by Bruce Prendergast
The Adirondacks by Moonlight is a four- to six-year project collecting photographs at sunrise from all 46 of the Adirondacks’ High Peaks.
In 2016, it consists of individual hikes that will be taken this summer, between June 4th and July 23.
I invite anyone, who is an experienced hiker, and an aspiring 46ER, to join me on any of my evening sunrise hikes.
The planned peaks for 2016 are Wright, Algonguin, Iroquois, Colden, Phelps, Tabletop, Marcy, Lower Wolfjaw, Upper Wolfjaw, Armstrong, Gothics, and Sawteeth, weather permitting.
All trails can be found on
USGS map 742 available from Amazon. Buy one, along with a compass.
Everyone will carry, in addition to their normal gear, a headlight and a spare along with spare batteries, bear spray, an emergency blanket, and spare warm clothing. It can get windy and cold on summits.
We will always eat breakfast on the summit as we wait for sunrise.
In addition to sunrise photographs, I also want photographs of the half-light as it changes.
I will be at the Adirondack LOJ at Heart Lake from June 4th to June 6th 2016. All hikes in this moonlight cycle start at a TBD time from the LOJ parking lot in the evening.
On the evening of June 4th, we’ll climb Wright via Trail 64 and Trail 65 with breakfast on the summit, I will return to the LOJ and some sleep.
On June 5th, we’ll climb Algonguin via Trail 64.
On June 6th, we’ll reclimb Algonguin on our way to Iroquois via Trail 64, which completes our adventures for this moonlight cycle.
I will again be ensconced at the Adirondack LOJ from July 1st thru July 4th.
On July 1st we’ll climb Colden via Trail 61, Trail 73, and Trail 74.
On July 2nd, we’ll climb Phelps via Trail 61 and Trail 62.
On July 3rd, we’ll climb Tabletop using Trail 61 and a herd-trail just before Indian Falls.
The biggie is next, Marcy.
We’ll leave the LOJ parking lot on July 4th at nine PM and will follow Trail 61 to Marcy. Some friends left John Brooks Lodge for Marcy at eleven PM, and missed the sunrise; we won’t miss it.
On July 23rd we(I)’ll conquer the Upper Great Range mountains of Lower Wolfjaw, Upper Wolfjaw, Armstrong, Gothics, and Sawteeth, as a one-day adventure.
This hike is called the third most difficult one in America. Don’t underestimate it.
A three-liter Camelbak is not enough water for this adventure. I’ll be carrying a Camelbak plus two military style canteens.
We(I)’ll leave the designated trailhead at three AM. This is a reconnaissance adventure for later moonlight adventures in August and September, where we(I) will come back on two three-day full backpack adventures to capture sunrise photographs.
I have no problem going solo on this adventure, which I must do as a reconnaissance mission.
I raced bicycles for 30 years and set age-graded national records, long since eclipsed, in the 40K time trial in 1988 and 1992.
In each event my heart rate hovered around 210 BPM, but I trained for the event.
I’ll treat the back-to-back hikes like I would a five-day bicycle stage race.
As to the Upper Great Range, in my world, it’s equivalent to doing a 200-mile bicycle ride such as the Solvang Double Century, the Tour of Two Forests, or the Tour of the California Alps, also known as the Death Ride, with 15,000-feet of climbing and five mountain passes, all of which I’ve accomplished.
Again, I invite anyone, who is an experienced hiker, and an aspiring 46ER, to join me on any of my evening sunrise hikes.
For more details on The Adirondacks by Moonlight, email
IWannaBeA46ER@gmail.com