| Round Pond to Dix Summit Trip Report |
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| Round Pond to Dix Summit   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: New York, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 44.08220°N / 73.7867°W Date Climbed/Hiked: Sep 23, 2007 Activities: Hiking Season: Fall | Page By: KyleCozzens Created/Edited: Sep 30, 2007 / Sep 30, 2007 Object ID: 342114 Hits: 332 Loading... Page Score: 87.06% - 3 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Early MorningI started the day by picking up Chris, my hiking partner for this hike, around 6am. We stopped at a nearby Stewart's to have a quick breakfast and to get some gas, only to head back to his house after since he had forgotten his hiking boots. Once we picked up his boots, we got on I87 and drove toward our destination (exit 30). After getting off the exit, we stopped at the spring to fill out water bottles, then continued to the Round Pond trail-head. By the time we were ready to hike, it was 8:30am, and already a beautiful day.Hitting the TrailOnce we were signed in, we started at a pretty good pace, only to stop a little ways in at Round Pond. After taking a few pictures, we were back on the trail. We ran into a couple guys resting where the trail splits toward Noonmark and Dix. Apparently, they had bushwacked in from the trail-head about a mile and a half down the road and hit East and South Dix, Macomb, and Hough, before hitting Dix. Somewhere along they way they had camped for the night. We parted ways and were back on track heading toward Dix. Our next stop was a bend in the North Fork of the Boquet River that we spotted to the left of the trail. We stopped there, had a quick snack, snapped some pictures, and headed back to the trail.The SlidesAfter stopping for a snack at the bend in the river, we had hiked at a good pace without stopping until we reached the slides. We were both in awe at the giant rock clearing going straight up the mountain. Instead of following the trail, we decided to hike up the slides a little ways. By the time we got back to the trail entrance from hiking on the slides, it had been about an hour.Now THAT'S an Ascent!Once we were back on the trail, we quickly realized why there were so many contour lines squeezed together on the map. This was the first climb I have done where I actually had pull myself up using trees, roots, and hand-holds on the boulders. We worked up this section at a fairly quick pace, at least as fast as we could while enduring the burning in our leg muscles.The TopFinally, after managing to pull ourselves over boulder after boulder, and getting excited when we reached somewhat of a false summit, we reached the real summit of Dix Mountain. This was definitely the most rewarding hike I have done to date. The views from the top were amazing. It was such a clear day, without a cloud in the sky. We spent about an hour at the top just taking in the views, enjoying our lunch, and taking a ton of pictures.Don't Forget the Cheese..Okay, so this is something I haven't heard of before. When we reached the summit, there were three other people on top, and they were eating there lunch. We were talking about how it was a beautiful day and how we couldn't wait to get our lunches out, and one of the guys says, "Did you remember your cheese?" Now apparently, Chris had someone say something about eating cheese at the top while he was on his last hike. Has anyone heard of this? After thinking about it, cheese and crackers on the top would be a great reward for reaching the summit, but has anyone else heard of this? Is there any significance behind it?Race Against The SunAfter spending about an hour at the summit, we decided that we had to head out if we were going to make it to the car by dark. The hike out was very, very tiring. In fact, I don't remember most of it. We were moving at a fast pace, jogging when it wasn't too much of a downhill. When we finally reached Round Pond, the sun was already behind the mountains, but it wasn't quite dark. We decided that if we were going to make it out by dark, we would have to move very quickly. We actually ended up running all the way until we reached the trail register, which was a very welcome sight. From the time we left the summit, to the time we reached the trail register, it was a little under three hours.Final ThoughtI have to say this is probably my favorite hike so far. Physically, and mentally, it was a tough hike. Once you reach the slides, the trail gets steep and you are basically pulling yourself up over boulders the size of a kitchen stove. Once you reach the top though, it is easy to forget about all the work you just did, and to just enjoy the view. This hike took us just under ten hours at a fast pace, which included running out once we reached Round Pond. Images
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Adirondacks
