I had already done Mount Colvin via the Lake Road in an earlier outing. But at the time I was not actively pursuing my 46er quest, and so did not bother to summit Blake at the same time. So... this weekend we decided that maybe we should get it done.
Initially I wanted to do a 2-car point-to-point affair from Elk Lake, over the Blake-Colvin ridge, and down and out the Lake Road, but there were only three of us hiking this weekend, and there was little support for the idea. So we decided to repeat my original Colvin hike and hike just a bit farther to bag Colvin.
AMR Golf Course
The trail to Mt. Colvin and Blake starts in a parking lot just off Route 73. The first part of the trail is over roads that wind through the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR). It is scenic in a "guilded-age" resort kind of way.
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Golfing in the High Peaks
These golfers get excellent mountain views as they make their way around the AMR's course.
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Noonmark mountain
An excellent and interesting "small" peak. Although not one of the 46 peaks over 4000 feet, it has a very open an interesting summit.
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AMR main building/hotel
the main hotel at the AMR is very grand. The hike takes us by this historic structure.
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Lake Road entrance
The hiking route next follows the Lake Road up towards Lower Ausable Lake. Again, still on AMR land.
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The gatekeeper
A wizened AMR employee guards the entrance to the Lake Road. He records the comings and goings of all hikers, including us.
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courtesy Markus
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Very elvish
A beautifully wrought wooden gate guards the entrance to the Lake Road.
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Peaceful, Beautiful Woods
The forest along the lake road is peaceful and soothing....
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A major junction
This is an AMR-signed trail junction. From here, we branch off to the right towards Indian Head (longer but a nice detour).
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courtesy Markus
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Back of the head
This is a lookout on the "back" side of Indian head, looking east. Giant Mountain can be seen in the distance.
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Mount Colvin
This is a good shot of Mount Colvin (visible on the left side of the picture). The trail more or less follows the ridgeline to the top. Indian head is just ahead and to the right. Also visible in this picture is a bit of Lower Ausable Lake.
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Lower Ausable Lake
Markus approaches the Indian Head Lookout. Lower Ausable Lake visible in the background. Mt Colvin is the atop the steep slope to the left of the lake.
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Indian Head Lookout
This is one of the top scenic spots in the Adirondacks: The fabulous lookout of Indian Head. Here, Markus heads towards the breathtaking precipice atop the overhanging cliffs of Indian Head.
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Snapping the view
Markus captures the view with his mini-digicam.
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A break on the edge
We stop for a mid-morning snack atop Indian Head, with Lower Ausable Lake far far below.
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The fishhawk cliffs
Another set of interesting cliffs nearby are the fishhawk cliffs. Our trail will take us to the top of these as well.
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courtesy Markus
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Leisure Boaters in the lake
Several leisure boaters (or at least we think so) ply the waters of Lower Ausable Lake. It is very likely that these are AMR club boats.
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Another view of the boaters
This time taken from the top of the Fishhawk cliffs.
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Caroline surveys Indian Head
Caroline, standing on the top of the Fishhawk cliffs, examines the striking profile of the Indian Head cliffs. Not long before we were having our snack break right on top of the overhanging portion!
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Markus and Lower Ausable Lake
Markus stands bravely on the edge of the slopy Fishhawk cliffs with Lower Ausable Lake far below.
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Typical trail to Colvin
A typical rocky rooty ADK trail leads up to the summit of Mount Colvin.
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