Wright Peak

Well, I have to say, I am surprised that we did not make it to the summit of both Wright Peak and Algonquin. A very late start and rough going forced us to orphan Algonquin. After arriving at our hotel at 3:00am the morning of our hike, we did not set foot on the trail until 10:00am. By the time we reached the summit of Wright Peak, it was just about 3:30pm and we knew we had no chance of summiting Algonquin. Looks like we’ll be going back for Algonquin this summer!

The hiking itself was easy on the flat and moderate inclines. But, when the trail got steep, it became a fight to keep your footing. While we used the snowshoes for the first two thirds of the hike, switching to Microspikes was a great help. But, even with the Microspikes, at times, a couple of steps forward were negated by a slow slide backwards. By the time we did reach the summit of Wright Peak, we were exhausted. We did take solace in the fact that we could butt-slide a lot of the steep sections that took us so long to hike up, and boy did we butt-slide! Its really fantastic to cover so much ground while sitting on your @ss!

The scenery was amazing of course. While there were only a few inches of snow at the trail head, there were several feet near the summit. Frozen waterfalls, snow-capped boulders, snow covered Birch & Spruce lined the trail up the mountain. Chickadees chirped and flittered about the woods. Although we did not see any rabbits, large prints from the Snowshoe rabbits covered the forest floor. As usual, everywhere you looked was something to enjoy. I suppose that’s why I’ve always been so obsessed with the Adirondacks!

Stay tuned for a video for this hike. I’m thoroughly enjoying working with the footage so far!

The Journey Begins

This is it. D-Day. My 46er Journey starts in just a few hours. The ol’ Samsquanch is packed and I’m ready to start the 6-hour drive north to the Adirondacks. I cannot wait! With hiking in an alpine environment comes the added risk associated with extreme temperatures and deep snow & ice. Rock cairns that mark the summit approach on Algonquin will be buried and painted trail markers on the rock face will be covered in ice. Summiting Algonquin and Wright Peak will expose us to strong winds and sub-zero temperatures. All of which, only makes the adventure more exciting to me. I’m not hiking Everest here, but the danger is real and being prepared is absolutely critical to having a safe adventure in the winter wild. Safe hiking and being prepared for emergency situations will ensure a good time for us. Below is the checklist I created to ensure I’m prepared for what may lay ahead.

Stay tuned for some photos & videos from this hike!

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First Two 46ers: Algonquin & Wright

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After a bit of research, I’ve narrowed down the first two peaks of my 46er journey. Because the first few mountains will be winter ascents, I’ve chosen a relatively moderate challenge for the first of my Winter High Peaks hikes. First on the list is a combination hike to the summits of Algonquin Peak and Wright Peak, originating at the Adirondak Loj. This is a 9 mile, out & back, day hike with 4,064’ of elevation gain. Although Alltrails.com rates this combination hike as “difficult”, I’m assuming that’s a summer rating. I’m really curious to see if the going is any easier in the winter time. A well packed trail through the snow might be more easily traveled than the same trail in the summertime. I could be right. I could be dead wrong. We’ll see!

D-Day will be Saturday February 1st. The current plan is to drive up to Lake Placid on Friday night; a mere six hour drive from the Philly. Saturday morning we’ll be in the woods by 5:00am. (That’s right. Adria’s comin’ with!) Now, Assuming that worst case, we’ll average a pace of 1 mph, this would put us on top of both summits and back to the Jeep by 2:00pm, leaving a couple hours of buffer time for breaks and draggin’ @ss, before sunset. …I forsee us coming out after dark. We’re equipped with snowshoes and microspikes. We’ll be carrying small packs, but not full trekking packs. You never know what could happen on the mountain so we're bringing the essential emergency items: space blanket, headlamps, down winter bag, small tent, stove, fire starting kit, extra food, extra layers, etc.

The plan is made, the GoPros are charged, and mountains are calling. Stay tuned!

Take more photos

This year I resolved to take more photos… Makin’ it happen.

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46 in 2020

Of the goals I laid out for 2020, I am most excited abut the prospect of hiking all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks. I have hiked a handful of these peaks growing up and over the last few years but have a long way to go in order to earn the right to the prestigious title: “46er”.  Over the next month I’ll be planning how best to bag multiple peaks on single hikes. It will be interesting to determine via maps, books and blogs, which hikes can be accomplished via day hikes with minimal gear, versus how many will require full packs due to route limitations. Hiking all 46 peaks in a year is no easy task. Luckily for me, my adventure companion Adria will be with me along the way, and we are great at pushing each other when our mettle is tested. I have all the gear to accomplish this goal. What I don’t have is the strength & endurance. I will need to get myself in shape mentally & physically.

So, my next steps are:

1.       Identify peaks which can be nabbed via day hikes

2.       Identify which peaks can be combined within hikes

3.       Create a somewhat aggressive schedule to stick to

In the year 2020…

Here we are in 2020 and man am I excited for it! 2019 was great, there’s no doubt about it. I got up to the Adirondacks several times, had some great overloading adventures and created some videos that I’m pretty happy with. As is tradition this time of year, folks resolve to better themselves. Below are a few personal goals that I’ll be working towards this year.

• Create more videos & take more photos

• Hike all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks [This one’s a challenge for sure, but I’d really like to accomplish this!]

• Spend less and save more

• Live a healthier lifestyle (More mountain biking & hiking and less boozing)

I’ll be sure to keep you posted with updates the blog and galleries here at uplandphoto.com 

All the best to you in 2020!

Overnight in Lake Placid

I’m attributing this trip to the Luck o’ the Irish! When I was asked to visit a facility in the mountainous playground they call the Adirondacks, I was only too happy to comply. Yes please! It’s not every day you get sent to the mountains on business. So, I loaded up the Wrangler and pointed her north. The drive from Philly, up through NY was fantastic. My hotel for the night was my rooftop tent. Just another day in the office.

Adirondack Overlanding

Another overland adventure on the books! The weather was wet, the hiking was hard, and the wheeling was amazing. Hell, we even saw a moose. But don’t take my words for it, watch the video!

First Post

I’m excited to share this crisp new website with the world. Having generated and shared a lot of creative content on social media has had me craving a central location with which to showcase my creative side and archive my adventures. This photographer has been reborn! So, I present to you, my spot on the web to share with all who care to see, the fun side of life, from my perspective.