ADIRONDACK HIKES: Wright Peak

Trip Report: Undercast and Just Too Much Fun

Dates:            January 27, 2001
Location:       Adirondack High Peaks
Team:           Mike Bowen, Joe Mynio, and Alan Bianchi
Destination: Wright Peak (4,580') & Algonquin Peak (5,114') if time allows
Approach:     ADK Loj parking lot
Author:          Mike Bowen

Summary:

After a quick 4-hour drive from Rochester on Friday night, we checked into the Woodlake Motor Lodge on Saranac Avenue in Lake Placid. Our intended excursion was to hike the summits of Wright (4,580') and Algonquin (5,114') Peaks. Thanks to an early start and favorable weather, we successfully hiked Wright and returned to the Loj by 1:00pm. What happened to Algonquin you ask? Perhaps we had way too much fun sledding down the top of Wright on our snowshoes? Perhaps Alan heard a beer pub calling out from Lake Placid? Perhaps we’re just plain out of shape because we work office jobs? All we can say is that after reaching the Wright Peak summit and hiking back to the trail junction, we decided against hiking Algonquin.

Details:

My spirited hiking partner, Teena, sat this trip out due to her pregnancy - she's due in July. She spent the day introducing Lake Placid to her friend Rhonda. As is well known to Rhonda, we're hoping that she will join us in future hiking excursions. So, this hike was an all-guy affair as Joe, Alan, & I attacked the hike with our usual vigor…

It was a cold morning start as we arrived at the Loj trail head around 7:30am. There weren't many cars in the lot. We decided that the snow on the trail looked sturdy enough that snow shoes wouldn't be required yet, and we quickly passed a party of snow shoe clad hiker brethren. It was a beautiful day, even if the sun was hiding. Cold? Yes. But at least there was no wind!

As we continued our hike up the mountain, we saw no one. The existing snow packed trails allowed us to hike at a moderate pace since we didn't need our snow shoes. Finally, at just over 2 miles, we reached the point where the snow conditions and the pitch of the climb made the use of snowshoes necessary. How did we arrive at this conclusion? Maybe it was the fact that while posing by a frozen waterfall, Mike fell into snow up to his chest? Somewhere amidst the laughter, signs of future post-holing, an increased pitch, and poor footing, Joe suggested we start with the snow shoes. There were no arguments.

At the trail junction to Wright Peak, we decided to hike Wright first instead of Algonquin. Why? The answer is simple… According to Alan, it was the quickest ascent route to the pub! So, with all haste, we scampered up the steep ascent up Wright Peak. On exiting the tree line, we finally met another intrepid explorer… We soon learned to envy the man because non of us came equipped with cramp-ons. Joe left his at home. Alan & Mike just don't have any. To climb the icy rocks of the Wright Peak summit, we kept our snow shoes on, and used their crampons. This made some of the climbing tricky… Ever try to climb over & through rocks with boards tied to your feet? Not to mention the fact that Mike's brand-new orange Atlas 1033 snowshoes are now stainless steel scratched silver…

At the summit, we were greeted by three wonderful events. First. The wind was very minor except for the occasional gust. Secondly, the clouds were undercast! There's no cooler feeling when hiking mountains that looking down on the clouds, and having blue skies above. We even had moments of sun. Then it happened… Suddenly, for a brief moment, the upper cone of Algonquin emerged from the clouds in a brilliant display of sunshine! It seemed to float on a bed of clouds. The moment disappeared as quickly as it arrived, but we were there to witness. We took a little time to eat our lunches before the winds picked up and the snow started to fall.

The trip down was made memorable for two reasons: sledding down to the Wright Peak junction on our snowshoes, and passing many hiking parties who were on their way up. We seemed to have picked a good time to hike! Our hike back to the Loj went quickly as we learned how to "ski" our snow shoes on the deeper descents… In doing so, we figured out ways of sliding our snow shoes in a controlled way, thereby doubling our speed (or more) at times. It didn't hurt that Mike set a breakneck pace on the way down. Rumor has it, he didn't have his "coffee fix" for the day yet.

We went back to Lake Placid where we showered up and reconnected with Teena & Rhonda. We had dinner at Camerons, Beer at Lake Placid Brew Pub, ice cream at Ben & Jerry's and toured the snow sculptures at Mirror Lake beach. On Sunday, we went to breakfast at Aroma Round and departed to Rochester around noon.

A quick note on driving… We discovered that we had a much shorter drive from Rochester via 104 and 81 north (only 4 hours). Just don’t stop at the Oswego Friendly’s (1.5 hours between salads and burger service). We also discovered that it's a MUCH LONGER drive home taking 87 (the Northway) to 90… 6+ hours. Guess which way we go from now on. J

What will we remember from this trip? The undercast skies atop of Wright Peak. The snow shoe sledding down Wright Peak. The snow sculptures. We had a lot of fun on this trip!

Pictures: