the_swede
New member
This was my first trip to the Adirondacks since my July Great Range traverse. My long time hiking friend, Jeff, accompanied me on the trip and we originally planned on doing Cascade & Porter on day one, followed by Giant and RPR on day two. However, after being defeated last winter by Mount Colden, I felt like Giant and RPR could wait.
On day one, the conditions couldn't have been better. We climbed Cascade and Porter from Route 73, under clear blue skies, with temperatures in the teens. The summit of Cascade was very windy and I got my first taste of above treeline exposure since the summer, when rain showers pummeled me on the summit of Gothics.
From there, we continued onto Porter Mountain, descended into the Cascade-Porter col and then made our way back to Route 73.
The trail was well packed and snowshoes weren't necessary, even though we carried them.
Day two's weather was a total contrast from day one. We arrived at the Loj trailhead at 7 AM under cloudy skies, with a nasty mixture of snow and sleet precipitating. At the register, I noticed a guy headed for Mount Marcy from New Jersey. I managed to catch up to him during the two mile trek to Marcy Dam and it turned out he was a fellow ADKHP member; we indirectly knew each other. He also grew up just a few towns over from me before moving down to South Jersey. We chit-chatted about hiking and I shamelessly plugged the NJ1K Club.
The trail out to Lake Arnold was well broken and snowshoes again weren't necessary. But by the time we got to the bald sub-summit, I strapped on my snowshoes for traction on the icy bald spots.
The summit was completely shrouded in clouds, with high winds thrashing snow about; it was typical of a pleasant Adirondack winter day.
We didn't spend much time at the summit and we quickly but carefully descended the steep South side towards Lake Colden.
Once below treeline, all was calm. Jeff and I playfully slid down the steep snowy trail until Jeff busted his knee on a rock.
He iced it with some snow and he was okay for the rest of the hike back but it began to hurt later in the evening.
Perhaps the best part of the hike was snowshoing across Lake Colden and Avalanche Lake, through scenic Avalanche Pass.
Before I finish, I'd like to thank the Keene Valley hostel for supplying affordable, homey lodging during this trip. I definitely met some cool, interesting folks during my stay there.
Pics from Cascade & Porter: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157612305745994/detail/
Pics from Colden: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157612305943996/detail/
On day one, the conditions couldn't have been better. We climbed Cascade and Porter from Route 73, under clear blue skies, with temperatures in the teens. The summit of Cascade was very windy and I got my first taste of above treeline exposure since the summer, when rain showers pummeled me on the summit of Gothics.
From there, we continued onto Porter Mountain, descended into the Cascade-Porter col and then made our way back to Route 73.
The trail was well packed and snowshoes weren't necessary, even though we carried them.
Day two's weather was a total contrast from day one. We arrived at the Loj trailhead at 7 AM under cloudy skies, with a nasty mixture of snow and sleet precipitating. At the register, I noticed a guy headed for Mount Marcy from New Jersey. I managed to catch up to him during the two mile trek to Marcy Dam and it turned out he was a fellow ADKHP member; we indirectly knew each other. He also grew up just a few towns over from me before moving down to South Jersey. We chit-chatted about hiking and I shamelessly plugged the NJ1K Club.
The trail out to Lake Arnold was well broken and snowshoes again weren't necessary. But by the time we got to the bald sub-summit, I strapped on my snowshoes for traction on the icy bald spots.
The summit was completely shrouded in clouds, with high winds thrashing snow about; it was typical of a pleasant Adirondack winter day.
We didn't spend much time at the summit and we quickly but carefully descended the steep South side towards Lake Colden.
Once below treeline, all was calm. Jeff and I playfully slid down the steep snowy trail until Jeff busted his knee on a rock.
He iced it with some snow and he was okay for the rest of the hike back but it began to hurt later in the evening.
Perhaps the best part of the hike was snowshoing across Lake Colden and Avalanche Lake, through scenic Avalanche Pass.
Before I finish, I'd like to thank the Keene Valley hostel for supplying affordable, homey lodging during this trip. I definitely met some cool, interesting folks during my stay there.
Pics from Cascade & Porter: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157612305745994/detail/
Pics from Colden: http://flickr.com/photos/t3h_sw3d3/sets/72157612305943996/detail/
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