Adirondacks '12: Finale

"Home, Final Thoughts"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day is here, and his final thoughts are here.

7:57am
We're done breakfast at the Comfort Inn and are getting ready to hit the road. I slept well, and Eric and I were up shortly after 7:00. The plan was to be on the road around 8:00, and we'll be close to that. The Weather Channel was on while we ate, and it looks like we'll be driving through some rain today, and that it will be quite hot when we get home. At this point I think we're all looking forward to being home.

12:27pm
We're at Phil's house, unloading the van. The drive was uneventful, we didn't hit any traffic to speak of, and made great time getting here. The predicted rain never happened - we may have gotten a sprinkle or two, but nothing more than that.

1:15pm
Eric dropped me off at my house, and Adirondacks '12 is officially over for me.

Final Thoughts

Summit of Algonquin Peak

It's probably not fair to compare trips, but I can hardly avoid comparing this trip to Adirondacks '08, since trips were so similar - we stayed at the same campground for the same number of days, and did some of the same hikes. On almost every point of comparison, this trip was better.

• Brother Eric was with us this time. I hope we didn't annoy him too much with comparisons of our '08 trip - there was a lot of talk of "remember when we did such-and-such here last time", which was only natural, but it may have had him feeling a little left out. I hope not.
• Our campsites were prettier and more secluded.
• The weather was better - last time it was much colder, and there were rain showers every day.



Lazy afternoon in camp

• I'm not sure I'll call it "revenge", but I got to the summit of Mt. Marcy and actually saw the vista this time.
• I also got to the summit of Algonquin Peak, and saw an equally spectacular vista.
• Campsite meal planning was fantastic. We ate like kings, for which I claim no credit. Left to my own devices, campground meal planning would be simple arithmetic:
      (number of days x number of meals/day = number of peanut butter sandwiches required)
• Having a guitar with me worked out even better than I expected (and I expected it to be good.) I'll be bringing it with me everywhere I can reasonably bring it.

The only negative point of comparison I can think of is that we didn't all make it to the summit of Marcy. There was nothing else to do at the time, but leaving John and Eric behind didn't feel good.

Combined GPS tracks of my two summit hikes

I've probably used these terms too often in this trip report, but the only words I can think of to describe Adirondacks hiking are steep, rocky, and punishing. I asked myself a few times on my two summit hikes if I was having fun. At a number of points on those climbs, the answer was "no, not at all" - it was often brutally hard work.

The vistas from the top, and the sense of accomplishment from having done those hikes really does make it seem worthwhile - but I also wonder if we should be looking at flatter hikes. I'm sure there will be discussions of that as we start to talk about next year's hiking trip (about which more soon - of course ideas are already flying around!)

I probably conclude each year's trip report the same way, but there's no other way to say it - it's a pure treat to be able to get away with such a good group of guys. We've known each other forever, we're used to each others' quirks, and we all love these trips where we can get away into some remote and beautiful places and do some great hiking and see some gorgeous scenery.

In short, it was another well-planned and well-executed trip: first-rate hiking and first-rate companionship. I can't wait to do it again next year.

Adirondacks '12: Day 5

"Algonquin Peak, Breaking Camp"

Trip report in diary format. Brother Eric's account of the day is here, here, and here:

7:42am
Well, my plan of getting up and hitting the trail at daybreak didn't happen. I had a very bad night's sleep, so I stayed in the sack until I felt somewhat rested. I finally got up shortly after 7am. It's a beautiful sunny morning, and I'm eating a quick breakfast (yogurt and an energy bar) and getting ready to go.

Phil says today's forecast calls for a high of 80, and a 20% chance of rain. Tonight there's a 70% chance of rain extending into tomorrow. That's not good news - I don't mind camping in the rain, but breaking camp and packing up in the rain is miserable, and results in a wet, smelly van. But we can wait until this afternoon to decide what to do - it's beautiful out now, and there's a full day of hiking ahead of us.

8:02am
I'm leaving camp and starting my hike. This is much later than I'd hoped - I know Algonquin will be a popular hike on a beautiful summer Sunday, and I hope to have at least some solitude. I feel great physically - I also feel a good bit of nervous excitement, as I expect this hike to be a challenge. It's four miles (one way) to the summit, and more than 3,000 feet of vertical elevation gain - except the first mile is completely flat, which means the next three miles are just about straight up. As with Marcy two days ago, I have my iPhone with me, turned off. I'll turn it on to take pics, and hope I have enough battery to capture the one-way track from the summit back to camp.

8:28am
I've come one (flat) mile on the Van Hoevenberg Trail, and am now at the Algonquin Trail junction, which I'll be taking today. The warm-up is over, and now the work starts.

9:19am
I'm at a very pretty waterfall. This is a pleasant surprise, so I'm stopping here for my first pack break. I was surprised (and not pleased) when the trail continued at a level grade after the junction - that just means that the climbing, when it starts, will be all the steeper. It finally did start to climb, but gradually. I'm roughly estimating that I've come a mile and a half since the junction, which means another mile and a half to the summit. I can't even guess at how much of the elevation gain I've done, but I'm sure it's less than half - which means I have a lot of steep climbing ahead of me. I'm glad I don't have an altimeter - it's better not to know just how far up I still have to go.

But I feel good, and the day is still gorgeous. The trail is very rocky and muddy, and follows what looks like a stream bed. I haven't seen anyone on the trail yet, which is a nice surprise. There haven't been any views yet - the trail is a green tunnel through thick woods.

9:56am
Junction of the trail to Wright Peak. Algonquin is 0.9 miles ahead - turning left, Wright Peak is 0.4 miles away.

I'm not above treeline yet, but the woods have thinned, and I can see views of the surrounding area. There's a monster of a peak out ahead of me, towering into the sky. My first thought was a fervent hope that I was looking at Mt. Marcy, and that I didn't have that far still to climb. But no, that can only be Algonquin, and my spirits sink into my shoes. Then I turn and look at Wright Peak, and it's also towering above me...yet I'm going more than 500 feet higher than its summit. My spirits, if possible, sink even lower. Physically I feel fine - I'm just not a great climber, and the prospect of so much steep climbing is daunting.

I'm taking a moment to look at the views, both up and out over the surrounding vistas. I've finally seen some other hikers.

10:38am
Summit of Algonquin! That last mile was very steep and difficult - just punishing and unrelenting. It seemed like every time I rounded a corner and looked at what was ahead, I could hardly believe my eyes. I know I thought this a few times, and I'm pretty sure I actually said out loud, "What the f^&*? Really?!?" Just disbelief that the trail ahead of me could be so steep and rocky. I took many little breaks to sip some water and gasp for breath.

Most of the last mile was above treeline, so the views were amazing in all directions - Algonquin looming in front of me, and vistas in all other directions. Wright Peak was off to my left, and I could measure my vertical progress against it: first I was looking up at it (with the hikers to its summit clearly visible), then I was even with it, and after a while, thrillingly, I was above it.

It's a gorgeous sunny day, and the views might even be better than from Marcy - just breathtaking in all directions. Marcy is clearly visible, miles away, but every other point is below me. I'm at elevation 5,114 feet above sea level - and Marcy (5,344) is the only other peak over 5,000 feet in NYS.

11:06am
As at Marcy, I stripped down as far as I could to dry off. This time, I did bring a change of shirt and socks. I ate a PowerBar, drank a Gatorade, and sat on the rocky summit drinking in the views.

I feel pretty good, and am not worried about the hike down. I've been toying with another idea, and finally decided against it - this trail continues 1.1 miles to the summit of Iroquois Peak (elevation 4,840). The trail descends off the peak here, dips down onto a saddle, then climbs to the summit of Iroquois. It's very tempting, and I definitely feel good enough - but in the end I decided I've had enough climbing - also, I hadn't mentioned this possibility to the guys, and I don't want them to worry about me if I get back much later than expected.

It's time to start down. I've turned on my iPhone, taken some pics, and will start the GPS app to capture a track of my hike down.

11:39am
Some of the down-hiking has been every bit as stressful as the climb, as I don't want to fall down any of the steep parts. Also, I'm wondering if the elevation and the exertion have me hallucinating. Climbing to the summit, as I was descending off of it, were a procession of knockout young lady hikers, highlighted by a blonde Valkyrie right out of a Wagner opera, who I'm pretty sure was named Inga (or possibly Elsa...or Brunhilde.) It could have been my imagination...but I'm pretty sure they actually existed.

12:04pm
I'm back at the waterfall and taking a short break. I've passed a steady stream of hikers climbing up. And no, it's not just my active imagination, there are a lot of attractive women on the trail today. For my own amusement, I'm playing "guess the Frenchman" - when I see a hiker approaching, I guess whether my greeting will be answered in English or French. I've been right much more often than wrong.

12:44pm
Junction of the Van Hoevenberg Trail. One mile to go, and I want to get this done. I feel good, but also like I've been through the wringer.

1:06pm
I'm back at our campsite, and very, very happy. I want a shower, a drink, and a nap...and I'm not sure in what order. The guys are still off on their hike, and I'm happy to have some time to myself at camp. The hike took me just over 5 hours.

4:15pm
A shower and clean, dry clothes never felt so good. I'm a little sore and stiff, but not too bad.

The guys got back from their hike maybe an hour ago. The weather forecast hasn't changed, and we've decided to bail. We're sad not to have one more night in camp, but breaking camp in the rain is just miserable. We've packed up, loaded the van, and are ready to leave. The van is less crammed than on the way up, but not as much as I thought it would be. It's still pretty full - though my guitar can now be in the back, and not between my legs. We've also remembered to do the smart thing, and have packed a change of clothes and our toiletries in our day-packs - we won't have to completely unload the van tonight, and re-load it tomorrow.

10:40pm
Comfort Inn, Bethlehem, NY. We wanted to drive for a couple of hours (shortening tomorrow's drive), then find a cheap roadside motel. It started well, then ended with two hours of chasing our tails. Details are on Eric's trip report - I don't want to re-live it again. I'm tired and want to be home. It was a great trip in every way. It also hardly seems possible that it was earlier today that I was standing on the summit of Algonquin Peak - it seems like a long time ago, with everything that's happened since.

Nite nite.