Big Slide Mountain via Brothers
April 9, 2012
4 miles to the summit
This trip was sort of a last minute thought. I randomly got all week off of work and though I knew that I was going to head out to Lake Placid, I didn't really have a specific plan. Three friends and I set out and it was decided that we would hike Big Slide Mountain via Brothers. Actually, the boys did the planning which began as an ambitious 4 mountains and ended up as one mountain.
Though this is not my first high peak by any means, this is my first official documentation and the start of an official journey to 46er status. For the first time in a few years, I will be in the country for a majority short season of beautiful weather in New York and I needed a goal for the summer.
The weather was absolutely not ideal. Soggy, spring conditions. In the lower parts of the mountain (until we got to Brothers), the sun was warm and we were peeling off layers.
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| At the top of Brothers |
However, as we continued on and up, everything was soggy and slippery. We definitely could have used crampons for some of the steep sheets of ice we were battling. It wasn't quite so bad that we felt the need to turn back, but it would have been a little less scary in some parts. I did fall on my face a few times (I do this a lot) and I think that the first hike of the year was kind of an awakening. All of us being extremely active, I think I went into it with the idea that this would be cake but my body was just waking up. This was Alaiya's first trip to the daks and she and Nate (her cousin) pushed much harder than I!
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| Alaiya at the summit |
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| Drinking my summit glass of wine! |
It took us a few hours to get to the summit but only a little over an hour to get back down. I am so happy to be back in the adirondacks and I cannot wait for the next trip!
