Moose Mountain(Wilcox Lake Wild Forest-Adirondacks)

Decided to head up into the Wilcox Lake Wild Forest in the Adirondacks to check out some early fall foliage on this first day of fall.  There are about a million Moose Mountain's in the Adks, but the one I would be hiking today is the one that can be found just south of Route 8 along the East Branch of the Sacandaga River.  There is no trail to these mountains so my goal was bushwhack to the east and west summits, which both appeared to offer up good views from open, burned over areas in my prior scouting of the peak.  I parked in a small, unmarked pull off on the shoulder of Route 8, just west of the western peak, elevation 1325 feet.  There was a definite chill in the air, with temps hovering around 40 as I crossed Route 8 and dove into the woods.

I began climbing instantly and within a scant 20 minutes I was near the open patches on the shoulder of the west summit.  As I pushed up through an open area I began getting good views right away.  Here was the first look I got, facing the multiple summits of Buckhorn Mountain to the NW.

Golden ferns and bright early foliage made the route up almost perfect.

I skirted around the steep slopes below the summit area, catching many solid views.  A window to the Buckhorns. 

I'm almost always amazed at not only how this section of the Adk always peaks first, but the amount of red that pops in this particular area.  Another great view NW towards the Buckhorns.

A great view SW above the East Branch valley.

After enjoying the west summit's views, I dropped SE down towards the col between the two peaks.  Much to my surprise, when I hit the col, I also hit the Georgia Creek Trail, which runs between the two summits.  I completely forgot about this trail so it really startled me when I saw trail markers.  Unfortunately, the trail was not going the direction I needed so I crossed over it and continued along.

A nice and easy ascent brought me over to the east summit, which sits at 2053 feet and just a tad higher than the west summit.  Both true summits are fully wooded and offer no views.

Mellow Yellow!  While many sections of the woods were still green, there were small sections that were near peak.

Dropping down to west edge of the summit, I could see some of the open rock that I was aiming for down below.  I carefully made my way over to the open rock, which at first only offered glimpses through the trees.  A little further descent bought me out to a wide open area of mostly open rock and incredible views.  From this vantage point, the fall foliage took it up a notch.  The wetland is a part of Georgia Creek, which sits at the foot of 2444 foot Georgia Mountain.

The colors were amazing!  Even better than I thought they'd be!!

Fire down below!  GeorgiaMountain towering above an unnamed ridge, with a fire red maple near the open rock slide.

One more view before I head down..this was a tough spot to drag myself away from.  The peaks near Speculator can be seen off in the distant west.

After finally tearing myself away from the views, I made a nice and easy descent off the mountain, even picking up a game path for a bit on my way out.  Once back to the car, I dropped down below the parking area to check out the East Branch, which seemed to have more rock than water in it.  Some color was beginning to pop down here as well.

A wonderful, fun packed little adventure for part one of the day.  3.5 miles RT, with over 1200 feet of ascent.  

Today's Route below.  Red=Ascent   Blue=Descent