Our plan for the day was to tackle
three peaks: Wright, Algonquin and Iroquois. We were going to finish
the day by looping back through Avalanche Pass (which promised some
spectacular views). Algonquin is the second highest peak in the “ADK
46” at an estimated 5,114ft. We started off at the base and signed
the book at the trail-head. For those of you not familiar with this
type of hiking, you need to fill out your name, the number of people
in your party and your purpose in a log so that the park can account
for you. It was fairly flat to start and the trail was MUDDY because
it had been raining a lot. There was a sign at the entrance that
told you to walk through the mud as much as possible so you would not
widen the path. I suppose I knew that my brand-new hiking boots
wouldn't stay clean for long.
I got a nice new pair of Merrell's at REI
the week before our trip. AJ and I decided to become members to
receive discounts (which is great- because I see us going back there
a LOT). He told me that this would be the most important purchase of
the trip, and that I had exactly one week to wear them as much as
possible so I could break them in. They had a “rock” in the
store with a handle that you could step on/climb on/lean on to test
out the feel of the shoes. I tried on 3 different pairs and finally
chose the most comfortable based on the fact that my toes didn't get
completely angry at me on the down-facing angle, and that they felt
fairly light for jumping/moving, yet durable at the same time. This
came in handy as I can't count the number of times I whacked my toe
against a rock that day. I also bought 2 pairs of hiking socks which
give your feet a little extra cushion against the shoes. AJ settled
on a similar pair to mine (just the man’s version) and we took a
walk every night that week after dinner to break them in.
We trudged through the mud and hopped
over some sticks and stones before we really began to climb. It's
interesting to see the people around you- there were actually quite a
lot of them to start the day. You tend to frog-hop around one
another (especially if you're in groups) because you'll start off
quickly and then notice your shoe isn't tied properly, or you'll want
to adjust this, or stretch that before you really get going. There
were a lot of people that didn't speak English, which, I have to say,
I wasn't expecting. Most of them appeared to speak French, although
I don't know a drop of it I was assuming they were Canadian. I love
being around that atmosphere because you realize tones, no matter
what language you speak. Some people were a little impatient with
one another, others were encouraging. Everyone was smiling though...
and everyone always said “hello”. There were cross-country ski
trails that intersected with our paths, and a few different ways that
people might choose to go. It didn't take long for the crowds to
disperse a little and we each got into our own hiking “groove”.
On the way up to the top you cross a path that leads you to
Wright (4,580 ft) which was a nice detour on the way up to Algonquin.
We hiked through the woods- following a path of giant, slanted rocks
and a small stream (which had me a little apprehensive as I wasn't
quite sure-of-foot just yet). We passed a few people who were on
their way down- all bundled up. At the time I was wearing shorts and
a tank-top and completely drenched in sweat so it was a little
confusing, but upon reaching the tree-line I understood.
When we broke the tree-line for the
first time I remember looking up and going “wow”. It was all
rock to the top! I learned that day what “cairns” are.
Cairns
are piles made up of smaller rocks to help guide your path
We saw a lot of these on the way to the top of Wright.
Every one of those cairns appeared to signify the end- but just as
you reached one there was another up ahead. It was a beautiful first
peak- something I have NEVER seen or climbed before. When we reached
the summit it was extremely windy and absolutely freezing. For
someone that was dying from the heat it was quite amazing how quickly
I cooled off. We admired the view for a brief moment before huddling
in the pit of the rocks to shield ourselves from the wind. We took
out our trail mix and our jackets and sat for a few moments to rest
and regain some strength.
We chatted with two men at the top-
one was a Civil Engineer and part-time teacher at RIT (he looked at
AJ and goes “my typical speech is 'take off your hat and put down
your cell phone' those crazy kids”). There was wreckage from an
old plane that crashed there in the 60s and we caught a glimpse of
it- unfortunately it was down a steep patch of rock and we didn't
quite have the time to explore if we wanted to make the other two
peaks. Next time I'm there we will definitely hike to the plaque,
and I can write more about the history.
We had someone take a picture of the four of us at the top- and spent the next few moments admiring what was around us: mountains. Mountains and clouds, and more mountains. I have never, in my life, seen such a view.
I saw a glimpse of Mt. Colden, which has the biggest rock slides you can imagine from past avalanches. I saw a rock-cliff in the distance that completely carved off the side of a mountain. I saw lakes, I saw trees, and- most importantly- I saw the top of Algonquin.
The summit of Wright was everything
that I could have dreamed of and more- and at the same time, it was
not enough. How could it possibly not be enough? Views that I could
never have dreamed of before that day... clouds kissing the mountains
in the sky and giant patches of sun rolling with shadows on the trees
below. It was not enough, because at that exact moment, I caught
that glimpse of the hill next to me, and all I wanted to do was reach
the top of Algonquin. I had caught what James Burnside refers to as
“summit madness” and the only known cure is to climb the other
45.
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