A Santanoni Circumnavigation

[Dunbar]

The idea for this trip had been born back in the Spring as I looked for ways to get in to Little Santanoni. Satellite imagery revealed a combination of two slides, Twin and Ermine Brook, that could be combined for a reasonable approach to this remote mountain. Further research (and some trip reports) indicated that it was very doable. So finally having a good weather forecast I decided to go for it.

I started in from the Bradley Pond trailhead and made pretty rapid progress to the base of Twin slide. There was a lot water running and the lower portions felt more like a stream than a slide. As I ascended it become more and more "slidish". Still a lot of water running down that made for some excellent cascades. A couple times I really felt like I was hiking up a canyon somewhere out west. As I climbed the views continued to get better - first Allen, the the North River range appeared. Before the top I could see everything from Algonquin to Marcy to the Dixes and everything in between.

As I ascended I stay to the left as this would leave the least amount of bushwacking on the ridge. Almost at the top I hit a section of wall that I was very tempted to scale, but being solo, decided to duck into the woods briefly. I then popped out for a little more steep slab before hitting the very top.

I then switched into bushwacking mode and pushed up to the ridge. Once there I traversed southwest toward the Ermine Slide Brook. The going was fairly easy with a few thick spots. Staying right on the top proved best. Using a GPS waypoint that I had pulled from satellite photography, I dropped west off the ridge just above the Ermine Brook slide. I dropped a bit and slowly angled toward the slide and thus emerged perfectly about 20' below the headwall.

Laid out before me was the long and gentle slide descending deep into the wild. The slide was wonderful, with a lot of gentle grade slab that made descending a delight. Along the way I kept an eye on Little Santanoni and tried to guess what the best route up would be. I descended to ~2600 and a junction with a north running stream that would bring me just SE of the summit. The woods remained wonderfully open. Finally I left the stream before it got too flat and took a straight shot toward the summit. To my delight the woods remained very open almost right to the summit.

To the GPS nay-sayers, I have to say I enjoyed the next couple miles of bushwacking immensely despite the purely GPS navigation. I wandered without a care in the world, looking about, soaking everything in, not worrying about constantly checking my bearing or where I was on a map. Just the occasional glance at the GPS to make sure I wasn't way off course (which I never was). Had I been going purely M&C I would have spent a lot of time looking at the compass, checking the map, and generally worrying about staying on course. As it was, I was more of a boy wandering in the wild.

From the summit of Little Santa I bombed NW with the intention of getting down below the deciduous tree line ASAP. The top couple hundred feet was steep and thick but it then moderated with a lot of fern wacking and eventually nice deciduous forest. I struck Callahan brook just above 2100'. There was a surprising amount of water flowing and I found myself at a 2-3' deep pool. So I stripped down to the primeval state and proceeded to refresh body, mind, and soul. Morale soared.

From there I picked up the stream that flows out of the col between Couchsacraga and the NW ear. The woods by the brook remained nice and open all the way to the col. Finally, just before reaching the col, I turned SE for the summit of Couch. The going was immediately bad....and then got worse. For about a 0.1 miles I pushed, pulled, and punched my way through cripple bush and blowdown. The only good thing that happened is I happened to get a nice view of the cliffs on the ear. Finally the woods moderated and I made some slow progress toward the summit. But then, with just 0.1 mile left to the summit things got thick, then thicker. Then I ran straight into a section of 20-30 foot cliffs. I traversed left, but the cliffs did not relent. I traversed right and managed to get past the cliffs but ran into some serious thickets. The kind of stuff you only hear about in stories on dark nights after a few beers. Pain, suffering, and misery ensued with a step forward sometimes taking half a minute. I finally gained the summit ridge but then there was more pushing, crashing, and gnashing of teeth. If I were to do it again, I would try hiking all the way up and even a bit through the col before beginning the ascent, and given the choice, favoring the north facing slopes.

I finally saw that bare rock and climbing up found the sign. I was absolutely exhausted, overheated, and sick from being behind on food and liquid. I collapsed on the rock for 5 or 10 minutes until I finally felt like I could eat something (the something being Skittles and Peanut Butter M&Ms). After some more recovery time I started down the herdpath. At the marsh I pulled out my inflatable raft and paddled across. Slow and steady up the herdpath. About halfway to Times Square my stomach suddenly growled and I felt myself go bonk. A short break and down went more Skittles and M&Ms. Reached Times Square, then Herbert Square. It would be a shame to go all that way and not do Panther, so like any self-respecting peakbagger, I dropped pack and went for the summit. On the way I finally ran into the first people that I had seen all day. I hung out for a while on the cliffs of Panther, tracing the day's route that was laid out below me. After that I cruised down to the leanto to spend the night.

At the leanto I added up the elevation and realized I had done 6500' - well at least there was a reason that it hurt so much. I chatted with a gentleman and his wife who had just finished the 46 on Panther - after 39 years!

In the morning I discovered that TPTDBPI (or however you spell it) was hammocking nearby, so it was nice to say hello and meet someone new. I headed uphill from the leanto for Henderson. It got a bit thick in some spots and never ended up being as open as I had hoped (based on some reports), though it never got terrible. After the summit I quickly returned to the leanto (45 minutes up, 30 down) and then crashed out the trail. Yes, the trail is very wet and very muddy. Back to the road I was greeted by a troop of deer flies that were intent on making the remaining hike as miserable as possible. After being simultaneously bitten in two spots between my knuckles on the same hand, I broke down and donned the rain jacket and headnet. I figured the sweaty hot sort of miserable was better than the blood donor sort of miserable. Finally got back to the car by 10:15, sweaty, smelly, tired, and glad to be out. Also happy to have completed #75 of the ADK100.

So that's quite a long report. Anyone still reading this? Or, more likely, just looking for the link to the -pictures-

[Skinney]

I was reading it Dunbar...and finished it! Great TR and some nice pics! Every time I read a TR on slides my curiosity grows and once the 46 are completed I really need to try one!...Other than Macomb!
Good reading Dunbar!

[Neil]

Thanks for such a massive TR. Quite a bit of déjà vu in that report.

Excellent job with the camera - Couch and ears is my favorite. I guess the Sawtooths seem petty ho-hum after what you went through on little Couchie-Wouchie.

Based on what you saw on the Twin slide will the Giant slides be clean and dry by Thursday?

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by Neil

Excellent job with the camera - Couch and ears is my favorite. I guess the Sawtooths seem petty ho-hum after what you went through on little Couchie-Wouchie.

Actually, I kept thinking about how rough the Sawtooths would have been if I hadn't hired an expert guide...

Originally Posted by Neil

Based on what you saw on the Twin slide will the Giant slides be clean and dry by Thursday?

Even with the massive rains on Sunday the slides were drying very quickly. Twin had a lot of water and in a few spots I was forced to carefully traverse some shaded and wet rock, but even then the Guide Tennies handled it with ease. There's only some slight chance of scattered showers between now and Thursday so I'd say the odds are good.

[Dunbar]

In case anyone is interested:
6:45 AM - Sign in at register
8:30 AM - Base of Twin slide
10:05 AM - Top of Twin slide
11:10 AM - Top of Ermine Brook Slide
12:00 PM - Base of EBS
1:05 PM - Little Santa
2:05 PM - Calahan Brook
3:30 PM - Couchie-NW Ear col
4:30 PM - Couchie summit
6:15 PM - Panther summit
7:30 PM - Bradly Pond leanto

[AlpineLamb]

This is a really, really great TR and the pictures are fantastic.

I have been fascinated by the Ermine Brook Slide (someday from Moose Pond) and more recently thinking Calahan Brook looks like a great way to do Couchsachraga, but I haven't even been on Couch the easy, traditional way.
Your way sounds a little tough for me .

Good reading...thanks
Mary

[Neil]

L. Santa- Callahan - Couch is a great route except for the final 1-200 vertical feet, which require either masochistic deviant behavior or a detour (my guess would be towards the west but only because I like the sound of, "go west young man, go west".)

[mastergrasshopper]

Originally Posted by Neil

L. Santa- Callahan - Couch is a great route except for the final 1-200 vertical feet, which require either masochistic deviant behavior or a detour (my guess would be towards the west but only because I like the sound of, "go west young man, go west".)

I say EAST I have close up pics of SW face of Couch, thick untill due west around to a bit north ( the route Blackflies descended ). I descended east of drainage that Dunbear was in and passed south a bit below cliifs on ear. I chose a route to get me home which at that point was about 12 miles away.
MG

[mastergrasshopper]

Very nice slide route
great TR and nice pic of cliffs on SW ear. The other ear also has a surprise set of cliffs. Very nice shot from Panther of couch and the ears, I have a few shots of the same view whats really cool is to climb the NW ear and look back the same line
1 slide up 1 slide down increases the coolness factor by 10
MG

[Neil]

Originally Posted by mastergrasshopper

I say EAST

I meant from a point directly south of Couch summit.