Colden… Take 2 Marcy dam in the morning
With May taken up with Race Weekend prep, the following weekend totally rained out, and then the intense heat that followed the weekend after that... I was itching (bug bites aside) to get out and climb. There was more rain called for on Saturday but Sunday looked like it might clear up so I took a leisurely drive down to Lake Placid on Saturday afternoon to set up camp and prepare for a hike the next morning. Poking around Lake Placid on Saturday afternoon I spotted a guy laying out some cones in the horse fairgrounds… Seems odd, but it looks like he's laying out a race course. In fact it was the route/logistics coordinator for the Lake Placid marathon to be held the next morning. We compared notes. It was certainly interesting to chat with him for a few minutes and hear how others go about staging a similar event although in fairness their event is a lot smaller than Ottawa’s’ (~1200 participants in 3 races). We ended our conversation as some heavy rain clouds opened up dumping significant amounts of water on our heads.

After camping at South Meadow Saturday night I got an early start. The clouds appeared to be disappearing in the east so it looked like it was going to be a good day. I had a couple of trail options in my head but I decided – first big hike of the season and the day after some heavy rains – that another crack at Colden was in order. Pete and I had failed to summit back in April after some equipment problems had slowed us down. Time to settle that account and strike this one off the list. In April we had taken the Lake Arnold trail. That’s the main trade route for this peak - being most direct to the summit from the parking spots. While it would look pretty different from our April trek (without snow), I decided to go a different route rather than repeat the same trail so soon. Instead I went through the Avalanche pass to the trail up the south side of Colden and would then cross the summit and descend the way Pete and I had come up. It was a beautiful morning and I saw surprisingly few people on the trail (just 4 other couples all day!). I made good time up into the pass and stopped for a morning snack as it's truly a beautiful spot and always worth a visit. With no one else about I spent some quiet time in the mornings half light of the canyon. Just a few lazy bugs floating around motivated me to keep moving.
The boardwalks provide the only way to get through the pass... short of swimming

When I'd got to the trail up Colden on the south side the real work was now at hand. Two thousand vertical feet to the top in 1.5 miles... that's a steep climb!! Most of it was up rocky slabs which were still wet from yesterday’s rains. Made for tricky footing but I kept carefully climbing eventually poking out above tree line just below the summit. Colden looks to be a dwarf compared to its neighbours Algonquin and Marcy but it’s a pretty big peak in itself (~4700ft). It provides some breathtaking views – particularly back down into the Avalanche pass deep beneath the summit ledges. I spent a good hour (alone mind you which was quite a shock) soaking in the sunshine, enjoying the fresh air and having an early lunch. Finally (with much regret) I packed up my gear and started to head down meeting the first people I’d seen all day climbing up.A quick stop on the nearby sub summit and then I descended down to Lake Arnold and started the trek back to the car. As I descended the heat of the day started to kick in (~28C) so I was glad I got all the climbing done early in the morning. I got back to the car at ~1:15 so it wasn’t too arduous a journey but the post hike beer was pretty sweet. Great way to start the summer hiking season. More pictures here



Colden 37 of 46

P.S. Driving back through town I saw the last finishers out on the marathon course (~6 hour + marathoners). Interestingly, as I got to the center of town, the car in front of me stopped and a lady got out (with number!) and started trotting in towards the finishline. I assume she had/or shortly would withdraw from the race otherwise her time would be somewhat suspect. Driving 4 or 5 miles of the course is a great way to improve your PB.... but it's none too legitimate.

P.P.S. Here's a comparison shot of the Lake Arnold trail from April to June (the diagonal tree provides some reference). Note how the snow evens out all the... ummm, crap(?)(sorry if this is too technical a term) providing a nice treadway to hike up. If only you could hike in shorts in January...