Peak Bagging in the Adirondacks
Mt Marcy from Lake Tear of the Clouds in late October
The High Peaks section of the Adirondacks is probably the closest thing any 'vertically-deprived' Ontarian craves, in terms of mountaineering.
The plan would be:
Friday: Leave the KW area after work, preferably around 6 pm, and head to the Adirondacks for an 'extended' weekend of peak bagging. We would arrive around 2 am to make our base camp most likely at the ADK Loj.
Saturday: We would head into the high peaks interior after a short breakfast at base camp. Our goal would be to set up a forward camp near Mt. Marcy for the purposes of climbing Mt. Marcy/ Haystack. This forward camp would be to allow us a place to drop our gear so we could quickly make the two summits and provide the opportunity that in the case that time will not allow us to make the trip back to ADK Loj we will have the necessary gear for a backcountry stay. Our backcountry stay site would be at Marcy Dam.
Sunday: We break camp at the base of Marcy head for ADK Loj. Upon arriving we have the choice of taking a leisure day or depending on the alloted time we can climb Algonquin Peak and its 'sub-peak' Iroquois Peak. Following this we make camp again at ADK Loj.
Monday: This is our extra day provided we run behind schedule. If the Algonquin-Iroquois Peak set isn't hiked on the Sunday we should have the greater portion of the day to hike them on Monday. However, if the group is worn out there is the option to take off early to Canada eh!
Difficulty:
If you've made it this far in reading I'm sure you're aware that this trip is a challenge, you are possibly intrigued by this challenge and a little eager face it. As fair warning it should be stated that, although the peaks mentioned are not overly technical, climbing them with a full or day pack will require a strong devotion to the goal, a high degree of physical stamina, and a developed ability as a backpacker. These may not be the Rockies but it goes without saying that every mountain demands respect of its climbers. The weather in the high peaks around this time of year could be sunny, rainy, snowy, or a mixed bag of all three plus high winds. However, the focus of this trip is to challenge oneself against the mountains, nature, and your own personal limits so you can walk away with a HUGE smile and feeling of elation.
This trip involves climbing the 3 HIGHEST peaks and the 8th HIGHEST peak (Iroquois Peak) that make up the 46 mountains in the High Peaks Region. This trip will take you to the 'ceiling' of New York state 5,344ft (Mt. Marcy) and offers affording views on a clear crisp day.
Transportation:
The plan would be to carpool. In order to bring the costs of driving down. I'm willing to take a few people with me, however if we're a small group we should only require at the most two cars.
COST:
Transportation = $60
Camping = $40
Parking = $5
Celebratory Dinner at ADK Loj = $19 Optional as we're in the States we could always go to a Chili's or something of the sort
Total Estimated Cost = $124 including dinner on Sunday
Notes:
Photos
59 photos
