Off on Adventure: Dix Mountain (Attempt)

I'm starting to sound like a broken record. This past weekend was another failed attempt to climb an Adirondack High Peak - Dix Mountain. It was not for lack of trying. I knew the hike was 6.8 miles, one way, and I knew there was a foot of fresh snow to contend with up high. What I didn't know, was that my dog would decide it had had enough once it got to the steep section at around 3600 feet.

I parked at the trailhead for Round Pond on Route 73 in Keene. We started on the trail at 8:30 and reached Round Pond in 15 minutes. We made good progress traveling the 4.2 miles to the Boquet Leanto in 2 hours. We crossed the river at that point, following the trail.

Parking Lot sign

Arriving at Round Pond

Rev surveying the pond

Trail junction for Noonmark, Round and Dix Mountains

A group of 5 had settled into the Boquet Leanto

The snow line was at 2800 feet. We continued on, crossing the slide on the north slope of Dix. About 30 minutes later we reached a steep incline where the push to the summit began in earnest. The snow was about a foot deep at that point and Rev began to object to continuing our journey. After a couple more minutes, she made her intentions known by sitting down in the snow facing back down the hill. She refused to budge in an uphill direction. We were at 3600 feet. There wasn't much distance left to cover, but it was another 1200 feet to ascend.

Lots of fresh snow, but a tough path for the dog

With no cooperation from Rev, we turned around. She was more than eager to retrace our path back down the mountain. We passed another man climbing with a small dog and I wished him luck. I was thankful for the nice weather and the nice day in the woods, but I really want to start grabbing some of these peaks!