Gothics Mountain, St. Hubert's
NY
7/21/2005
Determined to get some climbing in over the summer, after nature ruined my week-long vacation earlier in July, I headed up to do the "Great Range" as its called. Gothics, Armstrong, Upper Wolf Jaw and Lower Wolf Jaw. Unfortunately, I ran out of liquid about 1/2 way through my journey and had to abort after doing Armstrong. No matter, as I returned the following week and completed what I had set out to do.
I set out from the Ausable Club in St Huberts, NY. The Ausable Club runs the "Adirondack Mountain Reserve" and lemme tell ya... what a crock of shit. Usually when you hear "reserve" you think everything stays natural and human involvement is kept at a minimal. WRONG. If you're a member, you get to golf at their huge 20 acre golf course (which was originally a nice forest until they bulldozed it), you can dine at their clubhouse (easily 100 years old), or stay at one of their many cottages. Nice paved roads and power lines just scream "lets preserve nature" and to top it off, since they own the land, they are the ONLY ones allowed to visit Upper Ausable Lake.
Not a member? That's OK, but you can ONLY use a certain trail, up to a certain point, you have to park about a mile away from the trail head, and if the trail warden thinks you're unfit for hiking, he can turn you away. There was a word for people like them back ion the 30's and 40's.... Nazi's. In the 50's and 60's.... Communists. Today they are called Fanatics, but I just called them hypocrites.
