Thanks for the report. I'm headed out there end of July to hit highpoints of VT, NH, and hopefully NY as well. How good of shape would you say you are in? My wife and I are relative newbies to climbing, and while we did 3000 ft of elevation gain in 5 miles, it was rough. I'm just wondering if we could manage a 15 mile round trip.
And - thank you for the comment! I think by the end of July you will have passed blackfly season - though there will be other bugs, of course.
Regarding fitness: I am in OK shape, not as fit as I would like to be but getting there. I lived in Michigan for almost 9 yrs before moving to NJ in April. Michigan is a nice place, but there are no mountains - so I did not care to hike as much. Since I returned to the East, I have hit a trail almost every weekend and pushed myself. So far I have lost 5 lbs, and I'm feeling better. I can tell my lung function has improved as well.
It sounds like you can do the elevation, but was that 5 miles up and then 5 miles back going down the same way? Down can be punishing! Here are my thoughts:
- Can you do 15 miles on relatively flat trails? If you can't, then you can't combine 15 miles with a climb and descent.
- What order and how are you going to do the peaks? For NH, you can drive, ride the Cog Railway, or climb. For VT, it's not such a long climb - I'm not sure if the toll road is open. What I'm getting at is that you need to make sure you have enough energy to do Marcy.
- Be sure to bring gear in case the weather turns cold. It can snow up there anytime.
- Start early in the morning so that you have daylight throughout.
- Trekking poles will allow you to use your upper body to climb, will help your knees, and stabilize your balance. My suggestion is to buy a pair of lightweight, variable extension poles for each of you.
- Finally, be willing to turn back. It's VERY hard to stop once you start, but you can always come back to the mountain - it will still be there.
This is a very good trip report. Did you get any photos? When I go back to visit the East I will probably tag this peak. It eats me alive that I never have climbed Marcy, but it will have to wait because Baker and Rainier are far more important to me. I have Rainier staring me in the face everyday and it eats me alive that I am not on top of it!
Thanks for the reply. Sorry, no photos. The main reason is that I haven't bought a new home computer yet to attach a camera to.
Rainier is a beautiful mountain - I saw it in person for the first time last year when I was out that way. I'd like to climb it, but that's not going to be possible for me this year.
Our trip up Cold Mountain in NC was 5.1 each way, and yes, my knees were barking near the end of the way down, but we did it. We made some mistakes on that hike that we won't make again, so I think we could handle the length of the trip. But who knows, we haven't tried it. We'll be climbing up Mansfield and Washington, for sure.
maddie77777 - Jun 23, 2008 3:45 pm - Voted 10/10
Great!Thanks for the report. I'm headed out there end of July to hit highpoints of VT, NH, and hopefully NY as well. How good of shape would you say you are in? My wife and I are relative newbies to climbing, and while we did 3000 ft of elevation gain in 5 miles, it was rough. I'm just wondering if we could manage a 15 mile round trip.
Chinigo - Jun 24, 2008 9:24 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Great!And - thank you for the comment! I think by the end of July you will have passed blackfly season - though there will be other bugs, of course.
Regarding fitness: I am in OK shape, not as fit as I would like to be but getting there. I lived in Michigan for almost 9 yrs before moving to NJ in April. Michigan is a nice place, but there are no mountains - so I did not care to hike as much. Since I returned to the East, I have hit a trail almost every weekend and pushed myself. So far I have lost 5 lbs, and I'm feeling better. I can tell my lung function has improved as well.
It sounds like you can do the elevation, but was that 5 miles up and then 5 miles back going down the same way? Down can be punishing! Here are my thoughts:
- Can you do 15 miles on relatively flat trails? If you can't, then you can't combine 15 miles with a climb and descent.
- What order and how are you going to do the peaks? For NH, you can drive, ride the Cog Railway, or climb. For VT, it's not such a long climb - I'm not sure if the toll road is open. What I'm getting at is that you need to make sure you have enough energy to do Marcy.
- Be sure to bring gear in case the weather turns cold. It can snow up there anytime.
- Start early in the morning so that you have daylight throughout.
- Trekking poles will allow you to use your upper body to climb, will help your knees, and stabilize your balance. My suggestion is to buy a pair of lightweight, variable extension poles for each of you.
- Finally, be willing to turn back. It's VERY hard to stop once you start, but you can always come back to the mountain - it will still be there.
EastKing - Jun 24, 2008 2:48 am - Voted 10/10
Good trip reportThis is a very good trip report. Did you get any photos? When I go back to visit the East I will probably tag this peak. It eats me alive that I never have climbed Marcy, but it will have to wait because Baker and Rainier are far more important to me. I have Rainier staring me in the face everyday and it eats me alive that I am not on top of it!
Chinigo - Jun 24, 2008 9:30 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Good trip reportThanks for the reply. Sorry, no photos. The main reason is that I haven't bought a new home computer yet to attach a camera to.
Rainier is a beautiful mountain - I saw it in person for the first time last year when I was out that way. I'd like to climb it, but that's not going to be possible for me this year.
maddie77777 - Jun 24, 2008 10:32 am - Voted 10/10
ThanksOur trip up Cold Mountain in NC was 5.1 each way, and yes, my knees were barking near the end of the way down, but we did it. We made some mistakes on that hike that we won't make again, so I think we could handle the length of the trip. But who knows, we haven't tried it. We'll be climbing up Mansfield and Washington, for sure.