Who assesses the hikes on these pages?
A triathlete has a different idea of what is strenuous than does a middle-aged office worker.  So... all our hikes were taken by some combination of a group of hikers, both men and women in their 30's, 40's, and 50's.  We are the kind of people who don't commonly use the new-fangled word " Xtreme" in our conversations.  We extremely avoid "Xtreme".   Our hikers range from the very fit "yoga-master", Paul,  to "Bicycle-butt, David, who pedals a hundred miles a week, to the occasional hiker who just loves her mountains and a nice lodge at night, to me, the late fifties summer hiker guy.  On the trail we get passed by more people then we pass, but we are tenacious, and as natives we know our Adirondacks very well.  We always get there, we aren't in a race, and we wonder about those who seem to be.  

Adirondack Journey takes the following factors of the terrain into account when assessing the difficulty of a route:

• Trail Surface:  How difficult is it to find footing?  Is it rocky, muddy, groomed?  Slick rock?  Are there branches reaching in on both sides?  Malayan tiger traps?
• Elevation Change:  Amount of ascent and descent
• Distance:  On our pages sometimes we treat this factor for segments of the route or for the entire route or we show both.  A distance of up to 4 miles is considered easy, 5-8 miles is moderate, 9-12 is strenuous.  

EASY:   When we say it's easy, the trail is basically flat.  A good example is the Indian Pass Trail.  then most people walking with a daypack will find the walk invigorating, not tiring.  The terrain  allows you to move along at or near your maximum pace according to your age.  

MODERATE:  Terrain must be accommodated by shortening your stride a bit and slowing down.  You you are still moving surely and steadily.  Taking quick breathers every 10 minutes or so might feel good, and if it's uphill you shouldn't find yourself breathing heavily.       

STRENUOUS:    Terrain is rugged and its demands are significant.  Probably distance factors in.  Hand holds, whether on roots, rocks, or branches may be necessary as you ascend or descend very significantly.  You are hiking significantly below your normal pace.  Rests are essential.  Hydration may be an important factor.   

VERY STRENUOUS:  On Adirondack trails this is almost always a long hike on decent trails or a shorter rugged climb needs both hands and feet and is steep or very steep.  When it's particularly steep, though, the trail surface is usually rocky and sometimes wet.  You'll find a lot of very strenuous hikes on these pages.

EXTRA STRENUOUS:  At the end of this one, your feet are numb and during the last couple of miles you know that if you stop you might not get started again.  Very strenuous except worse.  You'll ache the next day and you may well be dehydrated.