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Yes you can do it as a day hike if you are in good enough shape for it, you could go from the johns brook approach, or from the Ausable mountain club's trail head right off route 73.

@@skobird2732 Thanks for the info. Is there any source for actual trail directions? I mean, are the trails well marked by the DEC? I'm going up late next week,but find it hard to get precise info.

Theres a bunch of different trail maps/guide books out there, I'd reccomend the map found at either The Mountaineer in Keene Valley or at the ADK Loj at Heart lake. i'll link one i just found quickly for you of just the Gothics hike, but the trails in that entire area are very well marked and maintained! This is from the route 73 approach www.lesiteayvon.com/cartegotarmuwj.jpg Hope it helps and enjoy your trip!

@@skobird2732 Thanks so much bud! It's my first time going up here. I'm a Catskill veteran, need a new, bigger, better challenge. Have a great weekend.

Just one other question: what trail head should I leave from if doing Gothics/pyramid loop?

Thanks for the compliment on my video -- much appreciated! However -- I don't really agree with your statement on using bear bells. Using a bear bell is still the best way to avoid an unintended encounter with a Black Bear (or other animal in the wild). In one sense I agree that Black Bears are incredibly intelligent animals that we should treat with the utmost respect (see discussion below regarding bear canisters), but... MOST BLACK BEARS DO NOT WANT TO ENCOUNTER HUMANS -- THEY JUST WANT OUR FOOD THAT WE BRING WITH US (they are "opportunistic" feeders). USING A BEAR BELL -- I HAVE YET TO ENCOUNTER A BEAR OR OTHER HOSTILE ANIMAL ON A HIKE IN THE ADIRONDACKS OR CATSKILLS. THERE SHOULD BE NO REASON THAT A BEAR WOULD EQUATE A BEAR BELL WITH FOOD -- SINCE A BEAR IS FAR MORE LIKELY TO GET A FACE FULL OF BEAR SPRAY FROM A HUMAN WEARING A BEAR BELL THAN A FREE SNACK. Black Bears are one of the most intelligent creatures on Earth. We mere hikers are literally in an arms race against these amazing creatures as to how to keep them safe from us and vice versa. For example, with respect to the bear canisters used to protect food from Black Bears, in the Eastern High Peaks region of the Adirondacks (where Gothics and many of the other Adirondack 46 peaks are located) -- Black Bears have learned how to defeat the (very expensive) bear canisters that are sold at REI and other retailers: www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7225.html

Due to the overload of use the ADK has been getting recently, black bears are getting more and more fearless with humans, I just stayed at Marcy dam for 2 nights a few weeks ago with a buddy, and had multiple bears walk through at night, and one bear walked into someones campsite close by in the morning while cooking breakfast and grabbed their open bear canister in its mouth and ran off with it(they were of course being dumb, and cooking in their campsite which puts everyone camping near by at risk) The park is definitely going to do something about this soon. I would definitely say bear bells work. And would rather have them than not. A loud whistle is always good too, and a bright headlamp/flashlight :) Awesome vid tho, new sub

Indeed! The alpine vegetation/algae is very rare, and will not regrow... untill the next ice age that is.