Lots of mud – right from the start

This hike was long, as we knew it would be. We tried to make good time in the beginning, and followed the Calamity Brook Trail for many hours, stopping briefly at the David Henderson monument 4.2 miles in, just before 8:00 a.m. We gave Dave, and some other passersby a quick overview of the “calamity” for which this area is named. At 4.5 miles, 2 hours and 20 minutes into the hike, we made it to the trail register at Flowed Lands (a lake behind a broken dam on the Opalescent River). We took a moment to take in the views of this scenic lake, and Mt Colden in the background. There were lots of people in the area, since this is a major trail crossroads, and a campsite. Looking at the map, I realized that we needed to go north along the western edge of the lake but didn’t recall seeing a trail there. Sure enough, right by the register there was a small, inconspicuous trail that dipped down a few feet into the woods. About 40 minutes later, we spotted the rock cairn marking the Herbert Brook Trail (which Alex and I had descended last year, and my hiking companions and I had missed many years before that).

Flowed Lands

Just after 9 a.m., we descended the ladder onto Colden Dam. Colden Dam is beautifully situated, holding Lake Colden in this valley, with Mt Colden and Avalanche Mountain further to the north. Alex had been drinking a lot of water, and wanted to filter some more into his bag, and we felt it would be a good spot to take a 15-minute break. There were lots of people around here, due to the beauty, the trails converging, and the camping sites. It’s truly a great place to camp out in the High Peaks. Heading onwards, up the Mount Marcy Trail, we hit the suspension bridge over the Opalescent River, less than 15 minutes after leaving the dam. We got a big laugh out of the fact that I (who was in front) got to a point where I stopped and said, “Hmm… which way does the trail go - straight, or left?” Alex said, “Umm… How about over the suspension bridge that’s right next to you” It was literally 2 feet away from my right shoulder and I was so focused on looking down at the trail that I hadn’t even seen it! I’d forgotten that I read about this bridge earlier. It’s bouncy and has about a 3’ gap under the cords that are strung across to grab. Although the first section of cord on the right was missing, it really wasn’t too bad.

People getting their packs in order at Colden Dam (note ladder down to the dam in background)

The trail here was very scenic, with the Opalescent River to our left, tumbling over many rocks and crags, and several beautiful waterfalls. One multi-tiered cascade was particularly beautiful. A bit further on, a ladder made from large logs was quite comical, as it was missing two or three rungs. Luckily, we were able to use the soil behind it as a set of muddy steps. Some reddish rocks in the river a bit further up caught our eyes (iron deposits, perhaps?), and started a whole new conversation about David being color blind. As we approached the next junction, another group of three caught up with us from behind. We chatted a bit, and it turned out that they were from eastern Queens and knew my wife’s family’s business there. Such a small world! After a few minutes of chatting, we came upon the cairn where we parted ways. They were on their way to Mount Marcy, and we took the branch to the right towards Redfield. Just a tenth mile beyond the junction we came to the junction for Cliff and Redfield, marked with a cairn at the base of a dead tree that had the directional arrows carved into it. We were 4 hours and 45 minutes into our hike. We stopped here for a bit to refuel and discuss our options. The sky was much cloudier than we’d expected, so we weren’t sure about the prospect for views. Several people were descending Cliff Mountain, all with the same “It’s not too bad” reply to our inquiries about that hike… Encouraging.

Anyone know a good ladder repairman?

We decided to head toward Redfield first and knock off the “easier” one that has a greater ascent. The trail took us along Uphill Brook which has some huge drops in it, as the water plummets into deep, narrow chasms. My acrophobia kept me from getting too close to the edge, but Alex reported that some of the falls looked to be about 100’ deep. A woman rapidly came up from behind us, and I immediately recognized her, and asked if she’d hiked Allen Mountain four weeks earlier. Indeed, she had! This was the woman who'd blown past us when we crossed the Opalescent. She introduced herself (Emily), and continued past—no surprise, since she was so much faster than we were. The trail steadily inclined but was really nothing difficult at all. Parts involved some rock hopping through boulder-strewn streams. There were some views of Algonquin, Iroquois, and Colden, with their heads in the clouds.

Uphill Brook at a point where it was just a bit below the trail

Just shy of 6½ hours after hitting the trail, at 12:11 p.m. we were at the summit, where two women were resting and enjoying a snack. They gave us the tip to proceed along the narrow path through the trees a few dozen feet to a better viewpoint. We headed over there to a small outcropping of bare rock, with a great view to the south, and Allen Mountain featured prominently in the foreground. We rested here, took in the views (the clouds had lifted for us!), snapped some photos, and had our lunch. I was also able to send a text to our family, to let them know where we were, since we had a cell signal up there. Then, I played the role of slave driver, and made sure we left the summit after a half hour break.

Redfield!

The way down featured a nice view of Mount Marcy, with its bald summit looming above all else to the northeast. We also got to use a fun line I came up with when people on their way up asked, “How much longer to the top?” We’d just reply, “It’s within walking distance,” which got some good chuckles. Alex’s knees had been bugging him a bit on the past few hikes, and he was sure to wear knee braces, which helped him out. Between those and the much-needed gaiters, he was amused that his legs were so covered that you couldn’t tell he had shorts on. By 2:15 we were back at the junction, spoke with a few people, and had some more to eat. Then, we began the hike up Cliff Mountain about 10 minutes later.

The bottom of the mountain was exceedingly muddy, and at one point, I sank thigh deep into the mud. Ugh! Then the steepness increased a bit, although the trail is generally not really that steep, the elevation gain is saved mostly for four or five sections that are very steep rock scrambles. No two ways about it—for me, Cliff was scary. I had to be talked through the first one of these climbs, terrified at seeing the drop off the large boulder that the trail went up (a climber coming down this route told us, in a genuinely excited way, about several more of these more technical scrambles coming up). Although it was scary for me, for Alex and Dave, it was a fun challenge.

I had just regained my composure when we hit the second cliff face, and I decided that there was no way I was going to do it. BUT this one was of the 46, and I was too close to finishing! I cursed Verplanck Colvin for his erroneous 1875 survey that measured this peak at over 4000 feet. It’s not! But that later correction doesn’t matter… It’s officially one of the 46 (established by brothers Bob & George Marshall and their guide Herbert Clark when the three were the first to hike all of them between 1918 and 1925), so I had to get up this thing. I decided I’d try to bypass it by bushwhacking my way through the exceedingly dense vegetation to the right of the cliff. I was feeling very guilty because this is NOT condoned. The Adirondack Mountain Club’s motto is “Leave no Trace.” Stay on the trails and off the vegetation! Wow - that was tough! The vegetation was so dense, and the ground so thick with moss, that several times, I thought I was stuck. I kept shouting out to Alex and Dave to make sure they were still within earshot. Eventually, Alex shouted, “It sounds like you're above me, and I’m over the cliff, so come back in this direction.” Easier said than done! I persevered, though, and did finally make it back to them. The next few rock faces weren’t quite as difficult, and I pulled myself up over the rocks, and eventually to the flat first hump of the mountain. When you get there, though, you're far from done. The trail continues flat for about 0.3 miles, then descends into a col. Then, you climb back up, and are finally at the summit, in the middle of the woods.

Climbing up Cliff

We got there at 3:54 p.m. It had been over 10 hours since we’d started out. This was taking much longer than expected, and we figured we might not be back to the car until around 9:30 p.m. Luckily, we again were able to get a cell signal here, so I texted our status. After about 10 minutes, we started the descent. A guy from Montreal met up with us, and decided just to go to the highest viewpoint, instead of the true summit (views on the cliffs were very good, looking off to the northeast). Our new friend stuck with us the whole way down to the junction, and somehow, miraculously, I managed to get down all these cliffs. A handful had some bypasses that I eagerly took advantage of.

Did it! Summit of Cliff Mountain

From here, it was just a matter of moving as quickly as we could to get back, with as little hiking in the dark as possible. We made a short stop at the dam again at 6:35 p.m., then headed out.  Finally, at 9:00 p.m., about 40 minutes after sunset, we had to break out our headlamps, and did the last half hour in the dark. We arrived back at the car at exactly 9:30 p.m.—exactly as we’d figured and a full 15 hours and 45 minutes after starting off. Wow! Long day! Dave's Garmin clocked us at 21 miles. I’d rank this as one of my most difficult hikes, but mostly because of the length, mud, and my discomfort on Cliff’s rock slopes. The hike up Redfield was long, but not all that difficult. We got back to the house at 10:45 p.m. to some great food awaiting us, but the unnerving discovery that Beth had left earlier in the day, after testing positive with COVID. Ugh! Sure enough, we each contracted it over the next few days. I tested positive the next morning and was astounded that I’d completed what was probably the hardest hike of my life with COVID!