Damocles Sword?… or just plain, old Allen

From the beginning of this effort to hike all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks, Allen has always stood out as a potential deal breaker. I’ve looked at maps, studied online trail reports, read guide books and kept coming to the same conclusion - this one is a little daunting. It’s not an impossibly long hike. It’s not overly tall or hellishly steep… but its just kind of… “out there”. Last weekends hike to Cliff and Redfield is in fact longer – Allen being something less than 30km. Last weekends hike had more vertical elevation gain (Even Cascade - potentially the easiest - has more elevation gain!). But Allen sits off by itself with access along a lonely herdpath deep into the wilds of the park. Last weekend I hiked from Adirondack Loj through Avalanche pass, by Lake Colden and up the Oplalescent. I hiked with literally hundreds of other people on the trail and passed 2 ranger interior outposts – never far from help if anything were to go astray. Allen – ummm, not so much. No campers, no real campsites per se and certainly no rangers. I met only 2 other hikers all day (doing Allen as well). From the minute you step out of the car you are headed away from the popular trails of the high peaks and into the wild, away from civilization…. And that can be unnerving when you are looking at the map. And so over the last three years I avoided it while debating possible strategies. Maybe it would be better to ski part of it in the winter?… no, too cold and maybe not enough snow, maybe an early summer hike would be best?… no, too wet and muddy, perhaps late summer?… No, too hot, Fall?… rife with hunters - too risky, maybe a winter ski… no etc. etc. Now I was down to 2 last peaks on “the list”. I’ve saved Dix mountain for the last, so that leaves me to face Allen. No more chances to avoid it, procrastination has worked its magic.

I hadn’t really expected to head back to the high peaks so soon after last weeks long hike to Cliff and Redfield. I usually take at least a week off in between hikes but as I rode my bike on Saturday I thought that maybe the time had arrived to go get this peak. The weather forecast looked good (a rarity for this summer) so I decided to load up and drive down Saturday afternoon - to the same campsite I had last weekend. I wanted to get started early as the day was slated to be a warm one. With luck I could get to the mountain and up it before it got too hot. At 5 am I woke up to pitch blackness. Hmmm, shorter days, fall must be coming. Hit the snooze but couldn’t sleep so I loaded my pack, booted up, had a quick bite and headed for the trail head. Signed in at quarter to 6 and stepped into the dark woods. Almost immediately I crossed a couple of bridges and could see a heavy fog on the lakes – cold (maybe 12C)… fall must be coming.

The approach trail to Allen although long, is pretty easy going (read flat) and, as it turns out, a good portion of it follows old gravel roads past an abandoned mine and up through a hunting clubs property (with permission). The going was fast and soon I had reached the Opalescent brook. While there is usually a bridge across, this past winters heavy snow run off took the bridge out so the hunting club had kindly marked a good spot to ford the creek without losing the trail. I took my boots off to keep them dry and carefully waded across (knee deep at worst) the very cold brook. Beyond the creek but still on the flat I entered a large area where hurricane Floyd had taken down a huge tract of forest. Now a decade later the loose scrubby bush has started to slowly regenerate. Unfortunately it’s quite overgrown and early in the morning this meant it was wet from the dew. After a mile of walking through this I might as well have walked through the brook as my boots were now soaked. Finally I was back into some real forest and in a couple more miles and I arrived at the bottom of the mountain. I may have covered a lot of ground but there was no real concern of directions – totally clear trail and well marked intersections. I may have been a long way “out there” but there was no threat of being lost.

The climb up Allen goes along (and sometimes in) the Allen brook. Its steep… really steep at times. To add insult to injury the Allen brook is home to a rare form of red/brown algae that grows on the rock surface. This algae – unlike other more typical algae found in the park – is incredibly slippery when wet. It is also incredibly slippery when dry(!) so there’s no winning. Instead you have to make careful foot placements and slowly work your way up. Finally, after crossing a small slide you leave the brook (and algae) behind and make one last push up to the summit ridge and then a short easy walk to the summit sign. I’m here(!) and there is even a little bit of a view carved out of the nearby trees. I sat down and had some lunch and looked at the map… and was immediately intimidated at where I was now sitting… but it hadn’t been that bad to get here so maybe the way out would be okay. After a half hour of lunch and picture taking (and rest) I started down the tricky descent and – too my surprise – was down much faster than I anticipated… and no giant outta control slides down the algae covered rocks. Met the only two people I would see all day at the base and gave them some beta on the climb before going our separate ways.

The walk out was a long connection of milestones that I could remember from the trek in and one by one I got closer to home. The walk across the open area where floyd had cleared the forest was now unbearably hot – no shade to be had and my GPS suggested 34C… but its in a black shell so I don’t know how accurate it is. On the plus side the brush was now dry and I spotted lots of berries (blue, rasp, black etc) along the trail so there was lots of trailside snacking to be had. The ford across the stream now felt decidedly warmer than in the morning but was plenty welcome on the feet. A few more miles and I was back at the car. Quick swim in the Hudson river and I was cleaned up and ready to go…. and it was only 3:30!! This demon hike, this deal breaker, this hellish ordeal…. As it turns out it wasn’t even a long day! I guess that’s a lesson we all need to remind ourselves from time to time. The mind can often make more of something if given the time to do it. This hike is by no means the hardest hike I have done and I’d probably do it again on a nice fall day. It was certainly a treat to get so much solitude after last weekends super highway of hiking trails. It’s “out there” to be sure… but sometimes it’s nice to go “out there” if only to test the waters. Monday morning I got up… no sword hanging over my head… now I can enjoy the fall hiking season.

Allen - 45 of 46

Next stop - on to Dix mountain

Reconnoitering in the Central Adirondacks
Sunday dawned under warm sunny skies. I slept late with no particular plans after yesterdays big hike. Lots of cars roared by me on the nearby road – headed to high peak trail heads and long days of their own but I took my time pumping some water, making some breakfast and packing up camp. No rush today. In the end I decided to hike a firetower peak and then do a little exploring around the central part of the Adirondacks. I was quite close to Vanderwhacker mountain so opted for that one. It was a 6 mile hike with a good climb but it would only take me a few hours so that sounded like enough hiking for the day.

The walk started off very gently past beaver meadows but finally it made a sudden tilt uphill scrambling to the summit ridge. Sadly the clouds started to roll in while I climbed but along with the clouds there were cool breezes so they weren’t totally unwelcome. When I reached the firetower the views were quite limited but I enjoyed watching patches of sunshine run up and down the nearby hillsides for a while.

The descent was fast and soon I was off driving through the central part of the park scoping out trail heads and even an x-c ski center I’d heard about but never visited (no snow there yet ;-). I debated stopping at the Adirondack museum in Blue Mountain lake but – with cloudy (sometimes rainy) weather - the crowds at the museum were pretty heavy. Overall I enjoyed my drive and discovered there’s a lot to see further in to the park so I’ll have to come back and explore some more.

A long hike to 2 high peaks

The weather looked good this weekend so it was time to get back to the Dak’s for a little climbing. I’m hoping to finish off “the list” this year and the weather has not been cooperating of late so spying a reasonably dry looking day made me jump at the chance…. As it turns out I would NOT be alone in this thinking. I took a leisurely drive down on Friday after work to the usual camping spot at South Meadow and found it almost full to overflowing. Managed to squeeze in to a spot and got a solid nights sleep before rising with the sun. I had a long day planned heading for Cliff and Redfield so I decided it would be worthwhile to cut a little total distance by parking at the Loj parking lot. Despite the $9 parking fee this would shave a mile off the total hike and every little bit would help. The walk from the Loj to Marcy dam and up through the Avalanche pass was mostly uneventful – lots of campers at the dam slowly stirring from their sleep and gearing up for their day. More of the same as I strolled around Lake Colden. But for the most part the trails were quiet. The trail up the Opalescent creek is one of the more beautiful walks as it skirts along the roaring brook. At a few spots the trail sits on loamy ledges and you can peer down into narrow, deep chasms where the brook crashes downhill. It makes for a nice walk and the trail was in pretty good shape in spite of all the extra rain we’ve had (read typical mud pits only). When I crossed the Uphill brook I had come to the herd paths for Redfield and Cliff - finally the start of the real work. Three hours of hiking to get to the bottom of where it starts to go up…. hmmm gonna be a long day.
Ranger rowing across Lake Colden in the morning

I had heard that you should do Cliff first and then Redfield (cause its easier) but I sometimes prefer to go against the grain so I opted for Redfield first – it’s a lot higher afterall - how can that be easy? The herdpath for Redfield is actually quite nice. It also meanders up a brook and sometimes climbs through it with vignettes of the high peaks through the trees. It starts off slow and gets perpetually steeper but - apart from the increased heart rate - is never overly taxing. I arrived on the summit to find the beautiful sunny skies replaced by dark forbidding clouds (fortunately somewhat higher than the summit so there were still some views to be had). I sat for a while and a family (Dad, son and daughter) joined me on the summit. The son was concerned about the somewhat dubious lunch that Mom had packed for them… not quite a sandwich but sort of the makings of one. I was about to mention that my Mom hadn’t made me any lunch at all!… but the Dad was quick to point out that their Mom had at least been good enough to pack something to eat… Good point Dad. Unfortunately the clouds started to lighten their load on our heads and a light rain began to fall. I opted to start down and 2 minutes after I left the summit a mighty thunderclap echoed through the peaks – yikes… time to get low! As I started to motor down (the family in hot pursuit) the skies opened up and a heavy shower soaked me but as quick as it started it stopped… and soon the sun was shining again. Good news – hopefully the trails didn't get too soupy as I wouldn’t want to have to come back for Cliff.

As I descend I could see Cliff through the trees and it was in perfect sunshine so I pressed on with the days agenda. Cliff is a different sort of mountain… its not actually 4000 ft but, due to a surveying error, was originally on the list and has stayed there ever since. The approach starts out through a very swampy section of trail (just to get your boots good and muddy) and then – much as its name suggests – it goes up a series of very steep cliffs and ledges. It’s probably the most challenging technical climb I’ve had in all of the 46 to date. It requires all four limbs to come into play. I was sure to keep 3 points of contact at all times as a fall out here would be a bad thing. Careful slow progress and you make your way up only to be greeted at the top by another large, deep mud pit (to prep your boots for the down climb). The top is relatively flat but the true summit is at the other end from the cliffy ascent. The mountain was hit very hard by Hurricane Floyd in the ‘90’s so its quite surprising that any trail could be cut through the mess of blowdown at all but eventually you arrive at the summit sign (with more views of blown down trees). The descent is no easier so again slow careful progress was the order and soon enough I was down the mountain with just the walk out to go. I was dreading this part of the hike (death marches are seldom fun) but it actually went quite well. The closer I got to the parking lot the better the trail condition was and the faster I was able to go. Maybe there’s something about “the horse smelling the barn” there…. I’m just sayin’. In the end I hiked about 10.5 hours and covered something north of 30km with about 4000 foot gain. Good day in the peaks and two more off “the list”.

Allen Mountain - calling to me?
On my hike in the morning I had seen very few people hiking – too early perhaps. I did run into a few groups on the herdpaths, which is more than usual. Most of hese hikers had camped at Colden, Flowed lands or even the Uphill brook leanto to give easy access to the trails. As I descended the peaks to Lake Colden I started to see how precious a sunny day in the Daks (save for one brief thunderstorm) can be as the crowds started to mount. With campsites already pretty full I saw line after line of college aged backpackers heading in, families – all in tennis shoes and no packs - hiking to the Avalanche pass, climbers and hikers at every turn (some with maps, some without). Amidst it all were wild-eyed rangers telling anyone who’d listen where they could stick their tents. I guess there hasn’t been that many good weekends in the summer and everyone seized the opportunity all at once. When I stumbled out at the Loj I found 12 pages of names in the sign in book from where I had signed in the morning. Clearly a busy night – and probably good pickins’ for the local bear population. For me, I opted to grab some food in town and then headed off to a secret and quiet campsite. I was sound asleep by 9pm and hit the snooze button the next morning.

Redfield - 43 of 46
Cliff - 44 of 46

Avalanche pass on a sunny afternoon

Nascar Reggata...err Racing

The August long weekend is time for the summer road trip to take in some auto racing on Ile St. Helene. The island is quite a little oasis in the heart of Montreal and is likely a very relaxing spot on all but 2 weekends a year. On this weekend the Nascar Nationwide series had brought their traveling road show to town and brought along the Grand Am and Canadian Tire series racers as companion races for the weekend. It makes for a great couple of days at the track watching practice and qualifying sessions, strolling through the paddock areas before the green flag drops on some great racing. This year I drove down with a friend from work and we met up with some colleagues from Montreal to take in the show.

Friday was mostly practice and qualifying on the track with the Grand Am series race to close the day. The weather was mostly overcast but still pretty warm so we appreciated the lack of sun that would have barbequed us in the grandstands. Time at the track on Friday is always a little more relaxing - a few less fans and more of an opportunity to walk around and check out some of the other parts of the course. Time in the paddocks gives you a great chance to see the cars up close before they head out to the track for their races and with a bunch of Canadian drivers qualifying for the races there was a good buzz in the crowd. Post race we spent a very civilized evening at a local brasserie preparing ourselves for Saturdays action.

Saturday dawned sunny but the forecast looked grim. The morning race went off with out a hitch and some exciting racing led local racer Andrew Ranger to victory lane, much to the delight of the fans. As the big show drew near so did dark threatening clouds. The drivers introductions were punctuated with lightening flashes on the south shore and as the cars raced a handful of laps the skies suddenly opened up. It was like someone turned a bucket of water on our heads! The race took an enforced break and drivers put on rain tires while the track crews tried to sweep away the flooded sections of the course. Soon enough the racing was back on – the first Nascar race ever using rain tires. A rear brake light was mounted and some cars had a windshield wiper while others opted for a heavy coat of Rain-X to clear the windshield. To my surprise the fans hung tough, donning their ponchos and raingear and waiting for the race to restart. And when it did the racing was brilliant as the rain tires worked well under occasional light showers. Finally another deluge hit and didn’t look like it would let up. With night falling and steady rain the race was called (short of the full distance but long enough to be official) but no one left disappointed – a good show all around.

Close battles on the slick track

Sunday morning I headed to Maniwaki to visit with a few friends who had congregated at the cottage for the long weekend. The weather was a little better with short passing showers mixed with patches of sunshine. Lots of chores got accomplished with many hands available - chopping firewood, cabin renovations, making beer runs (hey! who got that easy task?!) There was of course plenty of time for a little swimming and waterskiing – the cottage is not all work afterall. Nice quiet spot after a weekend of noise at the track.

Time for a swim...wait a minute have these kids been swimming while we worked?