John S
Member
Well, that’s not entirely true. I did enjoy a fine afternoon with Little Bear, Prino and Big Moose on Hurricane Mountain during last year’s BBQ but on this trip I finally found my way to some of the higher peaks.
Friday morning of the recent Spence and Maddi BBQ weekend, SherpaK, funkyfreddy and I set out from the Loj for the three 4K peaks of the MacIntyre Range. Having been to Algonquin and Iroquois before, freddy left us at the Wright spur path to explore the airplane crash site while SherpaK and I continued up the range. On this otherwise fine day, the ceiling was just a few hundred feet too low and we were in the clouds when we reached the Algonquin summit. Now and then the brisk breeze would open a view for a fleeting moment, just enough to see that there’s lots out there but too little to have gotten a feeling for the region.
We pushed on over Boundary and picked up the trail to Iroquois. This was my first encounter with an ‘unofficial’ trail and it looked pretty good to me - you might get scratched below the waist or soaked if it’s wet but you certainly won’t get lost. A few more of those fleeting views opened up on the summit and again on the return to Algonquin, revealing the steep side of Colden, its namesake lake and Flowed Lands. Nice stuff but, unfortunately, still only snapshots.
Freddy caught up to us on Algonquin and we headed for Wright on the way out. While the wind was brisk on Algonquin and Iroquois it was almost gale-like on Wright once we were out of the trees. First, I stowed my hat to keep it from blowing off the mountain. Nearing the summit, I had to reach back for my jacket’s hood and tighten it around my face to keep my glasses from blowing away. The last few steps to the top, I was on all fours. What a summit!
For the day, it was a good hike on great trails with fun people. I missed getting a sense of the DAKs as a whole but it did get better, much better, on the next outing.
On Sunday, SherpaK, LindaLu and I hiked up to a lean-to near JBL, thinking about doing Big Slide if time permitted. Arriving about 3:00, I over-estimated how long it would take and decided not to go, so SherpaK went by himself. In hindsight, I should have gone with him as he was back by 6:15, of course boasting of great views from a terrific peak! It may not be a total loss, however, since I now know of another shorter hike that might be worth saving for a winter trip.
Monday morning we set out for a loop over the Lower Range, starting with Lower Wolf Jaw and returning via Ore Bed Brook. Having her own goals for this big trip east, Linda left us after Lower Wolf Jaw with plans to meet up later at The Hostel in Keene Valley. It seemed like everything this day was steep, rough and rocky but the rewards were there in spades on a mostly blue-sky day. We had views on each peak except Armstrong, which was still in the clouds from a quickly passing shower. Gothics, however, was just fantastic with views everywhere - across the lake to Dial, Nippletop and Colvin, up the range over Saddleback to Marcy and Haystack et al, and over to Friday’s trek on Wright, Algonquin, Boundary and Iroquois, which by then was looking as familiar as the Whites. Finally, a panorama which gave a sense of the whole of the High Peaks! Gothics was now a favorite high place and it didn’t end on the summit. Those cables are really cool! I was a bit intimidated at first since there’s no slack at the very top and I had to bend over too far to feel comfortable. After the first anchor, however, I was walking upright and on my way. By the end it seemed more like insurance than life-support. Thank you, Pete Hickey!
Everything after the cables defined anti-climatic but we still had loads of fun. We had a mellow hike out, picked up the rest of our gear at the lean-to, found Linda at The Hostel and savored a late dinner at the Noonmark. On Tuesday, we retrieved our tents from Spence and Maddi’s place, gave our final thanks to our very gracious hosts and headed for the ferry.
I enjoyed some really good hiking up there. I think I’ll be enjoying more in the future.
Friday morning of the recent Spence and Maddi BBQ weekend, SherpaK, funkyfreddy and I set out from the Loj for the three 4K peaks of the MacIntyre Range. Having been to Algonquin and Iroquois before, freddy left us at the Wright spur path to explore the airplane crash site while SherpaK and I continued up the range. On this otherwise fine day, the ceiling was just a few hundred feet too low and we were in the clouds when we reached the Algonquin summit. Now and then the brisk breeze would open a view for a fleeting moment, just enough to see that there’s lots out there but too little to have gotten a feeling for the region.
We pushed on over Boundary and picked up the trail to Iroquois. This was my first encounter with an ‘unofficial’ trail and it looked pretty good to me - you might get scratched below the waist or soaked if it’s wet but you certainly won’t get lost. A few more of those fleeting views opened up on the summit and again on the return to Algonquin, revealing the steep side of Colden, its namesake lake and Flowed Lands. Nice stuff but, unfortunately, still only snapshots.
Freddy caught up to us on Algonquin and we headed for Wright on the way out. While the wind was brisk on Algonquin and Iroquois it was almost gale-like on Wright once we were out of the trees. First, I stowed my hat to keep it from blowing off the mountain. Nearing the summit, I had to reach back for my jacket’s hood and tighten it around my face to keep my glasses from blowing away. The last few steps to the top, I was on all fours. What a summit!
For the day, it was a good hike on great trails with fun people. I missed getting a sense of the DAKs as a whole but it did get better, much better, on the next outing.
On Sunday, SherpaK, LindaLu and I hiked up to a lean-to near JBL, thinking about doing Big Slide if time permitted. Arriving about 3:00, I over-estimated how long it would take and decided not to go, so SherpaK went by himself. In hindsight, I should have gone with him as he was back by 6:15, of course boasting of great views from a terrific peak! It may not be a total loss, however, since I now know of another shorter hike that might be worth saving for a winter trip.
Monday morning we set out for a loop over the Lower Range, starting with Lower Wolf Jaw and returning via Ore Bed Brook. Having her own goals for this big trip east, Linda left us after Lower Wolf Jaw with plans to meet up later at The Hostel in Keene Valley. It seemed like everything this day was steep, rough and rocky but the rewards were there in spades on a mostly blue-sky day. We had views on each peak except Armstrong, which was still in the clouds from a quickly passing shower. Gothics, however, was just fantastic with views everywhere - across the lake to Dial, Nippletop and Colvin, up the range over Saddleback to Marcy and Haystack et al, and over to Friday’s trek on Wright, Algonquin, Boundary and Iroquois, which by then was looking as familiar as the Whites. Finally, a panorama which gave a sense of the whole of the High Peaks! Gothics was now a favorite high place and it didn’t end on the summit. Those cables are really cool! I was a bit intimidated at first since there’s no slack at the very top and I had to bend over too far to feel comfortable. After the first anchor, however, I was walking upright and on my way. By the end it seemed more like insurance than life-support. Thank you, Pete Hickey!
Everything after the cables defined anti-climatic but we still had loads of fun. We had a mellow hike out, picked up the rest of our gear at the lean-to, found Linda at The Hostel and savored a late dinner at the Noonmark. On Tuesday, we retrieved our tents from Spence and Maddi’s place, gave our final thanks to our very gracious hosts and headed for the ferry.
I enjoyed some really good hiking up there. I think I’ll be enjoying more in the future.
