Dix Range

            The Dix Range in the high peaks holds a special place in my heart. It was the location of my Adirondack Adventure pre-orientation trip before the start of my freshman year here at Hamilton. Along with other five classmates and two pre-orientation leaders, I set off on a trip that spanned the entirety of the Dix Range. The four day, three-night trip was tougher than I imagined, as Hough, Macomb, South Dix and Dix Mountain are intense peaks to hike and following trail maps is more challenging than our leaders anticipated.

            Before the trip, I did a little background research on the range and its history. Dix Range was named after former governor of New York, John Dix (who went on to become secretary of the treasury). The range is managed by the Forest Preserve and is divided into regions, with the Dix Mountain Wilderness area unit encompassing all of Dix Range. Landslides have eroded some of the slopes, creating steep slopes that are often part of the trails.

            After one day of hiking a peak in the Dix Range, my pre-orientation group made a couple of wrong turns and got lost. It took a couple hours to get back on track, but by then we still hours away from our campsite the sun was setting. As it was getting dark, we had to descend a steep part of the trail that had recently been eroded by falling rocks. A dangerous feat to begin with was only made tougher by the fact that it was getting dark and rocks could come tumbling down at any moment.

Even though I knew a fair amount about the range going into the trip, the trip proved to me yet again that the ADK’s are a wonderfully wild preserve. While hiking down the rock slide, I understood that even though we can learn about and dissect the ADK’s, we are still in the wilderness and that anything we are susceptible to anything nature throws our way. It is humbling, exhilarating, and terrifying all at the same time. The Dix Range is where is discovered the feelings that the ADK’s can bring to us, and therefore, I will hold a special spot for it.

Work Cited

"Adirondack Names." Adirondack Park. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Nov. 2015.