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| Peace and quiet on Indian Pass trail on a Columbus Day weekend |
I always try to avoid starting hike from the Heart Lake/Loj parking area on weekends, especially holiday weekends. I like quiet, contemplative mornings, not mob scenes. However, my schedule recently facilitated the unlikely decision to hike Mount Marshall on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend. Of course, I had anticipated every detail of the veritable shit show that greeted me as I arrived. There was a steady stream of car headlights behind me as I pulled up to the entrance at 5:55 a.m. The parking booth was already staffed and open for business, as was the Hungry Hiker snack bar and the High Peaks Information Center. The lot was at 80% capacity and streams of huge hiking parties in headlamps were surging towards the main trail towards Marcy Dam. The cacophony of voices was deafening.
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| View towards Indian Pass |
Knowing that the main trails to Mount Marcy and Avalanche Pass would be loaded on a holiday weekend, my plan was to tackle Marshall from the west. I'd take the trail to Indian Pass and then up the Cold Brook Trail to the herd path. I expected that this route, even on a holiday weekend, would be far less trafficked than the ones leaving the Loj to the east.
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| Trail break on banks of Indian Pass Brook |
I started out on the Heart Lake loop trail and needed a headlamp almost until the junction to Rocky Falls. The Indian Pass trail had easy grades all the way to the lean-to site on the banks of Indian Pass Creek. At this point, there was a split in the trail which had a yellow blazed trail going one way and the red-blazed trail that I'd been following crossing the river. I stuck with the latter and it brought me past a couple of brook-side camp sites, after which the trail rises and dips steeply down. It then follows the creek again to the start of the trail through Cold Brook pass, clearly marked by two cairns. This proved to be a perfect break spot to prepare for the long climb. I used this point for two breaks, one on the way up and one on the return.
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| Only views of the day, from trail through Cold Brook Pass |
Though very poorly maintained, the trail up through Cold Brook Pass is a splendid one. It follows the brook pretty much the entire way, passing many deep pools and waterfalls. The crossings provide some visual interest, though long distance views as you climb are pretty minimal. Almost the entire way up, I endured the constant sensation of wet branches brushing my face and clothing. The trail is really overgrown and needs a trim. Some people seem to complain about this. I rather like it. It feels like an undiscovered, secret trail that nobody ever uses.
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| Brook-turned-trail in Cold Brook Pass |
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| Absolutely no views from the Mt. Marshall vista point. Bummer. |
The absolute highlight of the day, however, was the total isolation of the trails that I had chosen. From Heart Lake to the herd path, I saw only two other hikers. Two. On a warm and dry autumn day. At peak foliage time of year. On Columbus Day weekend.
I'll definitely be going back.
Peak: Mount Marshall
Elevation: 4,360 feet (Gain: approx, 3,000 feet)
Distance: 14.5 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Indian Pass Trail to Cold Brook Pass Trail to Mount Marshall Herd Path
Conditions: Partly Cloudy, 70 degrees F
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