or bleach my teeth or both. I swished around a mouthful, spat it out, then swallowed another mouthful. Execrable stuff. I vowed to buy a filter.

Panther's summit was 20 minutes away. I spent about an hour on Panther having lunch, chatting with an amiable hiker from Pennsylvania, and taking photos of the great views. A large open area, just short of the true summit, provides outstanding views and a good place to rest. I went all out this trip and brought two changes of socks (I expected a mishap at the mud bog). The third and final pair of dry socks went on and my feet approved.

Central High Peaks viewed from Panther.

I got back to Times Square at 3:30 PM and pushed on to Santanoni. I had second thoughts because the side of my right knee was painful and I was concerned that it would be a liability on the descent via Santanoni Express. However, the trip along the ridge helped to loosen it up and by the time I reached Santanoni's first false summit the sharp pain was gone.

I reached the summit of Santanoni at 4:15 PM and the views of the High Peaks were first class. Along the way I ran into the two hikers I had met at Couchsachraga and they were returning via Panther Brook. They reported seeing the junction with Santanoni Express and it was unmarked and west of the last false summit. When standing at the junction and facing north, a large root is at your left, a 5" diameter tree trunk is on your right, and Marcy is visible in the distance, directly in line with the Express path. Walk forward a few feet through the low cripplebrush and the path becomes more apparent.

Last visit here was September 6th, 1982!

I spent only 15 minutes on Santanoni and then descended via Santanoni Express at 4:30 PM. It descends very rapidly and might present a challenge in wet weather. The steepness decreases and several section of the trail are winding earthen footpaths that are a pleasure to follow.

At around 5:30 PM I reached the beaver bog that has obliterated the herd path. However, some kind soul has marked a path around the east side of the bog (orange tape). When descending from Santanoni, skirt the bog along the right and pay attention to the markers at the very edge of the bog. There is a clearing at the eastern tip of the bog that might led people astray. I piled some downed logs to dissuade people from entering the clearing and guiding them around the bog.

By 5:40 PM I reached the marked trail and headed down the path towards the gravel road. I reached the trailhead at 6:50 PM after what seemed like an eternity on the road. I signed out at the register and noted that 26 hikers had registered on that day.

After eleven glorious hours of hiking, and 28 years since I visited the summits of Panther and Santanoni, I survived Couchsachraga's mud bog and touched its crooked sign. It was a very good day.

Three hours later, I was back home and looking forward to a good night's sleep.

Photos

See all photos.