Is this trip too aggressive?

[Kyler]

I’m planning a 3 day trip for mid-week in early July. One of the possible itineraries is as follows:

Day 1
Park at South Meadow, take the Klondike Notch trail to Big Slide trail, over Yard Mt and Big Slide Mt, to Johns Brook Lodge.
Either stay at Johns Brook Lodge, or continue on the Ore Bed Brook trail to the Ore Bed Brook lean-to.

Day 2
Follow the Ore Bed Brook trail to the State Range, over Saddleback Mt, Basin MT, Little Haystack, and Mt Haystack, down to the Panther Gorge lean-to.

Day 3
Follow Elk Lake trail to Four Corners, climb/descend Mt Skylight, take the Calamity Brook trail over Mt Marcy, pick up the Van Hoevenberg trail to Indian Falls, climb/descend Table Top Mt, follow the Van Hoevenberg trail to Marcy Dam and the truck road back to South Meadow.


On day 2, it looks like it might be more ideal to take the Phelps trail to Haystack, and skip Saddleback and Basin. The guidebook says that going from JBL over Saddleback and Basin is tough, and suggests hiking it the opposite direction if backpacking.

On day 3, the hike up Table Top can be cut out if we are not making good time.

Does anyone have any other thoughts/suggestions? Thanks.

[Kevin]

If you're in good hiking shape I don't see why not. You could reverse the route, skipping Tabletop on the way in to ensure you're going to get the further-out Skylight before camping the first night at Panther Gorge. Tabletop and Phelps are a nice day hike together.

Reversing the route gives you bail options after Haystack, just in case you're tired from day 1 and climbing Haystack from Panther Gorge on day 2. Then on 3 you could either call it quits, add Big Slide and Yard, or even try again for Basin and Saddleback (depending on how far from the range you bailed on day 2, Slant Rock being the ideal camp for another go at Basin/Saddleback). I agree that climbing Basin and Saddleback from the south is much easier than trying to descend them coming from the north.

I've done similar weekends and for the most part they work out fine. Only variable is weather and bears, and there's not much that can be done about that now apart from expecting to bring a bear can (it's mandatory now anyway)...

[percious]

The only thing I would recommend is that if Day 2 is bad weather, IE rain, consider going over Marcy and staying at Uphill instead of Haystack. Haystack has considerable exposure on the summit, and the south side is VERY steep, lots of slabs.

-percious

[eddie]

Assuming you are in decent shape, Day 1 seems aggressive, Day 2 from Ore Bed LT is the reverse of a day I did with full packs when I was younger, and Day 3 would probably be a stretch by adding on Tabletop.

Go for it and give us a report.