Autumn Adirondack Adventures

Heart Lake at the Adirondak Loj

The first time I laid eyes on the Adirondack Mountains I was nine years old. My family took a vacation there prior to my cousin’s wedding in Schenectady. I don’t remember much about that trip aside from taking a boat ride down the Ausable Chasm. Back then they had wooden boats (I think) and nowadays they use rubber rafts to navigate the two mile gorge. I also remember riding the chairlift up Whiteface Mountain with my mom. I’m not sure if that chairlift is still there today. It probably was replaced by the Gondola, and given that ski-history is somewhat of a hobby of mine, you’d think I’d know, but that ride was long before I started skiing and even longer before I started taking note of the annual changes to various ski areas throughout the Northeast….but I digress. When we got off the lift I remember looking up to the summit and being disappointed that it didn’t go to the top of the mountain. I also recall seeing the other High Peaks of the region off in the distance and being amazed by them. I had been to the Smokies two years before that and had taken a tram ride to the top of one of those mountains as well, but something about these mountains were special. They were dramatic.

The next time I would visit the area would be six years later, this time to hike with my scout troop. I had already climbed big mountains out west by this time, yet as we approached the Adirondak Loj I peered out at the peaks with awe. We climbed two mountains that trip, two more the next year, and then I climbed a few more with my college outing club a few years later. One peak I didn’t scale was Mt. Colden, the eleventh highest in the Adirondacks. My first attempt to climb it was in 1998 but I was ill prepared for the six inches of snow that remained on the trails in late May. A second attempt was made in 2003 but was thwarted by a thunderstorm. Hopefully this trek would be successful.

I convinced my wife that a camping trip would be a good idea. I hadn’t been to the ‘Dacks since my climb up The Wolfjaws (see the earlier past about that trip) and the two of us hadn’t been camping in a long while. We weren’t roughing it by any means. Sure, we were tenting, but we were staying at the Loj campground. Lake Placid’s amenities were only a ten to fifteen minute drive or so away. On the way up we made the obligatory stop at The Loft in Lake George for a burger. The Loft is strategically placed just off the Northway and I must pass it going to both the Adirondacks and northern Vermont. Not stopping is not an option. After munching on the monstrous mix of meat, cheese, onions, and mushrooms we continued northward. Next we were getting off the exit for Route 73 and began making our way up the Keene Valley. It was late September and the area had just been hit hard by flash floods from hurricane Irene. Debris still littered the roadsides and creekbeds still showed signs of recent overflow and erosion. Even the road to the Loj had taken a hit. Thankfully the campground was intact and open for business.

Rather than deal with cooking we chose to dine out at the Lake Placid Pub & Brewery. I eat here almost every visit. The beers are excellent, the service is great, and the food is delicious. I suggest the ribs, and I suggest getting there early if you want them. When the daily supply is extinguished that’s it. If the weather is conducive to al fresco dining, opt for the deck and enjoy a meal and some fine ale watching the sunset over the peaks while last rays of light play on the waters of Mirror Lake. After dinner we headed back to camp in preparation for some hiking the next day.

Rocky Falls

My wife isn’t much of a hiker. Tackling an Adirondack High Peak was something she wasn’t going to do, but she wanted to hit the trail so we opted for a short, easy hike out to Rocky Falls. For late September, it was rather warm. Evidence of the storms was present as the trails were still muddy in places, but things overall were in good shape. Perhaps this was an omen of good things to come on my planned pitch up Colden the next day. After our morning hike we headed back into town for some lunch and then made our way over to Tupper Lake to visit The Wild Center solely so we could see the otters. The Wild Center is geared for kids but suits childlike 30-somethings equally as well. This was my second visit. We partook in some Italian food for dinner, so I carbed up on Alfredo at Nicola’s before calling it a night.

Day three started early for me. My wife slept in and had a day planned at one of the spas. I was going up. My hike began the same way as it had a dozen times before. A well-trodden two mile stretch of trail serves as the main thoroughfare leading from the Loj to the High Peaks. It’s a fairly level trip to Marcy Dam and I made good time. I was met with one detour just before the dam. The trail had been wiped out at the dam and the course was rerouted over some rocky sections of the creek. I was able to rock-hop without event but was rather shocked at the state of the dam and the lake. Irene had shown her wrath to the area. I lingered for a moment or two taking in the damage but also the fall colors. I also consulted my map. A bunch of trails merge here and lead to various peaks and camps, but they are well marked and choosing the correct one was not an issue.

Now the climbing started. Gradually at first, but little by little the incline increased. Here still the trail was in good shape and showed signs of regular use. I had been passed by another hiker very early after leaving the Loj and a few were just in front of me when I got to Marcy Dam, but they had all headed in other directions. I stopped for a quick break at a trail shelter just before the split to Lake Colden where a DEC Ranger passed me. He too was not going my way. It was 10:00am and I was pretty sure I was alone. The route I chose was not a popular one. Most hikers attack Colden from the campground at Lake Colden. I was taking the Lake Arnold route.

Before heading out I made sure the trail was open. There were still a few trails closed due to storm damage and I knew the Arnold approach was not a priority for the Rangers. Even the folks at the information center could only give me sketchy reports. Of course they told me the trail was sketchy all the time. Being a seasoned ADK hiker, I’ve come to prepare for sketchy. As I climbed higher my pace slowed. Not only was the trail getting steeper, but after the split for Lake Colden it became significantly rockier and at points ran concurrent with a stream bed. This proved to be the norm rather than the exception, but I eventually made it to Lake Arnold without much difficulty. I stopped for a snack and reloaded an empty water bottle before pressing onward. I could see the summit now, but the path snaked around to the other side of the mountain and it faded from my view.

Lake Arnold

The next leg was rather interesting. Flat areas were flooded and I found myself up to my knees in mud on several occasions. In many places the puncheon was under water or simply gone. My guess is even before Irene made her visit this section was in need of some maintenance. There were a few downed trees here as well, but only one forced me off the trail. Soon I encountered the sign notifying me I was entering the Alpine Zone (always a welcome thing) and shortly thereafter the trees began to shrink and then disappear altogether as I crested the north summit. I was tempted to linger here, but I had to press on. Descending only to have to go back up is always disheartening but the last push up to the summit wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be. Of course in the back of my mind I knew I’d have to come back this way. It was later than I planned to be where I was at so taking the longer route down to Lake Colden and out Avalanche Pass was not an option. I was past my turn-around time and didn't want to gamble with unfamiliar trail. Sadly, there wasn't much time to take in the panorama.

Mount Marcy from the Colden Summit

The return trip was uneventful but memorable. Even though gravity was helping my descent, it was slow going at times. Downclimbing bare rock I scrambled up earlier could now prove to be hazardous. It always is. Fatigue, plus the laws of physics, can lead to a bad fall and the long haul downhill takes a toll on the knees. As I made my way lower and lower the shadows of the afternoon began to bend the light as it hit the trees. The canopy was a palate of fall colors and changed often. It reminded me of Prince Prospero’s palace in The Masque of the Red Death, the foliage filtering the light like the stained glass windows in Poe’s story. I arrived back at the shelter where I had seen the Ranger earlier in the day. A hundred yards below that I ran into the first humans I had seen in just over seven hours. It added to the surrealness of the situation. This was my first solo ascent of an Adirondack High Peak and my first ascent of anything by myself in a number of years. I stopped by Marcy Dam again for a bit and enjoyed my last few minutes of solitude. In forty minutes I would be back in camp.

Fall Colors at Marcy Dam Lake

When I made it to my campsite I found my wife napping. She enjoyed her day at the spa. I cleaned up and we headed out to town for dinner at the Great Adirondack Steak and Seafood/Brewing Co. One more night in the tent and then it was time to slowly head home via North Creek and Cooperstown, but that’s another story for another day.