Hiking Whiteface Mountain

When we skied at Whiteface recently, we were remembering a somewhat epic hike up Whiteface in October 2009. It was part of our training for hiking in the Grand Canyon the following month.

The elevation gain on Whiteface, the second highest mountain in the Adirondacks, is about 3,600 feet over 5.2 miles. Large sections are quite flat while the steep sections are very steep and toward the top require some serious scrambling - as this photo shows.

As we moved up higher, it began to snow, the wind blew very hard and it was cold. Smartly, we always carry extra clothing. Of course, carrying about 40 lbs each significantly adds to the aerobic qualities of hiking.

It was a challenging and a great day. In the end, we covered the final mile on the way back in a near jog and got to the trailhead with, oh ... 5 minutes to spare before dark.

One of our objectives in training for our South American adventures is to hike a few more of the Adirondacks' 46ers. (46 mountains over 4,000 feet). We have hiked 5 of them already.