| Winter's Illusion on Algonquin Trip Report |
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| Winter's Illusion on Algonquin   | 
| Page Type: Trip Report Location: New York, United States, North America Date Climbed/Hiked: Jan 11, 2007 Activities: Hiking Season: Winter | Page By: Puma concolor Created/Edited: Jan 11, 2007 / Jan 16, 2007 Object ID: 259453 Hits: 966 Loading... Page Score: 88.94% - 13 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Quick StatsElevation: 5,114
Adirondack Order of Height: 2
Partners: Solo as usual
Summit Temperature: 18 F (according to my watch)
Sustained Winds: Approximately 40 MPH above treeline
Round-trip time: 6.5 hours Adirondack Winter?Well, the season started off promising enough. A snowstorm in the first days of November brought up to two feet of snow across the higher elevations of the Adirondacks and seemed to indicate a great winter season for hikers and backcountry enthusiasts. But since then, the well has gone dry. That early snow has long since melted away as record warmth has crept into the Northeast in both December and January. In fact, the warm temperatures during the weekend of January 6 and 7, 2007 virtually stripped the Adirondack High Peaks of the very last of its snowpack except in the highest contours of the Park. While Colorado is reveling in what seems to be one blizzard after another, the Northeast is suffering through the mildest winter in memory.
Personally, I had been busting to get out. My last hike was in mid-December in the Catskills and I was looking to Algonquin Peak (second highest in the Adirondacks) to get at least a taste of the winter that had been completely absent in the Albany area. I watched the forecast and conditions reports intently all week and while there were some indicators of snowfall up high, I wasn't sure if it would be enough to get excited about. But as I went to bed on the night of January 10, I was very happy to see that the temperature in Lake Placid had dipped to just 4 degrees with it expected to go below zero in the wee hours of morning.
As I climbed in my truck just before 6 AM the next morning, I wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but I was hoping it would be good. On the TrailWhile driving north, I was constantly on the lookout for any indicators of snowfall in the mountains. I can't exactly say I was encouraged by what I was seeing and my heart sank a bit as I drove through Keene and Keene Valley only to see the ground completely bare. I took a backward glance to my brandy new snowshoes in the backseat and knew instantly that today would not be their maiden voyage. However, things started to look up as soon as I turned onto Adirondack Loj Road and saw that the Algonquin massif seemed to be holding its snow. Additionally, I put my truck into 4WD as a thin coat of snow was covering much of the road to the trailhead. Upon arriving at the Loj, I noted a fresh inch or two of snow on the ground and decided that I would wear my Yaktrax at first while packing the crampons I knew I would need for above-treeline. The idea of snowshoes still seemed ridiculous to me. Perhaps, I would run into a small section of trail where they'd be useful, but was it really worth carrying the snowshoes all day so I could wear them for a half of a mile? Nope. So off I went. 8:15 AM.
Encouraging signs |
I'd covered the early sections of the trail leading from Adirondack Loj at least 50 times over the years, climbing to the top of Algonquin on three other occasions - including one prior winter ascent. There was little in the way of mystery to me in terms of any surprises the trail might be holding for me. I was basically just out for a fun day and truly interested in the kind of January conditions that hadn't been seen in the Adirondacks for a long time. That's where the name of this trip report comes from ... Winter's Illusion or The Illusion of Winter. As soon as I set foot on the trail and indeed throughout the day, it looked and felt like winter. Cold ... check. Snow ... check. Ice ... check. Wind ... check. But it indeed was different. Instead of a snow pack deep enough to swallow the fool that dared to step off the well-packed trail, there were snow equivalents similar to what I shovel off my driveway after a run-of-the-mill winter storm. Brooks and streams normally frozen solid and hiding under a deep snow pack were running freely. Standing water with the leaves of fall still visible caught the eye. If the calender had said November 11, it all would have made sense. But January 11?
None of this is to say that I didn't have a thoroughly enjoyable day. I've always said there is no such thing as a bad day in the mountains. And this day did not disappoint. My Yaktrax proved to be just the right footwear for more than half of the four mile hike to the summit of Algonquin, which gains more than 3,000 vertical feet from the Loj. The first mile of the route is basically flat, and the grades then become progressively steeper until the final push to the summit, which is truly a leg and lung burning experience.
Cold temperatures work their magic |
The main trail that leaves the Adirondack Loj splits just under one mile into the hike. The majority of the foot traffic breaks towards Marcy Dam, from which you can launch assaults on many of the 46 4000-foot Adirondack peaks. No shortage of folks, however, continue straight ahead at the junction to the summits of Wright Peak or Algonquin Peak ... two very popular destinations. It is also possible to traverse the Algonquin-Boundary-Iroquois massif and descend to Lake Colden. In any event, I pressed on and with the increase in elevation came increasingly satisfactory winter conditions. Somewhere around 3500 feet, I pretty much forgot about my pre-occupation with the January conditions and decided I was just having fun. Snow depths became deeper. The air had more of a chill. A frozen waterfall was soon followed by a blast of wind as I rounded a corner in the trail. With the ice becoming more of a regular thing and grades steadily steepening, I was no longer comfortable with just Yaktrax and switched over to 10-point crampons, nearly freezing my Reynaud's-prone hands off in the process. I was now set to head to the summit.
Upward
Wright Peak |
Soon after strapping on my crampons, I was looking down while crossing a short but icy section of trail when another hiker on his way down said a friendly hello. It was the first person I'd seen all day and it was enough to startle me more than it should have. I think I made some comment about him "scaring the crap" out of me. But we soon exchnaged pleasantries and he warned of the wind above treeline. Originally, this gentleman had planned on an aggressive day of hitting Wright, Algonquin and Iroquois but decided against it upon reaching treeline, content with Wright Peak.
The warning was much appreciated but I think I may have underestimated what he was telling me. As soon as I hit treeline about 400 vertical feet below the summit of Algonquin, the wind hit like a freight train. I'm no expert in measuring wind speed, but full face coverage, including ski goggles was required. I'd guess 40 MPH, but like I said, I'm no expert. Approaching the final push to the summit, I spotted three other hikers about a tenth of a mile ahead of me. Upon reaching the summit, the wind was loud enough that we had to shout to talk to one another and even at that, I don't think we really communicated much more than it was "awesome." They soon descended towards Boundary with Iroquois beyond. I then remembered reading in the trail register that a group of three planned to head across to Iroquois and then down to Lake Colden. I have no idea whether they had also done Wright or whether I had simply started to catch up with them near the summit. The four mile hike from the Loj had taken me 3.5 hours ... not exactly fast, but I wasn't in any kind of hurry on this day. I snapped a few pictures and then started the descent just before noon.
Wind-scoured Summit |
After summiting Algonquin and descending to the trail junction for lunch, I thought for a few minutes about heading up Wright. By the time I finished my lunch, it was just a few minutes before 1 PM and though it would have been nice icing on the cake, I decided it had been a good day and that I'd reached my main objective. I had a brief conversation with a couple of other hikers and then headed down, reaching the Loj at 2:45 PM. A good day all-around. Hopefully winter will stick around.
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MacIntyre Range > Algonquin Peak > Winter's Illusion on Algonquin
