J.Dub
Active member
FRIDAY, 10/3 -- DRIVE UP/HIKE-IN/PHELPS
My two hiking partners -- Sir Edmund and E-Frame -- and I left Brewster, NY at 7:45A, happy that all three of us were making another foray to the ADKs. Just two weeks prior, E-Frame had sprained his ankle on a family hike and was unsure whether he'd make it this year. (In fact, he tried to bail out a week ahead of time, but Sir Ed and I weren't hearing any of it.) After getting on the Northway, the further we traveled, the better the weather started to look. The drizzle gave way to clouds, which gave way to scattered blue skies, which gave way to sun.
Then we hit rain and snow on Rt. 73 as we passed the Cascade Lakes. <sigh>
Things cleared up a bit by the time we parked at the HPIC and loaded our food into the bear canisters. Since we were playing it safe with E-Frame's recovering ankle, Sir Edmund and I took most of the group gear (food, tents, stove, etc.) and around 12:15P we were ready to get on the trail. After the requisite pre-hike photo, taken by a kind (and attractive) teacher from Queensbury, we were off. We made it to Marcy Dam with no issues, threw down our sleeping pads in one of the lean-to's, which already had six other sleeping bags in it, and prepared to tackle Phelps. After making the tragic error-in-judgement of humping 45lb+ packs up and over Marcy two year ago, last year we changed strategy and used light daypacks for our Great Range traverse. That was our M.O. this year as well, and the trip to the top of Phelps was quick and relatively easy. The views were good, and we could see the snow on top of nearby peaks. E-Frame's ankle was holding up well, but just to be safe, he soaked it in the chilly waters of Marcy Lake upon our return.
Getting back to the LT, we met our shelter-mates for the weekend, two Canadian brothers named Tom and Jan and their two kids apiece, one tween girl each and a younger boy. They were an entertaining crew and, given that Sir Ed, E-Frame and I all have daughters in 6th grade and sons in 3d grade (1st grade for E-Frame), it was almost like we had our families along with us. The kids were entertaining in their own right, and we especially enjoyed eavesdropping on Tom's reading of Stuart McLean's humorous "Dave Cooks the Turkey" as a goodnight story.
SATURDAY, 10/4 -- WRIGHT/ALGONQUIN/IROQUOIS
After a not-so-restful night's sleep, thanks to a hard, wooden lean-to floor and snoring shelter-mates, I downed some oatmeal and coffee and we left Marcy Dam. Our Canadian friends warned us against the Whale's Tail "short cut" so we headed down the Van Hovenberg Expressway, and man, the traffic was heavy! Once we turned onto the trail heading up to Algonquin, the other hikers all but disappeared, however, and we made good time.
About halfway up the trail to the Wright-Iroquois junction, we caught up to a couple ahead of us and exchanged pleasantries. The gentleman looked familiar, and once I saw the ADK 46er patch on his pack, I realized it was Yvon from right here on VFTT! He and Annie were hoping to get over to Iroquois and then down to Lake Colden, but were somewhat doubtful about the conditions farther up and on the Lake Colden trail, as the ranger they had spoken with earlier recommended that they descend the same way they went up, rather than making the loop.
We had a quick water break at the Wright-Algonquin trail junction and then headed up to Wright Peak. Once past the treeline we found somewhat icy conditions, but there was enough bare, dry rock still present that it wasn't too difficult to get around the icy spots. A few pix at the windy summit and we headed back down quickly.
Arriving back at the Wright-Algonquin trail junction, it appeared that we were late for a party, since there must have been about 15+ people there. In the few minutes it took us to down some food, another dozen or so folks passed through on their way up to "Ali G", as we now called the peak. It was at this point that the snow made it's presence known in earnest. The three of us got rather spread out between other groups of hikers, as Sir Edmund put the hammer down and moved along quickly, I was keeping a steady pace and E-Frame was moving deliberately so as not to do anything to aggravate his ankle. We shelled up at the treeline and made it to the summit without incident.
Once we started down the back side of Ali G. the wind kicked up in earnest, so we kept the shells on and soon crossed over the trail down to Lake Colden. The col between Algonquin and Iroquois was mud soup, earning my waterproof hiking boots "Key Piece of Gear" status for this trip. This was our first hike on a herd path/non-maintained trail, and the spruce traps were an interesting challenge. Passing over Boundary Peak, we made it to Iroquois about a half-hour after leaving the Algonquin summit. I rang my wife, just to let her know we were still alive, and we had another quick food/water break before heading back.
Reaching the trail down to Lake Colden, we had to decide whether to make the trip a loop and head back via Avalance Pass, or ascend back up Ali G. and return via the way we came up. At this point, the sun was shining and the temps were warming up, so we were pretty optimistic that the trail to Lake Colden wouldn't be icy, so down we went. The trip down to Lake Colden went quickly and easily and we stopped a couple times to take in views of the slides on the west face of Mount Colden. We then proceeded along Avalance Lake and through Avalance Pass, getting back to the lean-to before dark, after completing a nearly 11-mile loop. We were tired, but happy that the day's hike was over and without any problems. (Sir Edmund and I had done Algonquin two winters ago, but neglected to get Wright and Iroquois; E-Frame needed all three, so we all got something out of the trip.)
We fired up the stove and downed our Mountain House meals (their Chicken Teriyaki is actually quite good, IMO) and were treated by the girls -- Emily and Erin -- giving a "presentation" whereby they read from their journals about their current hiking adventure. It was at this point that we received the "Best Shelter-mates" award, likely from me sharing some Pepto-Bismol tablets with Matthew (the 6-year-old) who was having some stomach issues. When I inquired whether this honor included any type of cash award, Emily rolled her eyes at me the EXACT SAME WAY that my daughter does! Maybe this talent is like the 12-year-old girl secret handshake...
SUNDAY, 10/5 -- TABLE TOP/HIKE-OUT/DRIVE HOME
After bidding adieu to the Canadian contingent, we headed out for our final target peak: Table Top. The herd path was easy to find and wasn't quite as muddy as the route to Iroquois...until we reached the flat summit ridge, where we had to skirt around or through some standing water. (At what point does "puddle" become "pond" anyway?) The sun actually made it out for this part of our trip and we had more snacks/water at the little summit rock on Table Top. On the descent, we kicked up the pace once we hit the maintained Phelps trail and were back to the LT before noon.
We quickly loaded up the big packs and made for the trailhead. Sir Ed and I alternated being in the lead and there seemed to be an unspoken contest as to who could hike the fastest, as every time we swapped leads, the pace seemed to increase. We made it from Marcy Dam to the HPIC trailhead in 45-minutes! With full packs!
After returning the bear canister to The Mountaineer, we made our maiden voyage to the Noonmark Diner, the local Keene Valley eatery famous among ADK hikers. While it was great to eat real food -- i.e., non-freeze dried backpacking meals -- once again, I was slightly disappointed to find that my patty melt (one of my all-time most favoriteist diner meals) was lacking the grilled onions that make the sandwich so delicious. My partners, ever the connoiseurs, noted that I had ordered onion rings on the side, so I should stop being a whiner. But they missed the point (again).
Driving home down the Taconic Parkway we were treated to some wonderful views of sunset over the Catskills and we all decided that it was a(nother) great trip. Arrivign home I was treated to my wife's famous homemade chili and hugs from the kids. Can it get any better?
Photo album
My two hiking partners -- Sir Edmund and E-Frame -- and I left Brewster, NY at 7:45A, happy that all three of us were making another foray to the ADKs. Just two weeks prior, E-Frame had sprained his ankle on a family hike and was unsure whether he'd make it this year. (In fact, he tried to bail out a week ahead of time, but Sir Ed and I weren't hearing any of it.) After getting on the Northway, the further we traveled, the better the weather started to look. The drizzle gave way to clouds, which gave way to scattered blue skies, which gave way to sun.
Then we hit rain and snow on Rt. 73 as we passed the Cascade Lakes. <sigh>
Things cleared up a bit by the time we parked at the HPIC and loaded our food into the bear canisters. Since we were playing it safe with E-Frame's recovering ankle, Sir Edmund and I took most of the group gear (food, tents, stove, etc.) and around 12:15P we were ready to get on the trail. After the requisite pre-hike photo, taken by a kind (and attractive) teacher from Queensbury, we were off. We made it to Marcy Dam with no issues, threw down our sleeping pads in one of the lean-to's, which already had six other sleeping bags in it, and prepared to tackle Phelps. After making the tragic error-in-judgement of humping 45lb+ packs up and over Marcy two year ago, last year we changed strategy and used light daypacks for our Great Range traverse. That was our M.O. this year as well, and the trip to the top of Phelps was quick and relatively easy. The views were good, and we could see the snow on top of nearby peaks. E-Frame's ankle was holding up well, but just to be safe, he soaked it in the chilly waters of Marcy Lake upon our return.
Getting back to the LT, we met our shelter-mates for the weekend, two Canadian brothers named Tom and Jan and their two kids apiece, one tween girl each and a younger boy. They were an entertaining crew and, given that Sir Ed, E-Frame and I all have daughters in 6th grade and sons in 3d grade (1st grade for E-Frame), it was almost like we had our families along with us. The kids were entertaining in their own right, and we especially enjoyed eavesdropping on Tom's reading of Stuart McLean's humorous "Dave Cooks the Turkey" as a goodnight story.
SATURDAY, 10/4 -- WRIGHT/ALGONQUIN/IROQUOIS
After a not-so-restful night's sleep, thanks to a hard, wooden lean-to floor and snoring shelter-mates, I downed some oatmeal and coffee and we left Marcy Dam. Our Canadian friends warned us against the Whale's Tail "short cut" so we headed down the Van Hovenberg Expressway, and man, the traffic was heavy! Once we turned onto the trail heading up to Algonquin, the other hikers all but disappeared, however, and we made good time.
About halfway up the trail to the Wright-Iroquois junction, we caught up to a couple ahead of us and exchanged pleasantries. The gentleman looked familiar, and once I saw the ADK 46er patch on his pack, I realized it was Yvon from right here on VFTT! He and Annie were hoping to get over to Iroquois and then down to Lake Colden, but were somewhat doubtful about the conditions farther up and on the Lake Colden trail, as the ranger they had spoken with earlier recommended that they descend the same way they went up, rather than making the loop.
We had a quick water break at the Wright-Algonquin trail junction and then headed up to Wright Peak. Once past the treeline we found somewhat icy conditions, but there was enough bare, dry rock still present that it wasn't too difficult to get around the icy spots. A few pix at the windy summit and we headed back down quickly.
Arriving back at the Wright-Algonquin trail junction, it appeared that we were late for a party, since there must have been about 15+ people there. In the few minutes it took us to down some food, another dozen or so folks passed through on their way up to "Ali G", as we now called the peak. It was at this point that the snow made it's presence known in earnest. The three of us got rather spread out between other groups of hikers, as Sir Edmund put the hammer down and moved along quickly, I was keeping a steady pace and E-Frame was moving deliberately so as not to do anything to aggravate his ankle. We shelled up at the treeline and made it to the summit without incident.
Once we started down the back side of Ali G. the wind kicked up in earnest, so we kept the shells on and soon crossed over the trail down to Lake Colden. The col between Algonquin and Iroquois was mud soup, earning my waterproof hiking boots "Key Piece of Gear" status for this trip. This was our first hike on a herd path/non-maintained trail, and the spruce traps were an interesting challenge. Passing over Boundary Peak, we made it to Iroquois about a half-hour after leaving the Algonquin summit. I rang my wife, just to let her know we were still alive, and we had another quick food/water break before heading back.
Reaching the trail down to Lake Colden, we had to decide whether to make the trip a loop and head back via Avalance Pass, or ascend back up Ali G. and return via the way we came up. At this point, the sun was shining and the temps were warming up, so we were pretty optimistic that the trail to Lake Colden wouldn't be icy, so down we went. The trip down to Lake Colden went quickly and easily and we stopped a couple times to take in views of the slides on the west face of Mount Colden. We then proceeded along Avalance Lake and through Avalance Pass, getting back to the lean-to before dark, after completing a nearly 11-mile loop. We were tired, but happy that the day's hike was over and without any problems. (Sir Edmund and I had done Algonquin two winters ago, but neglected to get Wright and Iroquois; E-Frame needed all three, so we all got something out of the trip.)
We fired up the stove and downed our Mountain House meals (their Chicken Teriyaki is actually quite good, IMO) and were treated by the girls -- Emily and Erin -- giving a "presentation" whereby they read from their journals about their current hiking adventure. It was at this point that we received the "Best Shelter-mates" award, likely from me sharing some Pepto-Bismol tablets with Matthew (the 6-year-old) who was having some stomach issues. When I inquired whether this honor included any type of cash award, Emily rolled her eyes at me the EXACT SAME WAY that my daughter does! Maybe this talent is like the 12-year-old girl secret handshake...
SUNDAY, 10/5 -- TABLE TOP/HIKE-OUT/DRIVE HOME
After bidding adieu to the Canadian contingent, we headed out for our final target peak: Table Top. The herd path was easy to find and wasn't quite as muddy as the route to Iroquois...until we reached the flat summit ridge, where we had to skirt around or through some standing water. (At what point does "puddle" become "pond" anyway?) The sun actually made it out for this part of our trip and we had more snacks/water at the little summit rock on Table Top. On the descent, we kicked up the pace once we hit the maintained Phelps trail and were back to the LT before noon.
We quickly loaded up the big packs and made for the trailhead. Sir Ed and I alternated being in the lead and there seemed to be an unspoken contest as to who could hike the fastest, as every time we swapped leads, the pace seemed to increase. We made it from Marcy Dam to the HPIC trailhead in 45-minutes! With full packs!
After returning the bear canister to The Mountaineer, we made our maiden voyage to the Noonmark Diner, the local Keene Valley eatery famous among ADK hikers. While it was great to eat real food -- i.e., non-freeze dried backpacking meals -- once again, I was slightly disappointed to find that my patty melt (one of my all-time most favoriteist diner meals) was lacking the grilled onions that make the sandwich so delicious. My partners, ever the connoiseurs, noted that I had ordered onion rings on the side, so I should stop being a whiner. But they missed the point (again).
Driving home down the Taconic Parkway we were treated to some wonderful views of sunset over the Catskills and we all decided that it was a(nother) great trip. Arrivign home I was treated to my wife's famous homemade chili and hugs from the kids. Can it get any better?
Photo album
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