The Timberline: 46er Peaks 2-4 - Wright, Algonquin, Iroquois & Avalanche Pass

The Great Range viewed from Algonquin Peak.

This was a big day for me. When I woke up the next morning after 11 hours of sleep, I was scraped, bruised and blistered. It was the kind of trip that you describe as "fun" with a heavy dose of masochism. But the roughest ones always make for the best memories.

I had a feeling this trip was going to kick my butt so I woke up at 5am and got in the car. When I got to the Loj, I had missed sunrise by about 20 minutes and when I stepped out of the car it was a brisk 38 degrees. I knew it would be cold, but I didn't think it would be this cold. I threw on a fleece from my back seat and hit the trail.

It was quiet and peaceful and I could see my breath in the sunlight poking through the trees. About 50 feet in front of me, a bird looking very much like a fat sparrow landed on a pine tree branch. As I approached it, I noticed that it looked hump-backed. When I got within 10 feet of it, it turned it’s head around 180 degrees and looked at me and it wasn't a sparrow at all. It was a tiny owl. Before I could grab my camera, the owl flew off into the pine trees.

When I got home I looked up owls of New York and found that it must have been a sleepy Northern Saw-Whet. They only grow to 7 inches tall and can be approached quite closely during the day when they aren't usually very active.

Not long after, I came to the fork in the trail and turned right down the trail to Wright and Algonquin. The trail began a very slight incline and went through areas of beautiful, tall white birch trees. The hiking got a bit rockier and a bit steeper, but it was still easy going. Compared to the trails of Vermont and New Hampshire, this was a 4 lane highway.

At some point between the Van Hoevenberg trail and the trail to Wright Peak, I ran into a group of 3 guys who saw that I signed in with a 585 number at the trail register. They asked where I was from and I told them I was from Rochester, New York originally. They explained that’s where they were from as well.

The trail gets progressively stepper and rockier until it comes to the trail marker for Wright Peak. The path to Wright climbs up slick, wet rock. From the summit I could see my next destination - Algonquin. It looked surprisingly imposing for a summit less than a mile away, but I was feeling good and my legs were still fresh. I met up with the 3 guys from Rochester again. We get to talking and it turns out they’re planning on the same exact hike as me. I had a long ways still to go so I had a snack and then head back down the summit.

Back on the trail to Algonquin, it was a slow, steep hike to the tree line and then there’s some more scrambling to the summit. From the top, there were spectacular views of the high peaks, Lake Placid, Wallface, Lake Colden and even Vermont. The peak was pretty crowded with hikers and I was starting to get cold from the wind so I pick out a wind break and ate lunch. And I had just climbed the second highest mountain in New York and I wasn’t even 1/3 of the way done with my hike.

From the south side of the summit I could make out my next destination - Iroquois. At tree line there’s a large sign reading “Foot Path” with a yellow arrow pointing to the left. The herd path to Iroquois went straight ahead. I headed down the narrow path and after 10 feet or so a couple of hikers behind me started yelling, “Hey, you’re going the wrong way! The foot path is this way!” I thanked them for trying to help and explained that I was going to Iroquois peak. Some day I really am going to be going the wrong way and when that happens I hope there’s someone to yell at me.

The herd path to Iroquois was a lot of fun. I kind of bounced from the branches on one side of the narrow path to the branches on the other side. Just when I was starting to think it wasn’t that muddy, I came to an open clearing. I took one step forward and my boot sank a foot into the ground. It was a bit of a shock and I hurried to pull it out. The trail was just as muddy as everyone says, but it seemed like there were just enough rocks and fallen trees to step on without falling in.

On top of Iroquois there were more great views of the Adirondacks. Looking back at Algonquin, it was now comically crowded - as if a a crowd was gathering there to see a band. I had now hiked 6.9 miles and been to the summits of 3 of the highest peaks in the Adirondacks. If only there was an elevator down. On the way back down the herd path I ran into the 3 guys from Rochester. Turns out they took a wrong turn and followed the foot path down Algonquin instead of the herd path to Iroquois, but they realized it after 10 minutes and turned around.

I got back to the Algonquin trail a bit more tired that I expected. The herd path, while fun, does take a bit more out of you than an official marked trail. I headed down the foot path on the south side of Algonquin. I had read that this was some of the most continuously steep hiking in the Adirondacks but nothing I read prepared me for the real thing. My legs were starting to get seriously sore from trying to fight gravity and I had blisters from walking on the balls of my feet down the steep, flat rocks. By the time I reached the bottom, I was spent. I pumped some more water and had a snack.

The rest of the way was somewhat unpleasant. I had a splitting headache and I was stumbling over rocks like a drunk person. But the views were fantastic and Avalanche Pass was relatively flat. I walked very slowly to Avalanche Lake and took a long rest. Then I stumbled to the north end of Avalanche Lake and took an even longer rest. I was entertained by some rock climbers on the side of Mt. Colden struggling with some shrubs growing in the side of the cliff.

Eventually the 3 guys from Rochester caught up to me again. I walked with them for the remaining 2 miles or so to the Marcy Dam. They were just as tired as I was and the conversation was a welcome distraction. They asked what I did for a living and I explained how I left my job in Rochester to hike the Appalachian Trail but then my girlfriend was diagnosed with Leukemia so I became her caretaker. The oldest of the 3 guys told me heartbreaking stories about his brother who was diagnosed with an untreatable form of lymphoma. It was almost as if we were handpicked to carry each other through the last bit of this hike.

At the dam, they sat down and rested for a bit. I was tired and out of water so I said goodbye to them and kept going. The last 2 miles to the Loj were incredibly slow going, but eventually I got back to the Loj at 6:30 with an hour of daylight to spare. I grabbed a coke from the vending machine, popped some Ibuprofen and headed home.

Majestic birch trees line the Algonquin trail.

Approaching the summit of Wright Peak.

Mt. Marcy and Mt. Colden as seen from Wright.

Looking north from Wright, Heart Lake is seen in the foreground, then Lake Placid and Whiteface Mt. in the distance.

My next destination - Algonquin as seen from Wright.

The final scramble to the summit of Algonquin, second highest point in New York.

The slides of Mt. Colden shimmering in the morning light.

My next desitnation - Iroquois as seen from the south side of Algonquin.

The muddy herd path to Iroquois, Boundary Peak in the distance.

Lake Colden and the Flowed Land from Iroquois.

Looking east from Iroquois. Vermont can be seen in the far distance - Mt. Mansfield is above Big Slide and Camels Hump is just to the left of Giant Mt.