Let me start off by saying "col" should be a four letter word...
Ok, so I started this hike out of the Ausable Club, on a beautiful Wednesday morning, 6/3/09. There were a few black flies out on the road back but once I got going it wasn't too bad. The trail back was well maintained and pretty easy until you got to the trail split for Nippletop via Elk Pass trail. After that there were some serious steeps in short spurts and a number that required hands and feet scrambling to get over and up rocks. Nothing extremely techincal, just took some time and caution. The top of Colvin isn't that big, but the views are spectacular! The Great Range is right in front of you for viewing pleasure, as is Giant, Nippletop, Haystack, and Marcy. After I left the summit and headed out for Blake is where the real "fun" began. It involves dropping down into a very steep col and of course back up to the summit of Blake and the non-existant view from its top, then turning around and doing the same thing all over again to get back to the trailhead. I certainly wouldn't recommend the Blake portion to anyone who wasn't going after the full 46, unless you just like misery. lol I passed one guy doing the same hike I was that day and caught up with 2 more who had done the Elk pass to Nippletop, on the road heading out. Overall, a fun but tiring 15 mile round trip.
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