The following is a pretty accurate description of today's hike. The dogs loved it, me too! The last time I had hiked this mountain was over 20 years ago with Larry Douglas, Bob Conway, my father, and me. We had hiked up and spent the night in the early '80s. Larry and I are the only ones still alive. I enjoyed reflecting on that trip today as I meandered up to the summit.
We left the parking area at 9:16 AM and followed the new trail. We were the first on the summit for the day at 11:17, for a short period of time as a young couple from Ottawa arrived minutes behind me. When we started out for the summit it was blue skies, socked in when we arrived, with limited to no views. We stayed on the summit for a few minutes before heading back...
A beautiful day to be in the woods, and it was well overdue. A 6.6 mile round trip through some open hardwoods, and some spectacular views.
Saint Regis is reportedly a popular mountain, but today there wasn't much traffic when I started. This hike is much like the hike to Scarface, a gradual increase with a short difficult section towards the end, but neither is overly difficult. I guess this is what makes these hikes popular. The trail is easy enough to follow up and over rolling hills through a mix of soft and hardwoods. Towards the end of the trail, you will come to a sharp right, at which point the climbing really begins, for only about a 1/4 mile. This section is almost like a shute as you go up between crags, ultimately coming...