Another Recon Day, at least in part. Back to Nameless Knob, this time to survey the easternmost conifer-capped ridge. One can see a rocky cliff from Route 8 when looking up at the mountain from the small vly between the Siamese Ponds trailhead and the Kibby Pond trailhead, so I figured it would be worth inspection for a summertime project, even if it doesn’t have ice.
Yep, it has some. Not going to be an Adirondack megaclassic, but there’s enough here to make a viable sideshow for the upcoming SAdkRF 2012. The cliff ranges from diddly to perhaps 70′ at most, probably averages around 40′. There are several tempting cracklines, a 50′ slabby buttress, and some possible bouldering below the cliff. The main area is three outcrops clustered together, with a few smaller ones flanking them. I saw another cliff below me, but did not go down to inspect it; that can await another tour.
There are definitely a few worthwhile rock lines here. I spied one potential ice line, but if it really is one, it wasn’t in shape today. Farther north, a few short tendrils hinted at possibilities in better years, but they didn’t look all that impressive.
NOTE: The following bit is, I believe, mistaken. The peak in question is probably Puffer Mountain, with a cliff famous for having the most difficult approach in the Adirondacks. Still, it looks great! – JH, 20th March, 2012
What may be more important, for both rock and ice, is the view from the top of this ridge. Looking at a map, I had to climb up on it and follow it eastward to hit the Siamese Ponds trail anyway, so I did. I spent quite awhile taking pictures of hillsides in the distance with my full-on 300mm lens. When I booted these up on the computer, one in particular grabbed my attention:
What pile is this? I think it is Humphrey Mtn…
If so, magnify the image a bit and one begins to see something of interest…
…as this Sasquatch-style photo, highly clarified, reveals. If this is Humphrey, we gotta get there!
If this is indeed Humphrey Mountain, there is big potential on that southeast side. I can’t wait to get out there and really circumnavigate the massif!