Backpacking and kayaking trip in the Adirondacks

[upcruiser]

Yes, ANOTHER Adirondacks backpacking report... haha Ironically the backpacking portion of the trip was from the exact same place too.

Here are some shots and some text from a nice trip I returned from last week. My friends Shaun and Meredith whom you may recall from the Memorial Day Weekend Trip in the UP thread sent me a ticket to come visit them in NY. They are doing great and wanted me to come and spend some time recreating in the Adirondacks with them. Not one to miss an opportunity like this I jumped on it. Ironically, I had just returned home from Chile so I think I had been home a total of 2 days for the month of September at this point. Anyway, I'll let the pictures tell the story but it was an incredible adventure.

Backpacking into Marcie Dam in the High Peaks Wilderness area with Meredith.

The colors were really coming out!

At Marcie Lake

Once we set up camp at Marcie Lake, we scored a great lean-to, we hiked up Algonquin Peak. It took 2 hours at a brisk pace, climbing around 4,000 vertical feet on a trail that was steep, steep with huge rocks and alot of scrambling to reach the summit.

Meredith working her way up. Starting to get some great views of the valleys below.

Clouds cast across Wright Peak, we end up being quite a bit higher then this peak at the top.

 

[upcruiser]

Another view of Wright Peak, still climbing!

Getting into the arctic alpine tundra zone above the treeline

Getting close

On the summit! Looking down on Colden Lake. The temperature was probably 40 degrees colder on the summit then below.

Time to head down, we returned to camp about an hour after dark. Legs a bit rubbery!

 

[upcruiser]

Cold, rainy morning in the lean-to

Marcy Lake with less sun

Time for the next adventure.

Cascade Lake in the morning

I love the old farms and the mountains splattered with colors. Good stuff.

Our rolling base camp, Meredith's Durango.

On to new scenery, woke up to this on the banks of the Beaver River

Shaun in a stoic pose

 

[upcruiser]

Meredith and EJ contemplating the upper slide

The entrance to dogleg

At the take out

on a section of the Beaver called Eagle, BIG consequences!

 

[upcruiser]

Meredith giving first aid

Forecast of rain equals giant tarp to create huge hangout area under cover complete with campfire!

Camp life

 

[Haggis]

Awesome photos! You guys are making me think about a quick run north here in a few weeks. :088:

 

[KevinNY]

You got a beautiful day to summit Algonquin. When I did it years ago at the same time of year, the winds on the summit were near hurricane force and we were coated in rime (wind driven freezing fog) by the time we got back to the trees.

 

[jeepmedic46]

Those pictures are incredible, Great write up as well:ylsmoke:

 

[hikingff77]

Nice pictures. Reminds me that I have to get up there sometime sooner than later.

Not for nothing but that's a Dakota. I have the same truck, set up pretty much the same minus the higher cap and longer load bars.

Is that a six or eight under the hood?

 

[upcruiser]

You got a beautiful day to summit Algonquin. When I did it years ago at the same time of year, the winds on the summit were near hurricane force and we were coated in rime (wind driven freezing fog) by the time we got back to the trees.

It was gorgeous and with it being so late in the day we had incredible light. We paid for that on the way down though. There was definately a stiff breeze at the top but not too bad, I could only imagine how fog and freezing condidtions could change the whole mood of that hike.

 

[upcruiser]

Nice pictures. Reminds me that I have to get up there sometime sooner than later.

Not for nothing but that's a Dakota. I have the same truck, set up pretty much the same minus the higher cap and longer load bars.

Is that a six or eight under the hood?

Yeah, its a nice truck and has the V8 with a manual too which is pretty cool. She's had it across America a couple of times including Alaska. She has been getting some use out of it!

 

[Clark White]

Hey, I recognize those places!

Clark

 

[Lost Canadian]

It's funny how similar everything looks stemming from the Adirondacks and heading north all the way up into Quebec and Ontario, probably parts of the UP as well. Looking at your shots I thought, man, those pics could just as easily been taken in the Laurentian's. Nice report, looks like the colours were just starting to hit their peak!

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Very neat. I maintained the hiking trails with the ATIS trail crew on the other side of Marcy for four years as a job. All the trails in and out of the AMR (Ausable Lakes Adirondack Mountain Reserve -- Unfortunately all the trails were taken off the big, real map), everything from the Skylight/Marcy intersection north. We actually once owned the entire great range and the summit of Marcy though I believe about '72 or so when they sold it to the state. In the 50's there was a campaign to put a road up there like they did with Mount Washington and luckily because the AMR owned it it never happened...

I miss that area a lot, great photos...

 

[jim65wagon]

Beautiful place. Great photos. Now I'm wishing my wife had more vacation days!