adktyler
Active member
First of all, I want to dedicate this climb to my grandfather, Charles W. Merriam, whose legacy of introducing my father and I to the Adirondack Winter High Peaks, and inspiring us to continue climbing them, will forever live on. Thank you, Pappy!
Well, it was time for our big day. I was very sorry that many of my good friends had to bow out at the last minute, but we were still joined by Chris (hobbitling), who is a pleasure to hike with because of his cheerful attitude, genuine appreciation for the outdoors, and excellent sense of humor. He met us at our house a little after 4:30 am, and we were off! After an uneventful drive (at least I believe it was uneventful, I was asleep most of the time), and witnessing an unsullied sunrise behind the High Peaks, we reached the Adirondack Loj parking lot at 7:15 am.
The parking lot was quite full, as it seemed many people were itching to climb as much as we were. I had the pleasure of meeting Drewski and Meb, both of whom are legends in the Whites, while gearing up for our climb. It was Meb’s first time in the Adirondack High Peaks, and I hope she had a wonderful time! The three of us hit the trail at 7:45 am, picking a leisurely pace since we had all day to hike and no time crunch. It was still fairly cold from the parking lot to Marcy Dam, but the sun cut through the trees, casting long shadows and promising a warm, clear day ahead.
It was very nice to take our time, and for once I was at peace with not pushing myself to keep a strong pace, and keep track of exact times to each destination. It’s very refreshing to slow down sometimes, and simply partake in the wonder and privilege of being in an atmosphere of tranquility, beauty, and grandeur. In spite of our moseying on down the trail, it still seemed to take us very little time to reach destinations, and soon we were standing at the bank of Lake Arnold, about to begin the final leg of our quest. By this time it had warmed up considerably, and a light breeze had begun to gently cool our temperate bodies.
The trail this whole way up had been very well packed down, and I used crampons for the entire climb. When we began to rise above the thick trees, majestic vistas of Marcy came into view. The trees were lovely as well owing to the solid layer of ice coating their entire surface. This was not the thin ice that had covered many of the trees in Upper Works last week, but a thick ice that cracked deeply as the wind blew it, and sparkled a spectrum of rich colors as the sun reflected off its infinitesimal contours. By the time we reached the false summit, the wind had picked up quite a bit, but it was balanced out by the rising temperatures, then in the low 30s. Colden towered over us in the distance, beckoning us with its epic pinnacle (false summit - video).
After some pictures and videos, we began the descent down to the final ascent of Colden. The last part of the climb seemed to fly by, as a mix of nervousness, excitement, emotion, wonder, and hope flowed together into a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings. In a blur of expectant-laden footsteps, we were standing on the summit of Mt. Colden, at 11:45 am exactly (4 hours from the car)! Oh, the jubilation!! A nine year journey had been completed, and we were standing on our 46th Adirondack Winter High Peak. The experience was overwhelming, and I was absolutely thrilled! We spent the next hour on the summit, soaking in the views, eating victory snacks, taking photos and videos, chatting with the other hikers, and enjoying the glorious weather. It was truly a perfect day for us to finish.
After one final goodbye to the mountain, we began our downward hike back into the distant valley below. It still didn’t completely register that we had actually done it. I guess when an aspiration has been so much a part of your life for almost as long as you can remember, it takes a while to click that it’s actually completed. The entire hike down I thought back to memories I had collected in the past 9 years. I won’t write about those now, because I think I will compose a “thoughts on completing the 46” thread for those who might be interested. But it was certainly one of my most joyful descents in my mountain climbing experience.
Summit Video One
Summit Video Two
After some amazing sled runs[ (the last of the season - video 1, video 2) we spent a relaxing break at Marcy Dam. I broke a LFT Outdoor Ethic by feeding a chickadee, I'm sorry, though it was a neat experience and a first for me. After our rest, we hiked the last few miles down to the ADK Loj parking lot (where it was 42 degrees F). Once there (at 3:35pm), we rejoiced, congratulated each other, and celebrated our love of life and the magnificent Adirondack Mountains of New York State. My father and I are now Winter 46-Rs
More photos
Thank you for reading this!
Well, it was time for our big day. I was very sorry that many of my good friends had to bow out at the last minute, but we were still joined by Chris (hobbitling), who is a pleasure to hike with because of his cheerful attitude, genuine appreciation for the outdoors, and excellent sense of humor. He met us at our house a little after 4:30 am, and we were off! After an uneventful drive (at least I believe it was uneventful, I was asleep most of the time), and witnessing an unsullied sunrise behind the High Peaks, we reached the Adirondack Loj parking lot at 7:15 am.
The parking lot was quite full, as it seemed many people were itching to climb as much as we were. I had the pleasure of meeting Drewski and Meb, both of whom are legends in the Whites, while gearing up for our climb. It was Meb’s first time in the Adirondack High Peaks, and I hope she had a wonderful time! The three of us hit the trail at 7:45 am, picking a leisurely pace since we had all day to hike and no time crunch. It was still fairly cold from the parking lot to Marcy Dam, but the sun cut through the trees, casting long shadows and promising a warm, clear day ahead.
It was very nice to take our time, and for once I was at peace with not pushing myself to keep a strong pace, and keep track of exact times to each destination. It’s very refreshing to slow down sometimes, and simply partake in the wonder and privilege of being in an atmosphere of tranquility, beauty, and grandeur. In spite of our moseying on down the trail, it still seemed to take us very little time to reach destinations, and soon we were standing at the bank of Lake Arnold, about to begin the final leg of our quest. By this time it had warmed up considerably, and a light breeze had begun to gently cool our temperate bodies.
The trail this whole way up had been very well packed down, and I used crampons for the entire climb. When we began to rise above the thick trees, majestic vistas of Marcy came into view. The trees were lovely as well owing to the solid layer of ice coating their entire surface. This was not the thin ice that had covered many of the trees in Upper Works last week, but a thick ice that cracked deeply as the wind blew it, and sparkled a spectrum of rich colors as the sun reflected off its infinitesimal contours. By the time we reached the false summit, the wind had picked up quite a bit, but it was balanced out by the rising temperatures, then in the low 30s. Colden towered over us in the distance, beckoning us with its epic pinnacle (false summit - video).
After some pictures and videos, we began the descent down to the final ascent of Colden. The last part of the climb seemed to fly by, as a mix of nervousness, excitement, emotion, wonder, and hope flowed together into a whirlwind of thoughts and feelings. In a blur of expectant-laden footsteps, we were standing on the summit of Mt. Colden, at 11:45 am exactly (4 hours from the car)! Oh, the jubilation!! A nine year journey had been completed, and we were standing on our 46th Adirondack Winter High Peak. The experience was overwhelming, and I was absolutely thrilled! We spent the next hour on the summit, soaking in the views, eating victory snacks, taking photos and videos, chatting with the other hikers, and enjoying the glorious weather. It was truly a perfect day for us to finish.
After one final goodbye to the mountain, we began our downward hike back into the distant valley below. It still didn’t completely register that we had actually done it. I guess when an aspiration has been so much a part of your life for almost as long as you can remember, it takes a while to click that it’s actually completed. The entire hike down I thought back to memories I had collected in the past 9 years. I won’t write about those now, because I think I will compose a “thoughts on completing the 46” thread for those who might be interested. But it was certainly one of my most joyful descents in my mountain climbing experience.
Summit Video One
Summit Video Two
After some amazing sled runs[ (the last of the season - video 1, video 2) we spent a relaxing break at Marcy Dam. I broke a LFT Outdoor Ethic by feeding a chickadee, I'm sorry, though it was a neat experience and a first for me. After our rest, we hiked the last few miles down to the ADK Loj parking lot (where it was 42 degrees F). Once there (at 3:35pm), we rejoiced, congratulated each other, and celebrated our love of life and the magnificent Adirondack Mountains of New York State. My father and I are now Winter 46-Rs
More photos
Thank you for reading this!
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