Extreme Loop: Saddleback, Basin, Haystack, Skylight, Marcy
plus Jay and Dix wanderings
June 2009
First day plan is for a giant loop of the upper great range from the garden parking west of Keene Valley: Ore bed valley to Saddleback, Basin, Haystack, drop into Panter Gorge and then climb Skylight and Marcy before returning to the Garden. Following days are moseys in the Jay and Dix wilderness.
1892k
Extreme loop: The Garden to Saddleback, Basin, Haystack, Skylight and Marcy; Miles 25.3, Cumulative Ascent: 9360 feet.
500k
Jay wilderness
1051k
Dix wilderness wandering
420k
Get to camp with a splendid sky.
301k
Make trailhead a 5a, so the first pictures are kind of blurry
861k
southside trail is muddy
622k
the sun sneaks onto Johns brook
771k
lovely spot
587k
I peek at the new bridge by the interior outpost
794k
stream near the ore bed lean-to
1008k
trailside rock
422k
hobble bush in bloom
878k
up the trail
876k
bed of bluets
602k
and oil from the moss
413k
a spider's web
619k
trail side slide
1101k
I know which way the trail goes
1238k
neat rock
495k
a fern stretches by the indian poke
201k
reaching the fine views of saddle back for breakfast
725k
summit vegetation
959k
old marker
728k
trail on the edge
1064k
and worse, it goes down
442k
soon enough to the col and calming trout lilies
422k
and red trillium
567k
a view back
291k
red tipped goblet lichen
694k
trail nearing summit of basin
202k
more views
480k
and rest
1193k
stream/trail
161k
some clouds on reaching little haystack
371k
snow patch on Marcy
614k
a dark-eyed junco visits on the summit
447k
Marcy and panther gorge
518k
leather leaf
441k
tamarack
1158k
descending to wet junction
685k
down into panther gorge
515k
climb, climb, climb to the summit of skylight
385k
a rest
174k
views all around
1060k
labrador tea sheltered between rocks
250k
diapensia
482k
lapland rosebay
259k
alpine azalea
195k
magnolia warbler
438k
over to Marcy, view back to skylight
762k
plenty more to climb
252k
views all
296k
around
749k
a rest
793k
tree creeping along the rock
379k
lovely catkins (?bearberry willow)
528k
snow patch up close
985k
reaching treeline
483k
light dims by JBL
446k
the day ends with blurry hare
717k
Next day, ascending the herd path to Jay
481k
Canada Mayflower
348k
white baneberry
463k
hanging from a rock
376k
bunchberry
349k
star flower
591k
foam flower
406k
rose twisted stalk
567k
chipmunk
246k
reaching views
617k
trees in flower
360k
wild strawberry
914k
deer tracks
498k
three toothed cinquefoil
512k
garden like walk on the ridge
845k
with more to go
801k
favortie lookout rock
163k
great views
742k
last drop
568k
look back from the ridge
147k
and great views
1016k
marker (beyond the summit)
683k
but amid garden
594k
white throated sparrow sings his heart out
675k
returing to the ridge
714k
pearly crescentspot
414k
pasture rose
191k
bud
302k
wild columbine
1189k
descent through red pines
321k
blue eyed grass
367k
wood betony
1225k
porcupine
977k
rest bya stream
479k
water strders on a waterbed
303k
bee on boxers
726k
a favorite cedar
687k
dam building
295k
keeping a wary eye
433k
another swim by
477k
pink lady slippers
929k
Into the dix wilderness: morning beams into an abandonned beaver pond
989k
breakfast by the stream
941k
big rock
583k
maple with the red
410k
painted trillium
925k
waterflows
1000k
waterflows
1105k
waterflows
388k
swallowtail butterfly
599k
A grouse flew at me and feigned hurt; its head seemed smooth; perhaps the spruce grouse?
385k
wild geranium
858k
waterflows