My three-summit day (June 1st) culminated not
terribly far from Spruce Knob (see below) in a fun trek up to the Seneca Rocks overlook, a
900-foot gain in 1.3-miles. After some
loitering in the visitor center waiting for a brief rain to pass, t-shirt
weather quickly returned. I empathized
with the rock climbers caught in the mini-storm, having been there and done
that a few times myself (though not at Seneca).
I had no idea whether the summit of the higher north crag was attainable
without a rope, especially if wet, but regardless, I needed another good hike
to finish up the day.
5. Seneca Rocks: From
the overlook, an easy scramble on dry rock led to the exposed summit and a
great sense of being astride a giant dorsal fin. The final few feet are very exposed so I did
not go for the hero shot and stand on my head or anything else newsworthy. The rock is highly textured quartzite (formerly
a sandy marine shoal folded edgewise) and satisfyingly gripable. It just might lure me back for a bit of
climbing next time, if I can wrestle up a partner. It was a fabulous finish for a triple summit
day. Only 55 to go...
Miles (RT): 2.6 miles;
elevation gain: 950 feet
Cumulative mileage and gain:
14.1 miles / 4,490 feet
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