4,405', 21st Highest Elevation in the Adirondacks
South Summit of Macomb, as seen from the main summit.
| Our bad luck with the Dix Range continued with Macomb in July 2004, which was Roscoe's introduction to High Peaks hiking. I had wanted to see Elk Lake and the Dix Range from Macomb, but adding poor preparation to an unpredicted foggy, overcast day, inadvertantly introduced myself to the blow-down from Hurricane Floyd, which blankets the lower elevations around Macomb. Arriving at the Elk Lake trailhead, and discovering I had left my maps and the trail descriptions from Adirondack Journey at home, I elected to wing it. Choosing the wrong herd path uphill from the Slide Brook leanto, we struggled over and under flattened and devastated trees to reach the north slide, which took us to Macomb's summit, with the climbing fog as companion. Visibility was just about nill, so we headed off towards Macomb's south summit, the only piece of our surroundings I could see clearly. I could make out both slides from the South Summit, and followed a herd path descending from the col between the summits, which petered out, leaving us to try to bushwhack our way to the slides. You guessed what happened next....we found ourselves back in the blowdown, and struggled to find Slide Brook, which we followed down the mountain to the Elk Lake Trail. To get to the Elk Lake trailhead, take the Northway south to Exit 29, and follow the road west to the Elk Lake Preserve Sign. |
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Weather weary travelers at the summit.
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