Like Basin, Gothics was also earned its name from Old Mountain Phelps and Perkins on that day in 1857. The triple-crested mountain, with its arched peaks and large slides of bare rock reminded Perkins, an amateur painter, of Gothic architecture. Phelps agreed, and the three peaks became known collectively as “Gothics.” While Storrow and Beede probably climbed Gothics (along with Basin and Saddleback) between 1869 and 1871, the exact date of this trip is unknown.

On October 11, 1875, Colvin and two guides (Roderick L. Mackenzie and Ed Phelps) made the first recorded ascent of Gothics. The trio faced snow, chilly winds, and icy rock faces as they climbed the peak on that cold October day. After hours of collecting angular measurements and topographical information, they risked falling to their deaths as they slowly descended the icy cliffs of Gothics in the dark. After taking emergency overnight shelter in a small cluster of trees, they awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of ice crashing from the cliffs into the valleys below.

Gothics has arguably one the best 360-degree views of any mountain in the Adirondack Park. A poll by the Adirondack Backcountry Hikers Facebook group (a forum with over 22,000 Adirondack hikers) rated Gothics as the peak with the best view, with a total of 520 votes. Haystack, the second place peak, wasn’t even close, with 324 votes. Gothics repeatedly receives high rankings in online polls and articles for its beautiful views and therefore sees plenty of foot traffic.