Winter conditions on Colvin and Blake today for Tom’s 46/46! We did Colvin earlier this year, so that was a repeat peak, but Blake was new for him. Wind and snow made it feel very real up there, but trail conditions were much more forgiving than our last few hikes. 14 miles, 4000’ elevation gain, 11 hours. ONE PEAK LEFT!!
One year as an independent guide
Today marks one year since my first client took a chance on Onward Mountain Guides as a brand-new guide service and we climbed two mountains together. Since then, we’ve hiked 40 peaks together, and I couldn’t be more grateful to him or the dozens of other awesome folks I’ve been able to share the outdoors with as an independent guide this year.
I didn’t have high expectations going into this first year. It’s a fairly crowded space with excellent guides who have been here much longer — but something has clicked, and I’m delighted and proud to share that with over 100 days in the field, OMG operated “in the black” all year and business is accelerating! I probably won’t ever get rich off guiding, but that has never been the goal. I feel rich to be able to spend my days in the outdoors with so many different people, and sharing what I know about climbing, hiking, camping, paddling, and skiing with others. I’m so fortunate to be living my dream.
There are many family, friends, and mentors who I owe a debt of gratitude for helping me get to where I am today. You know who you are. The Adirondack community, too, has been so kind, welcoming, and supportive. But, I’d be remiss if I didn’t directly mention my wife, @jo_marie07 , who was on board from the first minute of me suggesting that we start this new business. She’s been my biggest supporter, my patient sounding board, and she shouldered immense responsibility to keep us housed and fed while the business found its legs. Thank you, I love you.
Here’s to many more years of adventuring in the mountains. 🧡
—J.B.
By the way, that first client? It was Tom. A year ago, he had no aspirations of climbing all 46 high peaks — he was just in it for the views. But the mountains took hold, as they often do, and he’s now on the cusp of completing the 46er challenge. We’ll be hiking his final two peaks this week. Big thanks to him for kicking this whole thing off! 🙌
Cliff & Redfield packed a punch for Tom’s 43rd and 44th high peaks. More snow AND more water made conditions quite challenging in both the low and high elevations. Getting to the Uphill Lean-to from the Loj via Lake Arnold and the floating logs took about 5.5 hours, then up and down Redfield (nice views, and snow 6-inches deep!) in about 3.5 hours, and Cliff (the cliffs weren’t too icy yet) in about 2.5 hours. About 6 hours for the return hike in headlamps (incredible full moon!) put us at around 17.5 hours of constant movement — our longest yet. We head into the mountains to test ourselves, and Tom continues to impress!
Just two peaks left on his #46er journey: Blake and Seymour. Thankfully, both should be shorter days.
18 miles and about 5,000 feet of elevation gain. 😅 Tom proved his mettle on this hike through snow and lots of ice. We broke trail up Gray, experienced otherworldly views on Skylight, and incredible cloud inversion on Marcy. A very memorable day for Tom’s 41st and 42nd high peaks. Only 4 left!
TIL (also) that Apple TV has an official Giphy presence with collections of GIFs from their shows.
The new Apple TV animation (or “mnemonic”) is cool, though it doesn’t feel nearly as timeless as the original. The accompanying audio, credited(!) to FINNEAS, is pleasant and ethereal. But the original (Mac startup chime-inspired) thrum was perfect and I’ll miss it. Here’s a comparison.
New Apple TV Intro
TIL that Scott Forstall (yes, that one) created WordArt while he was an intern at Microsoft. 🤯 (Via Louie Mantia)
Rach Smith: ‘A letter to myself: Strategies’
Do you recall all those years you were a hot mess? Life was a series of chaotic mistakes and mishaps until out of necessity (having dependants) you developed an extensive set of strategies. The strategies work well, but are annoying to manage, so you are sometimes tempted in to thinking you’re a fully functional adult now who can “just remember” to do important things. This is folly, and will only lead to disappointment and burnt potatoes.
For our longest hike together yet, Tom and I tackled Haystack and Basin. Each are around 4900’ and have steep, challenging sections — made trickier with a good amount of ice above 4000’! But they were absolutely worth it for the amazing views we were blessed with as the skies cleared. ☀️
Layering is difficult this time of year as temperatures vary greatly between sun and shade, and trees go from frozen to dripping. So with 15 hours on the trail, and many layer changes along the way, we got Tom into the 40s for his high peak count. Hard to believe he only has six left! 🏔️
(Congrats to the fella who was celebrating his 46/46 summit as we arrived on Haystack! 🙌)
Kevin brought so much enthusiasm to his time rock climbing with us and left the day itching for more! We talked about getting his kids into so that climbing can be a family adventure for them. Can’t wait to meet the rest of the family next time!
It took us a couple attempts, but we got the Santanoni Range done bringing Tom’s high peak count to 38/46! We did Panther on Friday, but rainy and freezing conditions prevented us from feeling good about going for the full range. We returned on Sunday with full winter gear in tow and summited Santanoni & Couchsachraga in a 14-hour push. Next up, Haystack & Basin. 🥾
These early winter conditions can be some of the most difficult to deal with, as you’re faced with ice, snow, and wet mud all at the same time. Tom is an inspiration — if you’re ever hiked the Santas, you’ll know how impressive it is for him to be out there at 69 years old! 💪
A Very Good Tweet™
I’ve heard of time travel but this is ridiculous
I challenge you to look at this baked potato jacket that Aldi made without laughing. 😂 (Via Jason Kottke)
Wanna get a peek at what Allen Mountain looks like after a day of rain? The opalescent is knee-deep again, but that couldn’t stop us from getting Tom’s 35th high peak done! Allen is always an adventure, and today was no exception.
As I told @bigbrando66 when he and the guys were here, it’s so special to see friends or family do these outdoor adventures together. The camaraderie, support, and trust that comes from doing challenging things together is spectacular to see! All wrapped up with jokes and laughter, of course! Thanks for an awesome couple days, guys! 🙏
Tom has set up shop in Lake Placid for the next few weeks to knock out the last of his ADK High Peaks. We kicked off his hiking residency with a trip up Mt. Marshall (4,360’) via the Calamity Brook trail. It was a fine fall hiking day for Tom’s 34th High Peak, and the best conditions I’ve had on Marshall all year. It was a great warm up for our longer hikes coming up — namely Allen and the Santanoni Range later this week!
As an aside and a general PSA, venturing off trail looking for shortcuts is not a great idea — especially late in the day or when you’re on your own. We picked up a new friend when Tom and I faintly heard him yelling for help off in the woods somewhere. He’d fallen behind his friend and tried to beeline off trail through the forest toward the trailhead to make up time. He quickly realized his mistake, but after 30-40 minutes of wandering on his own, he became worried he wasn’t going to find the trail again and yelled for help. Tom and I just so happened to be within earshot at the time, were able to locate him on the wrong side of Calamity Brook, and guide him back to safety. It all turned out okay, but could have been a very different night had we not been traveling through that section of trail at the time. In short: stay with your hiking buddy, stay on trail (bushwhacking is hardly ever a shortcut), and if you feel that you’re lost, stop. Call out for help right away if you don’t recognize your way back — don’t go wandering further!
@lakeplacidadk @saranaclake @tupperlakeny @adirondack46ers_ @hike.adk @mountaineerbandana @newyorkoutdoorguides #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide
Dang, I’ve been using the ‘Speak Screen’ accessibility option as my ad-hoc (and free) narrated article feature for two years now! I use it every day and highly recommend this method.
Rewatched: Agatha All Along Season 1 📺
Even better the second time through, as I was able to keep up with the twists and turns and weirdness. And catch all the foreshadowing. Worth a rewatch! 👍
The boys are back in town! Brandon, Kevin, Shane, and Brian all came upstate for a weekend of camaraderie and adventure — and they sure got it! We spent yesterday rock climbing and doing a rappelling clinic at King Philip Spring Wall, and then this evening the main event: a stunning sunset rappel down Roaring Brook Falls. It was so great to hang out with these guys and swap stories. Their firefighter training gave them all a great base for learning technical systems, so moving into the rock world was a logical step. Can’t wait to have them back!
Message us with your grand idea, and we’ll do everything we can to bring your adventure to life.
A Very Good Tweet™
You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the cable bundle.
Nick Heer does the work regarding that MacBook charger brouhaha:
It is not just countries that use the Euro receiving cuts. In Norway, the new MacBook Pro starts at 2,000 krone less than the one it replaces, and a charger is 849 krone. In Hungary, it is 50,000 forint less, with a charger costing about 30,000 forint. There are some exceptions, too. In Switzerland, the new models are 50 franc less, but a charger is 59 franc.
Rumors of the charging-brick-less-yet-more-expensive MacBooks have been greatly exaggerated.
I so appreciate this note at the bottom of an email from Upgraded:
And hey, if you don’t need a new device, don’t get one. We’re just having fun in this email. Never over extend yourself financially for something you don’t need. 👊
Marketing, but with humanity. More of this, please!
A better way to pull your rap cord
One helpful tip I’ve learned from painful experience over the years is how valuable it is to bring a hand ascender whenever I do long rappels with a pull/rap cord. Instead of wrapping the cord around your hand, suffering through rope burn, or messing with a wrapped carabiner, the ascender is worth its weight in gold for efficiency and comfort in getting your rope down. It firmly grabs the rope and gives you a nice big handle to pull down more ergonomically.
Plus, you’ll start to identify other great uses for the ascender, like more easily pulling slack or giving yourself some mechanical advantage with a GriGri when belaying from the bottom.
Oh, and don’t forget your gloves!
The Imperfectionist: ‘How to forget what you’ve read’
The second reason – a universal law of personal productivity – is that the more effort a technique requires, the more likely you’ll be to engage in self-defeating avoidance instead. If your system requires you to take detailed notes on everything you read… then you won’t.
This is a lesson that is easy to understand while the habit is devilishly difficult to break.