September 19, 2009 - Algonquin & Iroquois Peaks

Almost the last day of Summer, and Jack and Rich decided to take a break from Jack's heavy soccer and homework schedule to soak in a sunny and warm day on the trails. The forecast was for clear, sunny skies, so we resolved to try to take advantage of the view from Algonquin that we got cheated out of almost exactly a year earlier. The weather at the ADK Loj was colder than expected, but it wasn't long before we were warming up and losing layers. The trails were packed with hikers, and we met some very nice people along the route. As we neared the summit of Algonquin, it quickly turned colder, and we were treated to a thick layer of frost and some ice on everything in sight; a rare treat (for us) in what was still technically Summer.

After taking in some views on Algonquin, we made the short hike over to Iroquois and enjoyed lunch on that peak where we could take advantage of the sun and reduced wind than we had experienced on Algonquin. We met a nice family on Iroquois who suggested that we might enjoy the return trip down past Lake Colden, through Avalanche Pass, and over Marcy Dam to the ADK Loj. We decided to give it a shot. Other than the trip down to Lake Colden taking a lot longer than we thought (and us assuming that we had gotten lost), it was a great decision. Avalanche Pass was spectacular in the late Summer sun, and we got to enjoy our first trip through the Marcy Dam area.

The total trip was just over 13 miles, and our travel time was an impressive 9.5 hours. Fourteen (14) High Peaks down; 32 to go.

August 30, 2009 - Porter & Cascade Mountains

Only one year removed from her horrible lightening encounter on Buck Mountain, Ally decided that she was ready to head back out on the trails and wanted to climb her first high peak. Jack suggested Cascade, since it was the easiest hike with a good view (plus the shortest trip back to the car in case we had to cut it short). There were torrential rains the day before, but the morning looked promising and we got out the door by 6:00 AM. Unfortunately, both Sean and Otto elected to sleep in instead of coming along.

We made excellent time in the early going, and before we knew it we were at the junction to the trail for Porter Mountain. Ally recognized that no one else in the family had Porter as their first high peak, so in order for her to be different, she directed us towards Porter instead of continuing up Cascade. It was a good move, since a cloud had just come in, and the view on Cascade wouldn't have been very good if we had gotten there too early. By the time we made it over to Porter, the clouds parted and Ally got her first good view of the Great Range.

After enjoying a lunch of fresh banana bread (thanks Mom), we packed up and started the march back over to Cascade. Once we cleared the treeline and got near the summit, the wind really picked up and the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees. The view from the top was beautiful, although we had to huddle behind some rocks periodically to keep warm. Jack and Ally looked all over the summit for a letter box that we found last Summer, but to no avail. On the way back down, Ally announced that she was going to be a 46er. Also, I didn't have to worry about her keeping up with us; she and Jack were frequently stopping to wait for me.