hiking

Wright Peak

Well, I have to say, I am surprised that we did not make it to the summit of both Wright Peak and Algonquin. A very late start and rough going forced us to orphan Algonquin. After arriving at our hotel at 3:00am the morning of our hike, we did not set foot on the trail until 10:00am. By the time we reached the summit of Wright Peak, it was just about 3:30pm and we knew we had no chance of summiting Algonquin. Looks like we’ll be going back for Algonquin this summer!

The hiking itself was easy on the flat and moderate inclines. But, when the trail got steep, it became a fight to keep your footing. While we used the snowshoes for the first two thirds of the hike, switching to Microspikes was a great help. But, even with the Microspikes, at times, a couple of steps forward were negated by a slow slide backwards. By the time we did reach the summit of Wright Peak, we were exhausted. We did take solace in the fact that we could butt-slide a lot of the steep sections that took us so long to hike up, and boy did we butt-slide! Its really fantastic to cover so much ground while sitting on your @ss!

The scenery was amazing of course. While there were only a few inches of snow at the trail head, there were several feet near the summit. Frozen waterfalls, snow-capped boulders, snow covered Birch & Spruce lined the trail up the mountain. Chickadees chirped and flittered about the woods. Although we did not see any rabbits, large prints from the Snowshoe rabbits covered the forest floor. As usual, everywhere you looked was something to enjoy. I suppose that’s why I’ve always been so obsessed with the Adirondacks!

Stay tuned for a video for this hike. I’m thoroughly enjoying working with the footage so far!

The Journey Begins

This is it. D-Day. My 46er Journey starts in just a few hours. The ol’ Samsquanch is packed and I’m ready to start the 6-hour drive north to the Adirondacks. I cannot wait! With hiking in an alpine environment comes the added risk associated with extreme temperatures and deep snow & ice. Rock cairns that mark the summit approach on Algonquin will be buried and painted trail markers on the rock face will be covered in ice. Summiting Algonquin and Wright Peak will expose us to strong winds and sub-zero temperatures. All of which, only makes the adventure more exciting to me. I’m not hiking Everest here, but the danger is real and being prepared is absolutely critical to having a safe adventure in the winter wild. Safe hiking and being prepared for emergency situations will ensure a good time for us. Below is the checklist I created to ensure I’m prepared for what may lay ahead.

Stay tuned for some photos & videos from this hike!