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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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