Pitchoff Mountain

"Solo. Started around 0915 from the Porter / Cascade parking area, managed to snag the last available parking spot. It was in the 60’s, dreary with heavy grey clouds and a persistent moderate wind. The trail was wet & rock scrambly. It’s not exceptionally well marked, but it’s very well-worn, no trouble navigating. And thankfully considering my experience last week hiking Pharaoh, I encountered exactly zero bugs! Excellent. I popped out to Balanced Boulders on my way up, promising myself I would take better photos on the way back. The trail to Balanced Boulders was pointed out by a written on trail marker, & marked with cairns following that. I scooted onward and upward and hit the high point of Pitchoff almost exactly 1.5 hours after I began. Not much to see. I broke my iPhone tripod, which annoyed me, packed it away and carefully picked my way back down the way I had come (I certainly wasn’t going to do the traverse & walk 2 miles on Route73, way too dangerous.) I went back out to Balanced Boulders & cracked my summit beer, only to immediately begin being hit with heavy, fat raindrops, a distant rumble of thunder, and a considerable uptick in wind. So much for that iconic photo of..." — kellieirene • Jun 7, 2018

"Great day for a hike, grabbed Pitchoff after doing the Boulders. We didn't do the whole ridge, as we had just the 1 vehicle and were heading off to do another 2 peaks. Hit the summit and headed down the same (West) trail. I feel there should be some kind of summit marker on this mountain, especially as it has numerous peaks." — UK-Ranger • Sep 17, 2016

"This was a fabulous trip! I took my research group out for a hike in the ADKs today after a miserable raining day the day before. This was a perfect day with temps in the 60's and a gentle breeze, until we hit the open rock on top and it got windy! We set up a car pool from the east to west route along rt. 73. total trip was 5.2 miles and it was pretty rugged. the best part was the balancing rocks, which look a lot like three polar bear heads! If you go, hike down to the overhanging rock below the balancing rocks. You might not see it if you don't look. You'll hike along a ridge that lets you look north to see the bobsled run and ski jumps and then south to see some of the high peaks. Beautiful views are had all along the climb. We also ate lots of wild blueberries and raspberries along the trail, so be on the look out if you go during this time. The group had a great attitude the whole way - even those who were first timers. It took us about 7 hours with several breaks along the way. The way down was particularly rugged. This would be a challenge in the winter and hiking poles definitely helped us even on this summer day. Great memories were made on this day. " — SummitSusie • Aug 10, 2013

"Climbed the day after the great snowstorm of the northeast... although the Adirondacks were spared. It was a nice sunny day. Cold, around 30 degrees. We did the Pitchoff loop, clockwise. Fantastic ridge, especially the viewpoint from the western end. See my blog post at: http://offonadventure.blogspot.com/2011/10/pitchoff-mountain-103011.html" — Telemarkmike • Oct 30, 2011