Mount Colden, August 19, 2016, Eastern High Peaks, Adirondack Park

Mount Colden Summit, from the East side descent to Lake Arnold

After a week of so-so weather and summits shrouded in the clouds, I knew that a Friday in August with a picture-perfect forecast would bring out the hoards. So I decided on a long loop over one of the most-overlooked of Adirondack High Peaks - Mount Colden. My prediction proved spot on. I didn't encounter a single hiker until the 4 and a half hour mark. And the hike turned out to be one of the absolute best loops in all of the ADKs.

Wooden Stairs along Avalanche Lake

I arrived at the Adirondack Loj parking area at 5:30 sharp and was on the trail with a headlamp within five minutes. No worries in doing the easy miles to Marcy Dam in the dark - it's mostly packed dirt with little elevation gain and I know the trail like the back of my hand. By the time I reached the dam, the full moon helping to light my way had been replaced by a pleasant dawn. I made quick time through Avalanche Pass to Avalanche Lake. There's no better time to take in the lake's beauty than in the tranquil light of early morning.

MacIntyre Range beyond Lake Colden

Up next, Lake Colden, which sits at a lower elevation than Avalanche and is reached via a trail that follows a connecting brook. I took my first real break of the day on the shores of Lake Colden admiring the view of the MacIntyre Range, including Algonquin and Wright Peak - both of which I had visited earlier in the week. I like doing successive hikes in the same general vicinity. It affords the chance to really learn the geography and experience neighboring peaks from different vantage points.

200 Step Ladder - Express Route to the Summit

The Adirondack Mountain Club guidebook to the High Peaks says that the loop hike to Mount Colden is one of the Park's best. But for some reason, they suggest coming up from Lake Arnold and DESCENDING to Lake Colden. Their reasoning is that the approach from Arnold is much more gradual. Personally, I'd rather go up a vertical pitch than down it. And vertical is truly the right word for the ascent from Lake Colden. It's something like 1,950 feet of gain in only 1.6 miles. A long wooden ladder up one section does help, but most of it is climbing up bare rock.

Boulder Scramble to Colden Summit

Colden is such a cool mountain. Its west face has a bunch of slides that descend all the way down to the lakes. It also has a cleft called the Trap Dike, which some people use to bushwhack to the summit. The west side of the summit cone has wide open ledges with views across the valley to the MacIntyre Range, while the east side is wooded but still provides a nice view of Mount Marcy, New York's highest peak.

The View of Mount Marcy from Boulder on East Side of Colden Summit

I took my time on the western ledges of the summit and then made my way to the east side, taking another break at the point where the trail up from Lake Arnold passes under a large boulder. Next, I made my way down the gradual grade to Lake Arnold where I met the first of only a handful of hikers bound for Colden.

Once I passed Marcy Dam, however, I started to hit the summer hoards of folks heading to Marcy and Algonquin. I felt like saying, "You should have gone to Colden."

Peak: Mount Colden 

Elevation: 4,714 feet (Gain: 2,864 feet)

Distance: 13.4 miles (Trail Time: 5:30am - 12:30pm, 7 hours)

Route: Adirondack Loj to Marcy Dam, Avalanche Pass Trail to Avalanche Camp, Avalanche Lake and Lake Colden, Mount Colden Trail to Colden Summit, L. Morgan Porter Trail to Lake Arnold, return to Loj via Avalanche Camp and Marcy Dam.

Conditions: Full Sun, 80 degrees F

Algonquin and Wright Peak, August 15, 2016, MacIntyre Range, Adirondack Park

Summit Approach, Algonquin

They say that Algonquin, the second highest peak in New York State, has one of the best views in the Adirondacks. That might well be the case. But I didn't see squat. That's what happens when an early morning hike takes you into the clouds.

The Waterfall en route to Algonquin

The forecast actually encouraged me to choose to hike Algonquin. I knew that it is one of the park's most popular peaks - especially in August. With little chance of a view from the top, I thought, many hikers might well stay away. I made a 6 AM start from Heart Lake and reached the summit by 9 AM. For about the last hour and a half, I found myself on the heels of a single hiker. Not wanting to pass him, I decided to take a few extra breaks along the way - including a nice long one at the towering waterfall at mile 2.6.

Summit Survey Marker on Algonguin

Eventually, I had a chance to meet the mysterious early-morning hiker at the top - A fifty-something man from Montreal who got up a 3 AM in order to drive to the trail head by dawn. With no views to speak of, we chatted for a few minutes about the benefits of early morning departures before a summit steward arrived. Must be nice when the ADK High Peaks are your office.

At the Cloud Line on Shoulder of Wright Peak

Heading back down from Algonquin, I decided that I'd make a quick run up Wright Peak to see if the lower elevation summit happened to be below the cloud cover. I was hoping for at least a partial view back to my starting point at Heart Lake. Although Wright's summit was also in the clouds, I did manage to get one nice view while ascending. After another longish break on the summit, I headed back to the Loj.

Along the way, I counted well over 100 hikers ascended Algonquin. At least one in five asked me if there were any views from the top.

Peaks: Algonquin and Wright Peak

Elevation: 5,114 feet and 4,580 feet (Gain: 3,470 feet)

Distance: 9.4 miles round trip

Route: Van Hoevenberg Trail from Heart Lake to Algonquin Trail to Algonquin summit, spur trail to Wright Peak

Conditions: Cloudy to Partly Cloudy, 80 degrees F