Phelps & Tabletop
Adirondack Hike: May 16th, 2015
Both Niels and I were very excited to hike these two Adirondack high peaks. We hit the trailhead at 8:30am and began the highly trafficked route along the Van Hoevenberg Trail towards Marcy Dam. This brought back a flood of memories from when I used to hike this route in high school with my Outward Bound club. We used to camp at Marcy Dam and hang our food across the old dam to prevent a bear invasion. This did not stop the raccoons one year though, who tactfully trapezed across our rope, ripped open our bags, and enjoyed snacking on our loot as it floated away from Heart Lake. Now, rightfully so, the ADK Club insists that campers rent Bear Canisters to protect your food (you can rent these from ADK Lodge for $8 for two days as of 2016).
The first section of the hike involves trekking in from the ADK Lodge to Marcy Dam. Niels and I enjoyed this 2.3 mile (3.7 km) hike tremendously as it crosses over Algonquin Brook and you can hear the relaxing trickle of constant water as you walk. We did it in 1 hour, 15 minutes, which is fast for us usually slow hikers :-)
The first section of the hike involves trekking in from the ADK Lodge to Marcy Dam. Niels and I enjoyed this 2.3 mile (3.7 km) hike tremendously as it crosses over Algonquin Brook and you can hear the relaxing trickle of constant water as you walk. We did it in 1 hour, 15 minutes, which is fast for us usually slow hikers :-)
I found it strange when the trail suddenly swung left at the old dam, and took us down and around the new (2012) bridge over Marcy Brook. This new bridge is located about 70 meters downstream from the now-breached old dam.
The paths are made very clear by markers. Follow the blue trail markers up to Phelps/Marcy!
To hike the one mile stint from Marcy Dam to the Phelps Trailhead, it took us 55 minutes. This was quite a nice hike, with clear open trails and wooden beams to help where the path had eroded. There was even a nicely marked high water bridge. Ha! The water level was at a record low when we were hiking...
Summiting Phelps
From the trail junction, it is a 1.2 mile (2 km) hike UP. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes up and 50 minutes down. At times, the Phelps Mountain Trail is quite steep and feels very arduous. You have to scramble up some ridiculous rocks and tree routes, and it definitely took our breath away (I'm not talking about the views!).
From the trail junction, it is a 1.2 mile (2 km) hike UP. It took us 1 hour and 20 minutes up and 50 minutes down. At times, the Phelps Mountain Trail is quite steep and feels very arduous. You have to scramble up some ridiculous rocks and tree routes, and it definitely took our breath away (I'm not talking about the views!).
As you approach 4000 feet, you will gain access to some astounding views. There is a viewing rock, but don't stop here! This is a false summit. Continue on through the trees to get to a large viewing shelf, the true summit. We adored this area - wow! Phelps isn't known for it's views since it's not a bald peak - but honestly, you get breathtaking views of Marcy, the MacIntyre Range, Colden, Haystack and more. We were up there by noon, and took a nice half hour at the summit to relax.
A Side Trip to Indian Falls
We decided to take the quick detour to Indian Falls, since were were *right there.* We were pretty tired at this point, and hadn't even started to climb Tabletop yet, but who can resist waterfalls? Apparently not my husband. It was a must. After seeing them, I'd have to agree. The whole side trip took us 40 minutes (including time to snack and photos!)
We decided to take the quick detour to Indian Falls, since were were *right there.* We were pretty tired at this point, and hadn't even started to climb Tabletop yet, but who can resist waterfalls? Apparently not my husband. It was a must. After seeing them, I'd have to agree. The whole side trip took us 40 minutes (including time to snack and photos!)
Summiting TableTop
After our side trip to Indian Falls, we hiked to the Tabletop trailhead to start on peak #2 of the day. Tabletop is an unmarked trail, which means there are no markers to guide you along the way. There is a "herd path" which was easy to follow at some parts, and harder at others. Luckily, we did this trail in the spring so there was a constant trickle of water coming off the mountain. We figured that if we just kept following the water up we would eventually summit.
The trek up from the trailhead is only 0.5 miles (0.8 km) but it took us just over an hour. Mind you, we do love to stop and chat to any oncoming happy hikers :-) Officially, the wooden sign (pictured below) marks the summit of Tabletop, but there is a small area just past the summit which is where you will want to sit and celebrate. Mt. Marcy is directly in front of you, so even though this is considered a treed summit I still enjoyed the views. Almost as much as my reward KitKat :-)
The addition of climbing Tabletop added 2 hours and 25 minutes onto our trip. Adding Indian Falls in there was an extra 40 minutes. Both were worth it! We booted it down back to Marcy Dam and the ADK Lodge to collapse in our car - 11 hours after our start!
Total Distance (Phelps & Tabletop): 12.2 miles (19.6 kilometers), plus a side trip to Indian Falls
Total Time: 11 hours
Total Time: 11 hours
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