Whiteface Revisited

 On Friday, the 18^th of July, I climbed Whiteface Mountain via the Connery Pond Whiteface Landing trail in celebration of my 32^nd 46er completion anniversary. I finished the 46 on July 17^th, 1993. I went a day late this year because of challenging weather on the 17^th, 90° temperatures, and thunderstorms. My age (80) and the trail were more than enough challenge. I didn’t need additional obstacles. I was joined by Dave Allen, a frequent hiking companion. Our friend Rick Reed was unable to come. I took a photo of him so that he could be there in spirit.

Sunrise at Connery Pond

The trail is easy from the Connery Pond parking area to Whiteface Landing. It isn’t level, but the ups and downs are minor. The trail skirts Connery Pond, goes over a small ridge, and drops to the shore of Lake Placid, where there is a dock. Dave and I walked the 0.1-mile trail down to the shore and took our first break. There would be numerous breaks later.

Whiteface Landing

From there, we proceeded to the Whiteface Lean-to, again an easy walk. We had read that the trail tended to be muddy, but in spite of downpours the day before, we saw little mud until the section where the trail crosses Whiteface Brook 3 times. There, not only was it muddy, but the trail needed maintenance. Many of the marker disks from this point forward are badly faded and hard to spot, plus there were at least 3 areas of blow-down that should be cleared.

Whiteface Lean-to

Around the 4-5 mile mark, the trail got steep, and at several points nearer the summit, I was scrambling on all fours. In my 46er adventures, I had done other steep sections, but I cannot recall another as unrelenting as this one. I needed rest breaks frequently, the last 1½-2 miles for energy drinks and snacks to refuel. I know my age played a role in how tough a climb this was, but I was never a fast or agile climber, even in my 40s when I did the 46 over 8½ years. This is rated a ‘difficult’ trail, and it earns the rating. The ‘profile’ of this approach exaggerates the steepness, but not by much.

An interesting glacial erratic with an unusually flat side

We had arranged to ride back down with my brother and sister-in-law, who met us at the summit. I was in no shape to descend on foot after 8 hours and 50 minutes. I had estimated that it would take 7 hours to do the climb, and at least 50 minutes of that time was breaks, but I had still underestimated the time. I began doing anniversary hikes on the 20^th anniversary with the intention that I would do them every 5 years. Rick, Dave, and I did the 20^th and 25^th on the Atmospheric Center Trail and the Reservoir Trail. Dave and I did the 30^th anniversary hike on the Atmospheric Center Trail. I had been up the Memorial Highway twice in winter, once on skis and then on snowshoes. I wanted to do the Whiteface Landing Trail because it was the one trail I had never done. I doubted I would be able to do it on the 35^th anniversary. I will revisit the summit on future anniversaries, but I will drive up.

I am glad I did it. I knew it would be a tough climb, and it was. I do have a couple of regrets. The first is that I took so few photos. Most of the hike was through unremarkable woods, typical of Adirondack trails. The bulk of the interesting views came after the tree line. By then, I was well behind my estimated schedule and aware that my waiting ride down the mountain would be concerned, so I skipped several views I might otherwise have photographed. Once on the summit, I skipped photographing except to record our finish with the assistance of a summit steward and took the elevator to the parking area. The positive is that I can return at my leisure and descend from the summit without having to re-hike the interminable steep wooded section below treeline.

Dave, Rick & Jim on the summit