This was an absolutely epic day, not only because the weather was nice, but mainly because this was the start of my Adirondack 46er journey! This hike took 10 hours and 5 minutes, and I ended up with 19.69 miles! I chose to start on The Santanoni Range for one good reason, no mud! Although the winter conditions were slowly deteriorating in the mountains, the mud was nonexistent! This range is known for lots of mud and the dreaded Couchsachraga bog. I have been planning this trip for a while and finally did it! After starting at just before 7 a.m., I made my way to the base of the Range via the Panther Brook Herd Path. I chose not to ascend/descend the Santanoni Express because the Brook was pretty swollen, and the sun all day would make it worse, so crossing it would have been unwise and unsafe. The climb up to Harold Square was very steep. Panther was a really easy summit after reaching Harold Square. There was a nice little rock scramble just before reaching the top, and then I was graced with some beautiful views of the Sewards, Couchsachraga, Santanoni, and most of the other Central High Peaks. After summiting Panther I decided to head for Couchsachraga next because it was a far trek. I headed for Times Square, there are two trails next to each other after getting there. One that goes to the big boulder where the scenic overlook is, this goes down and around the Boulder to Santanoni. Then there is the trail directly next to, on the right of the one that goes to the boulder (at Times Square). This trail will take you to Couchsachraga. The only other trail at Times Square that should be taken is the one back to Harold Square and Panther. After making my way to Times Square and descending about 700 feet, I crossed the infamous bog, and it was so nice being frozen! I summited Couchsachraga and made my way back up to Times Square. This trek out and back was a nice hike other than the fact that I lost the trail quite a few times! The trek to the base of the final climb up Santanoni was almost the same as the one to Couchsachraga, easy to lose. The snow was deep, so there was a lot of ducking and getting caught on every tree branch. By this point in the day, the snow was getting soft, and I started postholing even in snow shoes. I finally summited Santanoni and enjoyed some absolutely stunning 360° views of the Adirondacks! Unfortunately, the summit sign was completely buried in about 45 feet of snow! This hike was an absolute blast and it was nice being so remote. I only ran into one other hiker who ended up orphaning Santanoni because of leg cramps.

Next, I am hoping to take on the Seward Range in one day! So be sure to subscribe so you can follow me on my awesome journey to becoming a 46er! My intentions at this time are to finish the 46 with a bang, by taking on the Ultra Great Range Traverse, this will also add to my NEU8!