Giant Mountain 8-28-2017

Hanging at the Summit of Giant!

With Summer winding down, Kailee and I discussed trying a Big Mountain before the school year starts and the cold months that lie ahead.

After some careful consideration, I decided that "Big" mountain would be the twelfth biggest mountain in New York. The 4,627' Giant Mountain (aka The Giant of the Valley) was our destination and it ended up being a terrific peak to climb on the last Monday of August.

Kailee was really excited about this hike as we drove to Giant.

"Gramma isn't sure that we can finish this mountain. But, we will because we finish all of the mountains once we start climbing them." Kailee said confidently as we veered through Malfunction Juntion.

We parked the car across the road from Chapel Pond and signed in at the register and hit the trail... at the slowest pace that either one of us had approached a mountain this year... This was done on purpose. Everything that I had read about Giant said "Slow and steady is the way to go." And, it worked out great for us because Giant throws 3,050' feet of elevation at you over the course of three miles to the Summit. Kailee got a little winded a few times and I didn't get winded once!   ...That's pretty much a personal record.

Washbowl Pond.

Despite the intense elevation gain, The Zander Scott trail going up Giant is awesome . Most of the trail offers great views to the West & North within a half mile of the trek. Also, at a little over a half mile you'll stumble upon Giant's Washbowl Pond. It's a cute pond with amazing scenery surrounding it and it's stocked with trout by DEC. There were a number of campsites being used around the pond that day.

Looking down at Washbowl Pond from the Ridge Trail.

We continued up the rigorous trail and continued to enjoy cool views along the way. We passed a number of families that were coming down with kids that were Kailee's age. Some of them had completed a number of 46ers and proudly listed them off to her.  When asked how many 46er's she had completed, Kailee happily and just as proudly replied "This is gonna be my first one."

Much of the trail was lined with pretty wildflowers and certain parts of the trail took us over cleared massive rock offering more views... and a view of how freaking far the Summit was away from us.

Note: keep your eyes open when you hit these points of cleared rock and follow the nearly impossible to see yellow paint lines on the rock. We ended up straying from them at two different points that led to dead ends.

There's a point in the trail where you can go "Over Bump" or "Around Bump." We went over on the way up and around on the way down. "Over" is cooler. Trust me. Just do "Over."

The Zander Scott Ridge Trail links up with the Roaring Brook Trail for the final 0.7 of a mile... And, it's pretty much the longest 7/10ths of a mile ever. This is no joke. Our slow approach was smart and we were able to move along well for that final stretch. However, the elevation gain goes from intense to insane in that small distance and it takes forever. You can go into this stretch like a raging bull or a sleepy snail... It doesn't matter... You're gonna both end up at the Summit at pretty much the same time... Probably first if you're the snail...

We met a number of nice people at this point of the trail and chatted with them for a few minutes as we all walked upwards. The weather was beautiful and the near-Summit views were marvelous. The breeze rolling in felt great.

We kept hearing it as we closed in on the stretch, "You're almost there."

"Dad, that guy back there said it was only five more minutes to the top. I think it's been more than five minutes..." Kailee said.

"Yeah, because we had to stop, navigate through and talk with those 12 chatty Cathy kids from Kalamazoo Michigan (who were making their way down)," I replied.

Eventually, after a pleasant but long four hour hike, we arrived at the Summit. And it was all worth it. Immediately.

Kailee excitedly kicked off her shoes and walked barefoot on the smooth boulder. I soon followed suit and took off my boots.

We were greeted by Mimi and Steve who had both separately passed us on the final leg. We chatted with them and others as we ate lunch and took in the pristine view from Giant Mountain's Summit.

The Summit offers views to the South, West, and North. I was able to identify Dix, Nippletop... lol... Whiteface, McKenzie and my little friend Scarface... Among others.

Kailee was really excited and goofy as she took in the views, fauna, and ledges.

Giant's Washbowl.

Giant has a cool look to it. As you gaze off into it's washbowl and the Keene Valley, it almost appears if you're the crown on the head of a King sitting on his thrown. Giant's massive arms and hands reach out towards the horizon in striking fashion.

Peeking through the trees to the East, I could see Lake Champlain. I'm not sure if any of the little side trails lead you to a decent view of Champlain... But, I'm sad to say that I assume 100% of them are poop trails... Dude, bury your poop...

We enjoyed an hour or more at the Summit, which is what I was aiming for.

We made our descent and paired up with a Dad and his 10 & 11 year old sons Jake and Luke whom we befriended at the Summit. This was a good idea. We were all the last ones leaving the mountain and safety in numbers isn't a bad thing on arduous hikes.

We had nice conversations on the tricky descent. Kailee & the kids played "I Spy" and pointed out different things within view.

It took us just under 3 hours to get back to the trailhead. We said "Goodbye" to our new friends and I told Kails that "I'm very proud of you."