I first tromped up trails in the Adirondack Park as a teenager in the 1970s, accompanying various friends who chased their 46er patches. Back then, trailless peaks were truly trailless. I fancied myself a hardcore hiker. I thought I’d become an expert on hiking routes in the Adirondacks but with maturity I realized that my knowledge of superlative hikes was limited to the High Peaks, which left 95% of the park to explore.
That’s when I found Bald Mountain-Rondaxe between Old Forge and Eagle Bay, a modest 2,349-foot
