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Trap Dike and Partial MacIntyre Range 7/16-7/18 Part II

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  • Trap Dike and Partial MacIntyre Range 7/16-7/18 Part II

    Waking up on Sunday was a slightly more difficult task and we managed to get fully packed up and left North from Marcy Dam around 7:30 to meet up with the MacIntyre trail 1 mile away. We arrived at the junction an hour later after passing a multitude of people who appeared to be heading up to Marcy for the day. We unloaded our packs and left what we didn’t need for the hike hidden away just off the trail. At this point a couple of members of the group decided they wanted to move at a more leisurely pace and just explore some of the woods around Whales Tail, not to mention they had a greater time constraint than the rest of us. We all hiked together up to the cut-off for the ski trail and said our good byes.

    Myself, Kurt and Dennis set our sights on Wright and Algonquin for the day because we didn’t think there would be enough time to hit Iroquois and make it back to NJ at a decent hour. The trail up to the Wright cut off was a steady grade that had a lot of rocks and boulders but it was all a very manageable hike. We stopped off at a waterfall about halfway up the trail to fill up our canteens. Dennis was so inspired by the Trap Dike the day before that he wanted to see if he could climb the waterfall in under 2 minutes. He got up in one and a half minutes, but coming down proved a greater challenge haha.
    We made it up to Wright around 10am. We were met with a really cool experience because the clouds were very low on Sunday and they were rolling in very fast. I always enjoy the trek up to the open summits because I always feel like I am in another country like Ireland because everything is green and lush. The passing clouds provided an incredible effect on the high peaks with the sun shining in some parts and very dark in others. While on the summit we were joined by another student who was working with the DEC this summer putting up Emerald Ash Borer traps (the purple boxes hanging from trees around the ADKs). This is why we don’t move firewood around from region to region and spread invasive species into such a wonderful part of the country. Enough of my ranting. Before we headed down the summit steward for the day, Seth, set up camp and told us some good stories. He and a couple other stewards had been in the Santanoni’s on Friday and one of them ended up waist deep in mud. We wished him a good day and headed down to the main trail around 10:45.


    Clouds Rolling in Over Wright


    A view of Mt. Colden from Wright with view of the Trap Dike and Slide

    We made it down to the trail in a little over 8 minutes. Gravity is a wonderful thing. We continued the trail up to Algonquin and the grade started to increase all the way to the summit across a lot of bare rock that was still slippery from Saturday evenings thunderstorms. We made it to the top a little before noon and the view was just as enticing as that provided by Wright. We decided to have lunch on the summit, Kurt brought a can of oysters he was unable to finish and Dennis and I stuck with our peanut butter sandwich regimen. The summit is larger than it looks from far away and there were plenty of places we set up to take photos and explore a little bit. I shocked when I saw a girl who couldn’t have been more than 5 years old and her family come proudly strutting up to the summit. We all agreed that our kids were going to be like that. It was at this point I realized we forgot to pay homage to the B-47 crash site on Wright. I am really disappointed I missed it because I think I am going to start a project to visit all of the crash sites in the ADKs. Once I get a hold of a map from Adirondack Life magazine...


    The Great Range under cloud cover


    Kurt setting up his tripod with Marcy over his shoulder

    We called it quits around 1 and began our descent from the summit. The trek down was quick and somewhat treacherous. The rocks were very slick because they were covered in a fine layer of sand it looked like, this led Dennis and I to a few stumbles and I almost ate a puddle of mud in one of my slips. Despite all the excitement down the mountain we made it back to the Loj at exactly 3:08 which Kurt predicted when we were still about 15 minutes out. All in all, a successful trip and I was able to get myself to 16/46, a third of the way to the finish.


    Dennis doesn't want to go back to Brooklyn


    At least the ride home offers a good view.
    Hiking is like cycling. It never gets easier, just faster.
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