Traversing the most significant mountain range in New York State in a day is a rigorous day hike that runs across some of the tallest peaks in a circular dome of "new mountains from old rocks." The Adirondack Mountains are considered to be a recent formation due to crustal uprising that is theoretically explained by mantle plumes and cooling intrusive bodies in the lower crustal region. Since this uplift, glacial scarring has weathered away eras of sedimentary rocks, exposing remnants of one of the oldest known mountain chains in the world - The Appalachian Mountains.
 The rocks found in the Adirondacks region are very unique, as they are igneous bodies that have been heavily deformed and metamorphized throughout the past billion years. Mineral compositions in some of the higher-grade metamorphic bodies have been studied; they are usually found in lower-grade metamorphic outcrops, but have been explained by retro-metamorphism. This alteration is associated with rocks as they are slowly uplifted over a significant time period after being deeply buried in the Earth's crust.
Planning
The Great Range Traverse, sometimes referred to as the Solstice Hike, crosses eight of the highest peaks in New York State, including the tallest Summit in the state, Mt. Marcy. There are several different route descriptions and trailheads to consider when planning the hike. While some variations included the use of separate trailheads for start and finish points, others included peaks not mentioned in the 46 tallest peaks in New York State. I chose to use a single trailhead and, on my first attempt, conquered the eight peaks commonly mentioned when describing the Great Range Traverse.
The Hike
My adventure began and ended in the Garden Parking Lot just outside of Keene, NY. The  night before my hike, I took care of the driving portion of the trip and made it to the Bear Brook Lean-To, located approximately ¾ of a mile from the trail head. Starting at 5:20 AM, I backtracked from the lean-to to the south side trail in order to cross John's Brook and find a trail with a reasonably-paced ascent to the Notch between Lower and Upper Wolf Jaw.
After summiting Lower Wolf Jaw (LWJ) by 8 AM, I stood and took a breath while taking in the view of the entire range that lay before me. The majority of my rests throughout the day took place on the summit of each mountain along the journey. Short breaks consisted of photo opportunities, consuming high-energy snacks, and hydrating. Each of the first five peaks are within a mile and a half of each other, stretching from Lower Wolf Jaw, Upper Wolf Jaw, Armstrong, Gothics and Saddleback Mountain.
Approaching the Basin from Saddelback Mountain leaves you between points that exit from the range. For me, this became the point of no return. I had no desire to ascend the steep slabs on the back side of Saddelback that I had just come down, and a strong desire to stay off the rough terrain referred to as Shoreys Shortcut back toward Slanted Rock. After bypassing those two exists, you arrive at an intersection between the last two mountains to be hiked: Haystack and Mt. Marcy.
 Climbing Mount Haystack first, you cross the false summit known as Little Haystacks and climb over 800-ft. to the actual summit. Backtracking to the previous trailhead, you stand before the final climb of the day, 1,200-ft. to the summit of Mt. Marcy. You may be deeply satisfied to have conquered all the vertical ascents of the day, but you have still have another 9 miles of hiking to return to the Garden Parking Lot.
The route I chose covered 23 miles of terrain, almost 9,000-ft. of elevation gain, 8 defined  mountains, and 16 elapsed hours of hiking before reaching the parking lot at 9:30 PM. Although some people prefer to tackle the tallest peak in the beginning of the day, I found that the gentle ascent of each peak while hiking up the range was much more pleasant than if I had traversed the range from the opposite direction. If I was to repeat this hike, I would suggest including both Hedgehog and Roostercomb, and making use of two trailheads to avoid a long exit.
Resources:
http://gretchen.geo.rpi.edu/roecker/nys/adir_txt.html
http://www.apa.state.ny.us/About_park/geology.htm
http://www.adirondackjourney.com/Garden.htm
http://alavigne.net/Outdoors/ImageGallery/2004/Solstice2004/index.jsp
http://www.outdoorbound.com/index.php/events/sub/the_great_range_traverse_trekking_weekend/
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