Join Sara and I for 3 days of Hiking & Hammock Camping on a Backpacking Trip in the Adirondack’s Dix Mountain Wilderness. GPS Data at www.sintax77.com
For this backpacking adventure, I’ll be breaking the hiking trip into two parts. Hiking the Dix Range Part 2 is comprised of mostly hiking and summits, as we ascend from camp up onto the Dix Range to hit the Beck-Horn (a subsidiary peak of Dix Mountain) and the summit of Dix Mountain itself.
For an easier read, along with downloadable GPS dataa, check out my full blog post here:
www.sintax77.com/hiking-the-di...
The previous Dix Range Part 1 covered our hike in to camp, setting up our base camp with our two person hammock camping system, and some campfire chat while we made a campfire, camp chores, and cook some backpacking food.
GPS Data for this trip is available on the Trip Data Page or by clicking this link for direct download: Adirondacks Dix Range Backpacking Trip 2017 - Sintax77
Trailhead and Parking Location
Elk Lake Trailhead Parking Lot, 675 Elk Lake Rd, North Hudson, NY 12855
44°01’15.0″N 73°49’40.9″W
Topics discussed and things that happen in this episode:
A quick breakfast and discussion on where we get our Cook-in-Bags for preparing our morning oatmeal.
Hitting the trail towards the Adirondacks Dix Range (full trail log below)
Some night hiking on the descent.
A backpacking food taste test of AlpineAire Guacamole.
For more details on trails used for Day 1, see our Adirondacks Dix Range Part 1 Blog Post: www.sintax77.com/hiking-the-di...
Trails Used Day 2:
Set out from camp and continue north along the nearby Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail.
Get some views of Dix Pond along the way.
At the junction, head right (east) to ascend the Dix via Beckhorn Trail.
Tag Beckhorn (a subsidiary peak of Dix Mountain) for some amazing 360 views of New York's Adirondack Mountains.
Continue a short bit and tag the official summit of Dix Mountain for another round of views.
Begin a steep and rocky descent via the Hunters Pass Trail.
Rejoin the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail at the junction from earlier
Return to base camp along the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail.
Day 2 Total Mileage: 7 miles
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,913 feet
Day 2 Gross Elevation Loss: 2,913 feet
Trails Used Day 3 (hike out):
Break camp along the Elk Lake Trail, after the Lillian Brook LT and just before the large bridge crossing Lillian Brook. As of 9/14/17, this site had a yellow “Camp Here” disc, designating it a fully legal spot, despite it’s proximity to a small stream nearby. The stream is probably a convenient water source when flowing good, but we opted to get our water a 100 meters or so down the trail by the Lilian Brook bridge.
Head south on the Elk Lake to Dix Mountain Trail
Pass the Slide Brook Lean-to . The Slide Brook LT and camping area makes for a popular base camp for hikers hitting the Dix Range. We chose to push on a bit (under 2 miles) to the lesser used Lillian Brook lean-to area, which has some nice, legal campsites that are a bit more secluded.
Return to the Elk Lake Trailhead Parking Lot.
Day 3 Total Mileage: 3.6 miles
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 354 feet
Day 3 Gross Elevation Loss: 559 feet
Trip Grand Total Mileage: 14.6 miles
Trip Grand Total Elevation Gain: 3,900 feet
Notable Camping / Backpacking Gear used on this Trip:
Two Person Hammock System
Dutchware Double Dutch Bugnet
(used on night 1) dutchwaregear.com/double-dutc...
Dutchware Bird's Nest (used on night 2) dutchwaregear.com/birds-nest-...
Dutchware Chameleon Hammock System dutchwaregear.com/chameleon-h...
Dyneem Straps with Beetle Buckles dutchwaregear.com/dyneema-pol...
Dutchware Spreader Bar Pole (32" recommended) dutchwaregear.com/748-aluminu...
ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack (we both use this model) www.ula-equipment.com/product...
Coleman Folding Saw amzn.to/2xedvWd
Cheap 10' x 12' Tarp amzn.to/2yX2OEC
MallowMe Camping Cookware Mess Kit amzn.to/2xRzkrP
Vargo Windscreen
amzn.to/2tlGmWm
Katadyn BeFree Water Filter
amzn.to/2tUSPxr
Sintax77's Headlamp - Olight HS2 Headlamp amzn.to/2khZsch
Sintax77's EDC Flashlight - FourSevens Preon 2 amzn.to/2khBAoY
Sara's Headlamp - Fenix HL-23 Headlamp (she's since stolen my HS2 for the longer battery life, though) amzn.to/2klEvgn
Our Dog's Gear
Denali's Dog Backpack - "One Tigris Cotton Canvas" amzn.to/2tlodYN
Denali's Hammock - 2T's Hammock Chair dutchwaregear.com/2t-s-hammoc...
Food
Instant Oatmeal in Cook-In-Bags from PackitGourmet.com www.packitgourmet.com/Cookin-...
AlpineAire Guacamole amzn.to/2xhXqL9