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  • Questions on getting Esther/becoming a 46er

    Hello!

    So Whiteface was one of the first mountains I climbed. Back then I didn’t realize how much I would fall in love with the Adirondacks and that I would become obsessed with getting all 46 peaks. So in short... I never hiked Esther along with Whiteface that day. It’s been killing me all these years. Especially because I live 6 hours away and I don’t know how I’m gonna manage to get it in on one of my short trips. So my question is... what do you all think about having a friend drive me partway up Whiteface so and I can just knock out Esther and not waste a whole day hiking the same stuff twice?
    I can’t decide if I could feel like I was actually a 46er that way or if I would feel too guilty. What is everyone’s opinion?

    Thanks!!
    16
    Yes
    0%
    3
    No
    0%
    13

  • #2
    No, you have to climb it from a trailhead.

    Many people find themselves in this situation, where early on in their hiking in the High Peaks, they had not yet realized that they would want to climb them all. For you, Esther is known as an "orphan peak." Other commonly orphaned peaks are Lower Wolfjaw, Iroqouis, Nye, Blake, etc. These are peaks that are best climbed in one big hike along with a couple of their neighbors, but often get left out because of time, or as in your case, simply not realizing that you would eventually want to climb them.

    Not sure how far along you are on your quest for the 46, but you will want to contact the 46ers and get assigned a correspondent.



    The 46er correspondent can answer questions like this in detail, along with many other questions that come up.

    (I was drawn to this thread because my wife and I finished on Esther back in 86. Nice peak, no views, wilderness feel, interesting history.)

    Comment


    • #3
      If you change your mind-set you will not feel like you are wasting a whole day hiking the same stuff twice. Also, you could hike up WF via the Lake Placid Slide (or up the ski hill slides) then descend the marked trail to the Esther junction. After Esther you could bushwhack off of it down to the toll road and walk out on the road a few hundred yards to a spotted vehicle at the toll gate. Piece of cake!
      The best, the most successful adventurer, is the one having the most fun.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by TCD View Post
        No, you have to climb it from a trailhead.
        There should not be a vote on this.

        You walk/climb the whole route. Start and finish at a Trailhead.

        As Neil said an alternative such as from/to the Connery Pond TH or the Reservoir TH (assuming you start from ASRC).

        I believe another option in winter is to climb/skin and then ski down from/to the gate on the Memorial Highway.

        Just making sure TCD....
        Last edited by Hear the Footsteps; 06-27-2018, 06:21 PM.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Beekeepersdaughter
          … I can’t decide if I could feel like I was actually a 46er that way or if I would feel too guilty. ...
          That guilty feeling is your answer.


          You can drive up 99% of Whiteface. Does walking the last 1% qualify as having hiked Whiteface?

          It's the same answer to your question.



          BTW, if your goal is to become an Adirondack 46er, you should become familiar with rules, guidelines, and ethics of the organization that invented it: http://www.adk46er.org/
          Looking for views!

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          • #6
            You should hike it up and down. Doesn't count if you drive IMO. If you're looking for help and doubting your prowess/success, if you post up for help, I bet you'll get it!

            Comment


            • #7
              What if your a bushwhacker and make your own starting point? Do first time 46ers have to follow a designated trail? Trailheads start from different elevations. I say if you climb 300 feet your good. Let me guess, you can't park, and jump off the Whiteface Memorial Highway for a bushwhack.
              Last edited by Lonehiker; 06-28-2018, 05:39 PM.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Lonehiker View Post
                What if your a bushwhacker and make your own trailhead. Do first time 46ers have to follow a designated trail. Trailheads start from different elevations. I say if you climb 300 feet your good. Let me guess, you can't jump off the Whiteface Memorial Highway for a bushwhack.
                You can indeed make your own 'trailhead' when bushwhacking. Your starting point simply needs to be a valid one (more below).

                There are no "designated trails" for aspiring 46ers. You just need to begin from a valid starting point.

                Yes, trailheads start at different elevations. For the ADK 46er peaks, New Russia is the lowest and ADK Loj is the highest.

                You can jump off the Memorial Highway to start a bushwhack, provided you walked, not drove, up the highway to start the bushwhack. People ski up the road in winter to Whiteface and that counts.

                Regarding "climb 300 feet and you're good", it's invalid if you drive up the road. Whiteface is the only 4K peak with a road and so the ADK46ers have disqualified it as a starting point. Otherwise you get the absurd situation where you can drive up the summit parking lot and go up and down the stairs all day long and claim you climbed Whiteface three dozen times in a day.

                The concept of a valid starting point is not hypothetical. It's needed to maintain a level playing field when qualifying an ascent. For example, if I hike over Marcy to get to Skylight, my return trip over Marcy (~900 feet of ascent) does not qualify as a second ascent of Marcy. I can say I visited three peaks that day (Marcy twice and Skylight once) but, for book-keeping purposes, I ascended only two peaks.
                Looking for views!

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                • #9
                  Great, what about the scenario, of one starting from the summit, hike down to the valid starting point line, and then back up?
                  Last edited by Lonehiker; 06-30-2018, 03:04 AM.

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                  • #10
                    Your example is a corner-case; it is feasible for only one High Peak and that's Whiteface (because you can be driven to and from the summit). On no other peak can you start and end on a summit (teleportation anyone?).

                    I believe the ADK 46ers made one exception for an elderly hiker who completed his round on Whiteface. It was split into two hikes. He was driven up so he could hike down. Then he hiked up to the summit to meet family and friends for a celebration and then drove down with them.
                    Looking for views!

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                    • #11
                      So, the summit can be viewed as a trailhead. I'm referring to Whiteface. You have brought up wormholes http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums/f...hiteface/page2
                      Last edited by Lonehiker; 06-30-2018, 01:34 PM.

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                      • #12
                        Yes, a trailhead for that one elderly gentleman who received a waiver from the 46ers. For everyone else, it's not.


                        … as for the wormhole, so far it only appears to be an exit not an entrance!
                        Looking for views!

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                        • #13
                          The 46ers Web page specifically says under requirements for becoming a 46er: "each individual climber who climbs to the summit - and down again - of all 46 peaks..." See http://www.adk46er.org/how-to-join.html

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                          • #14
                            The Wilmington Trail is so delightful (beautiful mature forest; graded trail) that why would you mind hiking it twice?

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                            • #15
                              Esther by itself is a nice hike from the ASRC (Atmospheric Sciences Research Center). An early spring snowshoe perhaps?
                              Charlie

                              Charlie's Adirondack Adventures

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