I finally got around to hiking Algonquin, Iroquois and Wright this past weekend. This hike had been near the top of my wishlist since mid-2018 when I summited New York's other 5,000+ footer on an incredibly sublime morning. That was my last visit to the High Peaks region and I was dying to return -- preferably sometime after Columbus Day because I didn't want to deal with the same kind of crowdedness that I experienced on a
short firetower hike earlier this fall.
This was my first hike originating from the Loj (I parked at the South Meadows lot when I hiked Marcy). Embarrassingly, I was unable to locate the trailhead and had to ask for directions so as not to waste any more valuable time on what was expected to be a very long day. A helpful worker inside the Loj pointed me in the right direction and I was finally on my way.
The Algonquin Peak trail was remarkably easy up to MacIntyre Falls. I thought to myself, "This is way easier than Marcy and might even be less challenging than Cascade!" Well, my impression of the hike's difficulty changed in a hurry! Slick rock slabs awaited me after the waterfalls and remained present after I hooked a left at the Algonquin/Wright trail junction. I swear to god, those massive bare rocks are my kryptonite, even in perfectly dry conditions. I react to seeing these in the same manner that someone who loathes his or her job reacts when the alarm clock goes off on weekday mornings!
Scrambling above treeline on Wright wasn't quite as unnerving as I had anticipated because the rocks were mostly dry, unlike the ones below treeline that were a lot trickier. And I was prepared for the 40-50 mph wind gusts that mountain-forecast.com had predicted.
The final push up to Algonquin's summit was manageable. There was a little bit of snow and ice, but nothing too bad compared to what awaited me on my hellish descent via the Avalanche Trail route. More on that later.
After descending the southwest side of Algonquin, I made my way to Boundary and then Iroquois via slushy herd paths. There were a couple of short rock sections that I was hesitant to attempt with my boots that are reliable for everything
except traction. Putting on microspikes gave me enough confidence to get by these stumbling blocks, but nevertheless, this will be the last time I wear these boots in the Adirondacks because I don't trust them enough to give me adequate grip in these situations.
Not wanting to descend the same way I went up, I opted to go down the Avalanche Pass route that I had read so much about online. This proved to be a mistake as the entire trail was one giant waterfall from all the snow melting. Mix in occasional icy patches, slippery rocks, and stream crossings with fast-flowing water and you have a recipe for potential disaster. I exercised extreme caution with every step I took, resulting in a
four hour descent to Lake Colden. The sun was setting when I reached Avalanche Lake and I still had a long ways to go from there.
Even the relatively benign homestretch from Marcy Dam to the Loj wasn't without its hiccups as I somehow lost the blue-marked trail in the area near Whales Tail Mountain. With no trail in sight, I figured I would work my way out of this jam by bushwhacking downhill in the direction of Marcy Dam & Brook. I eventually found the trail I was looking for and did a quick compass reading to be 100% sure that I was heading north where I needed to go. From there, it was a humbling walk back to the Loj where I thought about everything I could have done differently (purchase footwear with better traction prior to this hike, download offline maps beforehand, put my paper map into a waterproof case when there's a possibility of falling in a stream and not just when it's pouring outside, among other things).
On a more positive note, I had nothing but positive interactions with everyone that I met in the Lake Placid area this weekend (ADK staff, hotel receptionists, other hikers, etc.) In spite of my adventure not going flawlessly, I'm glad I went. It was a nice getaway and the natural beauty was absolutely stunning...
More photos of the summits and trails can be seen on my photoblog that's linked below...
