Clear Skies from Cascade Mountain

Winter is here, and it's about time to venture to new places. After our last journey, we wanted clear skies, and a new destination. Cascade Mountain in the Adirondacks easily fit that bill. This peak can be found in the High Peaks Wilderness of the Adirondacks, in New York. The views from Cascade Mountain's bald summit are vast and amazing, especially when there are no clouds in the sky.

The High Peaks Wilderness from Cascade Mountain.

My dad and I located the trailhead and swiftly began up the trail. The path was packed down, and snowshoes were not necessary along any part of the trail. I do recommend spikes, as there are several areas along the trail covered in ice. The trail itself was flat, and never got too steep.

The sun can be seen peeking through the trees along the trail.

After a slight incline, the trail flattened out again, and we were getting glimpses over to the other high peaks. The snow wasn't that deep off trail, and the whole path was packed down. After another incline, we came to a large ledge with a grand view of the high peaks. From here we could see Mt.Colden and Mt.Algonquin.

Mt.Colden through the trees.

The view from the ledge. Mt.Colden, Mt.Algonquin, and Street Mountain can be seen.

We reached the junction, and continued up to Cascade Mountain. We were going to do Porter Mountain as well, but the trail had a slight dusting on it, and nobody had gone out to it that day. We ventured toward Cascade Mountain, and eventually found ourselves at the base of the mountain's craggy, bald summit.

The trail over to Porter Mountain.

The craggy summit of Cascade Mountain.

The summit was powdered with soft snow, and the gradual ascent of the summit was one of the most beautiful moments ever. The trail was easy to follow, and once we rose above the trees, we experienced no breeze, and a fantastic view into the heart of the High Peaks Wilderness.

The Great Range and other high peaks seen from the trail.

Mt.Colden, Avalanche Mountain, and Mt.Algonquin from Cascade Mountain.

The views were amazing, and we could see so much of the beautiful landscape of the Adirondacks, and even the Green Mountains of Vermont. I ascended the rocks more and more, until I reached the summit. From here there was also a view north toward Mt.Whiteface and Lake Placid.

Porter Mountain, with the Great Range, Dix Mountain, and Nippletop as the backdrop.

Looking west from the summit.

Looking toward the Soda Range.

Looking north. Mt.Whiteface is the most notable peak on the left.

Some notable peaks that can be seen include Dix Mountain, Mt.Marcy, Mt.Colden, Mt.Algonquin, Mt.Whiteface, Mt.Esther, Jay Mountain, Hurricane Mountain, Mt.Mansfield, Camel's Hump, Mt.Abraham, and Mt.Ellen. Lake Champlain is also hidden beneath the undercast to the east.

Hurricane Mountain is in center shot, and the Green Mountains can be seen in the background.

Hurricane Mountain and the firetower, with Camel's Hump behind it.

Bella enjoying the scenery.

A few groups came and went while we were up there. This is a decently popular mountain this time of year, and there's good reason for it. The entire Great Range can be seen as well, which includes several high peaks.

Bella posing in front of the peaks.

The Great Range

Can't get enough of the view!

Giant Mountain over Porter Mountain.

A plane sailing past Mt.Algonquin.

We stayed atop the summit for thirty minutes. The air was crisp and a good temperature, with no breeze. It was great, but it was also time to head down. The descent wasn't bad, and the trail wasn't too slippery (be sure to wear spikes).

Heading back down the trail, where Mt.Whiteface can be seen.

It was a great experience to be back in the Adirondacks. If your a long time reader, you may know that the last time I was out here it was Buck Mountain, back in February. The last time I was in the High Peaks Wilderness was on Mt.Algonquin in 2011, so It's been a while. I may or may not have a new series on my blog coming out soon, so stay for that.Thanks for reading, have a great New Year!

Morning Colors from Mt.Jackson

It's December, and the snow is certainly coming down. The only thing that can break through the drab whites and grays of the winter are the colors of a sunrise, which takes work to achieve around this time of year, at least in New Hampshire. It can be done of course, people do it all the time, and it's much different than a sunrise in the summer. For our first winter sunrise, we chose Mt.Jackson, and it gave us a descent reward.

The fragile colors of the sunrise breaking through the clouds.

We got to the trailhead at three in the morning. Crawford Notch was beyond dim, and the sky was peppered with stars. Far across the field we could see the lights of Highland Center. We found the trailhead, and began up the trail.

This photo was taken after the hike, with sun drenched Mt.Tom as the backdrop.

The trail is packed well, but we still wore snowshoes. It was packed down all the way up Mt.Jackson, and it  looks like it was packed down going over to Mt.Webster as well. Everything was dark, so I have no good pictures. It was so dark and calming as we peered through the dark forest.

A piece of the packed-down path. The entire trail is like this.

We passed the spur trails to Elephant's Head and Bugle Cliff, two nice viewpoints that look into Crawford Notch. We stopped at Bugle Cliff on the way back down, and the view from the crag was delightful.

Crawford Notch from Bugle Cliff.

The path meanders up to the junction, and we continued up to Mt.Jackson. The snow got deeper and deeper, and there were several blow-downs. Just below the summit, the trail briefly disappeared due to snow drifts, as it was snowing the entire time we were out there. The summit was completely covered in snow, and the wind was monstrously strong.

The frozen summit of Mt.Jackson.

We were there to see a sunrise, but we got up there an hour early. We waited just below the summit on the Appalachian Trail, watching the sky get brighter and brighter as I nearly froze to death. After rushing back up to the windy summit, we viewed the somewhat cloudy view of the sunrise and it's vibrant colors.

The colors of the sunrise with a ridge in the foreground.

We didn't get any view toward Mt.Washington or Mt.Pierce, but we were able to see the ridges below the sun's colors. We could also briefly see the ridge over to Mt.Webster and the cliffs of Crawford Notch and Mt.Willard.

The cliffs of Crawford Notch can be seen through the clouds.

We didn't stay for long on the cold peak of Mt.Jackson. It was so cold it felt like the wind was whipping through my coat. The descent was tiring, as neither of us slept the previous night, but we still finished the hike. As a side note, I will have at least one sunrise hike every month until next November. This is because my dad is turning fifty next November, so I promised him we would do a sunrise every month until then. Not only will we enjoy the hikes, but you can as well through the blog. If you have any recommendations for a sunrise, leave it below, or just comment anyway. Also, be sure to check out my last two blogs, as I really enjoyed them, and I think you will too!