Colvin and Blake

 

Colvin

4,057 feet  |  ranked 39/46 in height  |  23rd peak climbed

Blake

3,960 feet  |  ranked 43/46 in height  |  24th peak climbed

Although we were disappointed not to have managed any May hikes, Erin and I were super excited to finally get up to the Adirondacks for our first hike of the summer.  We decided on Colvin and Blake for our season opener because our four High Peaks hikes last year had been at four different trailheads, but none of them were from the AuSable Club.  We have several hikes left that are traditionally accessed from the Club lands and don't want to leave too much Lake Road for the end.  We selected Colvin/Blake over Nippletop/Dial and Sawteeth, because I'd read on the Forums that both Elk Pass and the Scenic Trail along the Lake were flooded, and avoiding wet feet is certainly as good a reason as any. 

Chemin de Nietzsche, France

"All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking." 

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols, Or, How to Philosophize With the Hammer

Èze is the only locale in which we stayed during both 2013 and 2014 France trips.  We flew out of Nice both times, and ended up returning simply because our first stay there was so charmed... it felt too short.  The village is storybook, perched high above the Mediterranean.  The views are beyond amazing.  Plus, it is super convenient to the airport: a quick, easy, and scenic jaunt up the coast.  It was when researching the area before our first stay that Erwin read about the Nietzsche Trail.  The path is named for the German philosopher, of course.  Apparently he spent time in Èze-sur-Mer, frequenting the steep path up to Èze village, and perhaps even conceived some of Thus Spoke Zarathustra* on these hikes.  We saw the trailhead when staying in Èze the first time, but we did not attempt the hike.  The trail is approximately a mile and a half with roughly 1,400 feet in elevation change (each way).  Frankie was still 2, not yet ready to navigate such terrain independently, but too heavy to carry without the carrier.