St. Regis wasn't as nice a hike as the previous three Saranac hikes, through no fault of its own. We were beset by rain, plagued with a minor physical ailment, possessing a case of the grumps, and overrun by dudebros at the summit. I'm sure it's a very lovely peak if things work out for you.
Knowing there was a probability of rain, we set out anyway, and partway up the skies opened. The trail was, to put it charitably, dampish. There is some moderate scrambling, but the rain didn't seem to compromise our safety.
A ledge near the top offered what would be a nice view on a clearer day, and it wasn't far from there to the top. The tower at the top is being renovated, and while the stairs and essential structure have been repaired and deemed safe, the tower needs a new roof and glass for the windows. Technically, therefore, it is still closed, which seemed to deter none of the visitors.
We wouldn't break the rules, but if we had, it's possible we wouldn't have stayed very long, only to find on the way down part of a large group of college boys heading up because "they had earned it." Hey, boys, we all climbed the same mountain. Somehow, they managed to take up the entire summit, loudly.
(Reminder: Folks, share the summit. We ran into something similar on Baker, which only has a very small viewpoint. You're entitled to a few minutes at it (or longer if no one else is around), but this isn't like claiming land in the name of France, which never worked that well anyway).
In spite of the rain, we had some visibility; below is the clearest shot we got from the top.
This was the last of the Saranac peaks we were able to attempt on this trip. That leaves Haystack and - the toughest - McKenzie.
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