MOUNTAIN VIGNETTES MacNaughton #47 On the morning of Saturday March 18, 2023, Heather Barkley, #12148W; Jerry Hicks, #14833W; Bob Augenthaler #14357W; Alex Peterson; and me, Chris Martin, #12391W, met outside the High Peaks Information Center (HPIC) at the Adirondack Loj to attempt the infamous MacNaughton mountain. It was our understanding that there had been no successful ascents of MacNaughton this winter season, so we were all prepared for a tough day. As most 46ers know, MacNaughton mountain is not a required high peak for achieving 46er status; however, after World War II the USGS survey elevated its stature as a 4,000-foot peak. Although the Santanoni quadrangle map showed MacNaughton having two peaks over the 4,000-foot contour level in 1953, when the mountain was remeasured in 1970, it was recorded as 1,214 meters in elevation—17 feet shy of 4,000 (Lance et al., 2011, p. 336). Its height and toughness have made it an objective for many experienced hikers to climb, with some calling it the “forty-seventh high peak.” The last mile is a true bushwhack, with no marked trail or herd path to the summit. Our group was experienced and fit. Heather and Jerry had just completed respective single-season winter rounds, while Bob and Chris had each climbed over 30 high peaks in the 2022–2023 winter season, each completing their Winter 46. Alex, a Northeast 115-er, had apparently talked himself into this hike while enjoying some adult beverages in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day the evening before at the venerated T-Max and Topo’s. Whether Alex knew what he was getting himself into at the time was unclear, but we were happy to have another experienced hiker to help break trail. We put on our snowshoes on the deck of the HPIC, threw on the headlamps, and headed toward the Indian Pass Trail. It was time for #47. The day started out like most winter hikes do: dark, cold, and early. However, our spirits were extremely high. They would remain so throughout the day—making for a very memorable outing. We all expected that this hike would entail significant trail breaking given the lack of any MacNaughton summits this season and the foot-plus of snow that had fallen in the area during the preceding week. The big questions were where it would begin, and whether we would be able to summit. The forecast called for highs in the 20’s and snowfall throughout the day with accumulations only predicted in the 1–2 inch range. Pretty much an ideal winter hiking day. We were encouraged by some broken trail around Heart Lake and continued along the Indian Pass trail to the Rocky Falls junction. At that point, there were no tracks, and it was trail-breaking time. Thankfully the sun had come out as we were hiking, so headlamps returned to the packs—we hoped that we would not need them again during this adventure. Our plan was to take 15-minute shifts breaking trail, at which point the trailbreaker would head to the back of the line. This worked quite well for the first few hours as fresh snow continued to fall and filter through the trees. A crusty, icy, half-inch of snow on top of another foot of consolidated powder made the trail breaking difficult at times, even in the flats. There was a chorus of snowshoes crunching as we proceeded, mixed with laughs when we fell into spruce traps. We made good time on the marked trail out to Scotts Clearing, then to Scotts Pond and eventually to Wallface Ponds. It was truly a winter wonderland as we hiked in the falling snow. All of the water crossings were easily crossable, and spirits remained high as we trekked out. On-trail snow levels continued to increase with each gain in elevation. Once we reached the shore of Wallface Chris Martin, #12391W 26 | ADIRONDACK PEEKS
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