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Valerie and myself decided to attempt Tabletop and Phelps Monday (since she needed to be in Lake Placid that evening anyway... so I went along for the ride and hike). It was a late start for us, arriving at the trailhead about 10:00AM.
It was sunny at the loj and about 50F. Soon after leaving the loj it clouded over. Because of the cloud cover the temps dipped in to the 40s as we hiked.
Trails to the Phelps junction are clear of any snow. At this point it was lightly raining, so we opted to head up to Tabletop as originally planned, then climb Phelps on the way back down in hopes of having decent views by then.
We didn't encounter snow until we reached the turnoff (right) for the blue foot trail. I knew eventually we'd hit snow, so I suggested we take the path less travelled and headed up the ski trail (in hopes of avoiding some of the packed trail conditions of last week). After maybe another 100 feet of elevation gain on the ski trail we encountered periods of rotten snow and lots of water. This slowed our progress, but it is a much more 'wilderness' trail IMO. Once at the turnoff for Tabletop the trail became very wet and muddy for the first half mile, then rotten snow, more wet and mud, and finally very packed snow in a narrow band on the trail. This was intermittent. The views were surprisingly good despite the cloud cover (see pics). There was a brief moment of being hailed on. Could have been large sleet. Either way, it was a reminder of the ever changeable mountain weather. My hands were pretty cold the entire time on top.
Once on the ridge it was tedious making our way to the summit. The packed trail was sometimes too soft to support us, and it was slow going to ensure good footing. By time we made summit it was obvious we weren't going to get Phelps and still get back to the car in time for Valerie's appointment that evening.
The views from Tabletop's summit are pretty good. Despite trees blocking 3/4 of them, Marcy and Haystack are very visible. The other views in my pictures are along the trail above 4,000'. We agreed that Tabletop is a keeper.
We made good time heading down (as we had already loosened/identified most of the rotten snow). Instead of taking the ski trail down I wanted to see how the foot trail was. MUCH better! There was some packed snow on the trail as I feared (nearest to the top), but most of it was clear of snow and only slightly muddy. Our time down was increased with this saving grace, but unfortunately Phelps would still have to wait for another day.
Congrats on Valerie's #19/46.
Valerie and myself decided to attempt Tabletop and Phelps Monday (since she needed to be in Lake Placid that evening anyway... so I went along for the ride and hike). It was a late start for us, arriving at the trailhead about 10:00AM.
It was sunny at the loj and about 50F. Soon after leaving the loj it clouded over. Because of the cloud cover the temps dipped in to the 40s as we hiked.
Trails to the Phelps junction are clear of any snow. At this point it was lightly raining, so we opted to head up to Tabletop as originally planned, then climb Phelps on the way back down in hopes of having decent views by then.
We didn't encounter snow until we reached the turnoff (right) for the blue foot trail. I knew eventually we'd hit snow, so I suggested we take the path less travelled and headed up the ski trail (in hopes of avoiding some of the packed trail conditions of last week). After maybe another 100 feet of elevation gain on the ski trail we encountered periods of rotten snow and lots of water. This slowed our progress, but it is a much more 'wilderness' trail IMO. Once at the turnoff for Tabletop the trail became very wet and muddy for the first half mile, then rotten snow, more wet and mud, and finally very packed snow in a narrow band on the trail. This was intermittent. The views were surprisingly good despite the cloud cover (see pics). There was a brief moment of being hailed on. Could have been large sleet. Either way, it was a reminder of the ever changeable mountain weather. My hands were pretty cold the entire time on top.
Once on the ridge it was tedious making our way to the summit. The packed trail was sometimes too soft to support us, and it was slow going to ensure good footing. By time we made summit it was obvious we weren't going to get Phelps and still get back to the car in time for Valerie's appointment that evening.
The views from Tabletop's summit are pretty good. Despite trees blocking 3/4 of them, Marcy and Haystack are very visible. The other views in my pictures are along the trail above 4,000'. We agreed that Tabletop is a keeper.
We made good time heading down (as we had already loosened/identified most of the rotten snow). Instead of taking the ski trail down I wanted to see how the foot trail was. MUCH better! There was some packed snow on the trail as I feared (nearest to the top), but most of it was clear of snow and only slightly muddy. Our time down was increased with this saving grace, but unfortunately Phelps would still have to wait for another day.
Congrats on Valerie's #19/46.
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