Giant 10/29/04

[Jeepman]

I climbed Giant yesterday with two friends and it was a great day on the mountain. I've only hiked two peaks before, and I had asked for some advice about which one to climb next. Several of you had suggested Giant, as well as friend of mine who has climbed a lot of the peaks. Anyway...thanks for those of you that suggested it. The trail was dry almost all the way to the top. There was some ice on the trail, but not too much. There were a few patches of snow near the top, but nothing on the trail. We had a gorgeous day, so we took our time and tried to soak in the beautiful views that a clear day gives you.

Jeepman

[Kevin]

Jeepman, thanks for the report. It's important to check back as you did and let other hikers know that it's getting messy up there, so thanks!

I was actually just discussing this in another thread:

http://www.adkforum.com/showthread.php?p=13765#post13765

Giant's one of my favorites. I really like the climb, but I can certainly do without the ice! We had sections that we figured "Well, if we can make it up we can make it down". It was hand over hand tree climbing to make the summit that day. We got smart and descended the Ridge Trail (instead of the north-facing Roaring Brook Trail side we ascended). The Ridge Trail faces southwest and is in the sun most of the day, so it was generally clear of ice/snow. When we got to the waskbowl we cut across and rejoined the trail back to Roaring Brook and the lower parking lot well below the snow/ice line. Not a trip I will ever forget. Even after some winter hiking I've yet to encounter sheets of ice such as the ones we had to scale that day. It was also the second time I climbed Giant in 2 weeks, and also the second time I was rejected trying to get over to neighboring Rocky Ridge Peak.

Just goes to show -- it doesn't have to be winter on the calendar or in the valleys for it to be a mess on top!