The route was posted by Lucas DeBoer:
My name is Lucas DeBoer (introducing myself since this is my 1st post).
I have seen a couple posts on here that small mountains and short trails really don't get a lot of attention, so I thought I'd try something new, mix it up and start a little something (a mini-FKT) with a very entry level mountain for those who are inclined to shorter distances (perhaps some of those former track and XC fellas among us looking to get started with mountain running). Here is a link that should give you near everything you need to know in order to get started with this brief (1.7 miles round trip) but beautiful climb. The summit is only 2350' with a moderate elevation gain (413') from the trail-head described in the link, so it's no giant compared to some of the mountains discussed on here, but it is still great fun and a wonderful view from the fire tower at the top. It is slightly less than a mile to the top with some pretty steep inclines.
www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-york/bald-mountain-rondaxe-fire-tower
The course starts touching the trail registry at the start of the trail and ends when your foot first touches the steps of the fire tower at the top. I managed to cover this trail in 12:14 (minutes:seconds) for the full ascent today (foot touching the fire tower first stair) and 24:17 (minutes:seconds) for the round trip (back to touching the trail registry book location at the trailhead). This run took place at approximately 4 pm today 9/6/2017. This run was fairly wet, so although I was moving quickly I had to take extra caution with my steps that I may not normally take on a dry day, so that alone leaves plenty of room for improvement. Additionally, I wasn't redlining it as this was part of a longer training effort for the day that included 3 bald mountain round trips and some flat running to fill out mileage.
Sadly, I don't have any verification from the run (although I signed the trail registry) as I ran it on a whim during a visit with my parents-in-law and wife to Old Forge and I only had a chrono wristwatch with me. I suppose these results will then stand for now as a sort of "unofficial" FKT (unless someone else claims faster) until I can return to Bald when life next allows and run it with a garmin/other verification method or until somebody blows it away before I get the chance to do so. Again, there is plenty of room for improvement for reasons discussed above (done on a moderate training run & was a wet day) although I think most without a background in fast road/track running will still find this to be a fairly rigid pace for this particular mountain ascent & descent even considering.
My hope is that somebody will crush this and really give me something to aim for when next I return to Bald with the intent to make this time official and improve it dramatically.
Lastly, a word of caution! There is a lot of sheer rockface and places to get hurt badly if you fall on this trail. Please do not attempt to beat my time before walking the mountain trail first and making sure that you are very familiar with it. Also, don't be dumb like me and run it when it is wet, the rocks can get very slippery and could cause a nasty accident! Please wait for a dry day. Additionally, please make sure to climb back up and spend some time at the fire tower once you are done with your round trip, the view is lovely and you will regret it if you miss out! The trail is usually fairly well traveled, so watch out for any surprised hikers who may think you're a wacko (I only saw two pairs of hikers today during my summits apart from my own family members, one pair of which had two leashed dogs, but you may not be so lucky to have a low traffic day.).
One final rule! Have fun! The Adirondacks is home to many of my favorite camping/outdoors memories as a child and I hope it brings you all the same enjoyment it has given me!
~Lucas DeBoer
