I hesitated before posting this trip report since I'm sure there are already a bunch of TR on this hike. But here goes.
I started off with no firm intent of doing all 3 summits and knew I could turn back at any time without shame (one of the benefits of solo hiking!). But at the same time I really wanted to test my abilities.
I reached the turn-off for Wright after 1:50 which was according to plan, so I turned left for Wright. This is where you leave Boulder City for Bedrock Town. I've reached an age at which you constantly worry about slipping and falling, and this is what I had to content with (somehow the steepness doesn't show much in the picture):
Anyway, aside from the slight risk of sliding off the mountain, there was no particular difficulty and I got on top maybe 30 minutes later. Boy was it windy on top - lonely too. By the time I put on my gloves, I had lost feeling in the tips of my left hand. I was getting stung by what I initially thought was hail but probably was dust being flung at my face by some angry god. Did the Titanic pose for 10 seconds, no more, as I felt my poles and my whole body being pulled by the wind. Got down quickly from that big rock on top and to my complete surprise I see this person running towards me from the summit I had just been on. This was Sarah, the Mountain Steward for Wright Peak. She must've somehow taken residence in a crack. Talk about pulling the short straw on mountain assignments! And this was a beautiful day. Made doubly sure not to walk on plants and headed back down. Did I make the short detour to the memorial site? Nope, I was too concerned about going down some of those steep, slippery portions.
It wasn't that bad and I felt in great shape so off to Algonquin I went. Plus I had gained an experience level in wet bedrock navigation.
What followed was a bit similar to Wright but not as steep and nowhere as windy. There is a long portion above tree-line and thus fantastic views - you hardly notice you're climbing on that last part!
I was almost on top when this guy comes running up, in shorts nonetheless. It was Mike (I think), the Mountain Steward for Algonquin. Can you believe this guy has to climb 3K feet to get to work each day? These people are not human. Anyway, told him I had already heard the plants speach on Wrigth.
I reached the summit maybe 4 hours into the hike. I had been on Algonquin in '99 but what had seemed like just overcast conditions at trailhead actually turned to no visibility at all on top. This day was different - perfect Fall conditions, with great visibility all around.
Marcy, Colden, etc.:
Lake Placid, Heart Lake, Wright Peak, Whiteface Mountain (far):
Trip to Iroquois was fun and not very strenuous. To get there you need to turn right, instead of left, as soon as you enter tree-line South of Algonquin. I was using a hiking app, so there was no way I could get lost. The path is quite narrow and my poles kept getting caught in vegetation. There are 2-3 places where there is some climbing involved and you kind of need to analyse the situation. But I was done with Boulder Peak and on top of Iroquois less than an hour after Algonquin. Here's the view towards Algonquin (with Bondary Peak sitting at mid-way):
Return trip was uneventful, thanks in large part to my trustful hiking poles. Also, I saved a ton of effort just stomping through the mud rather than rock-hop. I met quite a few hikers going down (a few of which seemed grossly uninformed, at least compared to me!), but the summits were not crowded at all - only a handful on each.
Total hike took me 8.5 hours with short stops (max 15 min) on each summit. Muscles a bit sore, but ready for more.
I started off with no firm intent of doing all 3 summits and knew I could turn back at any time without shame (one of the benefits of solo hiking!). But at the same time I really wanted to test my abilities.
I reached the turn-off for Wright after 1:50 which was according to plan, so I turned left for Wright. This is where you leave Boulder City for Bedrock Town. I've reached an age at which you constantly worry about slipping and falling, and this is what I had to content with (somehow the steepness doesn't show much in the picture):
Anyway, aside from the slight risk of sliding off the mountain, there was no particular difficulty and I got on top maybe 30 minutes later. Boy was it windy on top - lonely too. By the time I put on my gloves, I had lost feeling in the tips of my left hand. I was getting stung by what I initially thought was hail but probably was dust being flung at my face by some angry god. Did the Titanic pose for 10 seconds, no more, as I felt my poles and my whole body being pulled by the wind. Got down quickly from that big rock on top and to my complete surprise I see this person running towards me from the summit I had just been on. This was Sarah, the Mountain Steward for Wright Peak. She must've somehow taken residence in a crack. Talk about pulling the short straw on mountain assignments! And this was a beautiful day. Made doubly sure not to walk on plants and headed back down. Did I make the short detour to the memorial site? Nope, I was too concerned about going down some of those steep, slippery portions.
It wasn't that bad and I felt in great shape so off to Algonquin I went. Plus I had gained an experience level in wet bedrock navigation.
What followed was a bit similar to Wright but not as steep and nowhere as windy. There is a long portion above tree-line and thus fantastic views - you hardly notice you're climbing on that last part!
I was almost on top when this guy comes running up, in shorts nonetheless. It was Mike (I think), the Mountain Steward for Algonquin. Can you believe this guy has to climb 3K feet to get to work each day? These people are not human. Anyway, told him I had already heard the plants speach on Wrigth.
I reached the summit maybe 4 hours into the hike. I had been on Algonquin in '99 but what had seemed like just overcast conditions at trailhead actually turned to no visibility at all on top. This day was different - perfect Fall conditions, with great visibility all around.
Marcy, Colden, etc.:
Lake Placid, Heart Lake, Wright Peak, Whiteface Mountain (far):
Trip to Iroquois was fun and not very strenuous. To get there you need to turn right, instead of left, as soon as you enter tree-line South of Algonquin. I was using a hiking app, so there was no way I could get lost. The path is quite narrow and my poles kept getting caught in vegetation. There are 2-3 places where there is some climbing involved and you kind of need to analyse the situation. But I was done with Boulder Peak and on top of Iroquois less than an hour after Algonquin. Here's the view towards Algonquin (with Bondary Peak sitting at mid-way):
Return trip was uneventful, thanks in large part to my trustful hiking poles. Also, I saved a ton of effort just stomping through the mud rather than rock-hop. I met quite a few hikers going down (a few of which seemed grossly uninformed, at least compared to me!), but the summits were not crowded at all - only a handful on each.
Total hike took me 8.5 hours with short stops (max 15 min) on each summit. Muscles a bit sore, but ready for more.
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