Joe Baker Sag/ Huckleberry Mountain(Southern Adirondacks)

Was invited by my buddy Jim to bushwack a couple of small peaks in the Lake George Wilderness with a couple of other friends, Spencer and Melissa.  Have hiked one other time with Spencer and this was my first time meeting Melissa.  We would be hiking Joe Baker Sag and Huckleberry Mountain, just north of Lake Luzerne and east of the Hudson River.  We parked at the end of the maintained section of River Road and headed north along the continuation of the road at an elevation of about 600 feet.

 After nearly a half mile, we left the road and began the bushwhack into the woods.  After some ascent, we came to our first view of Joe Baker Sag's bump, through the trees.

 Continuing through the woods, we soon began to really begin to climb.

 Heading up.

 We hit some steeper rock ledges near he southwest summit of Joe Baker Sag, soon emerging at some very nice views out over the Hudson River.

 The southwest views just below Joe Baker Sag's 1450 foot summit.

Stopping to enjoy the views with good company.

We continued on to the wooded high point of Joe Baker Sag, which is pretty nondescript.  

Our next peak for the day, was Joe Baker's higher neighbor to the east, Huckleberry Mountain.  Again the summit didn't have much to offer, but the open slopes on the southwest side of the mountain were very attractive. 

An open meadow like area provided some very pleasant views to nearby peaks.

We were all very impressed with the wide open patches along much of the slopes.  The views continued to impress nearly the entire time.

A glimpse west deep into the valley.

An opening provided a view towards a shoulder of Joe Baker Sag, which we had just ascended.

This was a very fun descent, with constant views nearly the entire way.

The warming snow and steep, rocky slopes made for a quick, sliding decent off the mountain.

On the return to the car, we took the trail along the interesting Bear Slides of Buttermilk Brook.

The Bear Slides drop a couple hundred yards and are quite magnificent.  Unfortunately, the deep snow and ice took away just how impressive this area can be.

Hiked about 6.5 miles with over 1300 feet elevation gain through deep, compacting snow.