Saturday February 20th, we headed up to Lake Placid to complete numbers 7 & 8 of our winter Lake Placid 9er challenge. The remaining 3 we had at this point were: Baxter, Big Crow and Catamount. We had been saving Catamount for our final peak of the challenge!
Our plan was to tackle Big Crow & Baxter on this day! We decided to hike Baxter first as it was the longer of the 2 hikes, and then finish our day off on Big Crow. Baxter is a 3 mile, 765 ft of elevation hike. You'll notice when you look up this hike that it begins on private property. The trailhead starts right on the road and begins by meandering through the woods. A gradual start to the hike - which is a nice warm up.
The trail up to the summit is mixed with some nice switchbacks while you steadily climb, a short steep ascent to the summit and you're there! The summit of Baxter is wooded, but you'll see wide open views right before you reach the true summit!
This peak was a perfect hike for beginner/moderate experienced hikers. Short, relatively easy, and rewarding views - it was a fun addition to the LP9er challenge.
