Mount Colden
Date of hike: 10/20/2007
Vertical Ascent: 2703’
Length of Hike (miles): 12.6
Total Time: 7:30
Hiked with: Jeff, Don, John L, and John H
John L and I carpooled together and met Don and Jeff at the Lake Placid Brew Pub on Friday night. We stayed at the Jackrabbit Hostel that night and met with John H at the Downtown Diner the next morning, where we decided on the hike. We hit the trail from the HPIC at Adirondak Loj at 8:40 a.m. It was cooler than I’d expected (we were in a warm spell), and the temperature was probably in the mid-50s but felt cooler with the very strong wind gusts. It was very cloudy and had poured the night and day before. With my gaiters on, I was prepared for very wet trails.
It was Trails Day, so lots of volunteers were gathered at the HPIC (High Peaks Information Center), getting their assignments for the day. It would be tough work for them. The trails were very wet and sloppy, and the water was running stronger than I’d ever seen it in Marcy Brook and over the dam at Marcy Dam. We paused for a moment at the dam, crossed over and turned right, towards Lake Arnold. Trails were heavy with mud and water at spots, as were the streams we crossed near Arnold, where we paused a bit at this very small lake, had some snacks, and adjusted our clothing.
Taking a brief rest at Marcy Dam on a warm October day
At this point, I started using the new poles that I’d recently purchased and, as the trail became steeper, I was surprised at how much they helped me to climb (using my arms to aid my legs). They were excellent for fording streams too. Around this time, it started to mist in the air, and the fog thickened as we entered the clouds, parts of the trail were somewhat steep, but I found them easier to navigate than in the past, due to a combination of being in better physical shape, using the poles, and mostly looking down at the trail before me, instead of up at how much more was left. I was able to keep pace with the others much better this time around, and we stayed together as a cohesive group. At several points, just when I was about ready to call for a rest break, the trail evened out and I got my break by continuing along level ground for a bit.
There were a few spots which clearly would have had views as we neared and entered the alpine zone, but we saw only white clouds. We ascended, passing under a large overhanging rock providing some respite from the now steady rain, and came out near the top of the north summit, where the trail turned left and descended to the col before starting to climb again to the peak. As we neared the summit, we encountered two other hikers looking for the “true” summit. They got to it just a few minutes before we did at 12:15 p.m. One of these men (both from Glens Falls) had just topped his 46th High Peak. We congratulated him, talked a bit, took their photo and they took ours, and had lunch. Continuing a lousy tradition, we again had no view at all and all we could see was white. John H noted that that was probably a good thing for me, as I was not uncomfortable up there, and he described the view as looking out over a fairly steep/deep drop down to Avalanche Lake.
Our group at the top of Colden
The trip down was fairy uneventful. We took in what was left of the bright fall foliage and took a small detour before Marcy Dam, where John H described to us his single bear encounter, while camping in here in his teens with a friend. We got back to the car at 4:10 p.m. and celebrated with some bottles of Stella Artois beer he had brought for the occasion.
Some remaining foliage back at the parking lot