With relatively good weather expected, and a beta from a forum post on ADK High Peaks Forums that the herdpath to Esther was broken out, I decided to take another shot at it. Unlike the first attempt, the sun was shining, visibility was generally good, and the winds were calm–perfect conditions! I reached the summit in 3.5 hours and spent nearly an hour basking in the sun, taking pictures, and making summit calls to a few family members.
What I didn’t realize is that the herdpath to Esther would still be obscure and challenging–the detour over to Esther and back to the main trail (less than 3 miles) was nearly 3 hours of hunched over hiking, breaking through branches,and getting wet from the snow that was falling off the trees. Pretty much a nightmare. The only consolation was a dry polypro shirt for the descent, an Almond Snickers, and the fact that I had finally bagged these two peaks.
If I forget about the trip to Esther…this was a fabulous day!
Stats: 11 miles, 3500′ vertical
-
- Esther summit shot
-
- Looking down on the slopes of Whiteface Ski Center
-
- Beautiful day on Whiteface
-
- A look at the road and castle where the last trip ended
-
- Great view of Whiteface on the ascent
Leave a Reply