A few weeks ago I wandered up to the Adirondacks once again for another adventure. I had just finished a 18 hour work day . I started driving up around midnight after I got out of work. Some few hours later I found myself taking a nap at a rest stop. After the nap and a short drive I found myself in the Adirondack loj parking lot. My plan was to revisit a peak that held memories and great views. I signed in at the trail register and saw that the trails had been quite busy even for a week day. I had forgotten how busy it gets there in the summer . My plan was to hike to colden from the west side , summit, and descend via the east side into Colden lake/ Colden dam.I would then look for a leanto or campsite. The weather was in my favor so far. If everything went well I would have a wonderful trip
I started hiking down the all too familiar trail leading to Marcy dam. From Marcy dam I would take the avalanche pass trail and switch over to the lake Arnold trail. During my hike to Marcy Dam, I ran into several hikers who I had the pleasure of sharing quick chats with. Everyone was happy to be outside and enjoying the weather. I made the turn at the junction to put me on the avalanche pass trail. About 5 minutes later I ran into a couple attempting to make a fire. Fires are not allowed in this part of the Adirondacks. I let them know and they gave me choice words back. After a short while on this section with the running water and birds in the tree, I soon made it to the junction leading to porter trail which would take me to Mount Colden and to Colden dam.
The area had just seen a bit of rain so some mud was expected on the trail but it wasn’t too bad. The last time I had been up this side was this past winter with snow shoes and a much heavier pack. It was quite nice to have a break from both. I soon found my self entering the alpine zone. The Alpine is a very fragile and important vegetation. Its important to stay on the designated paths when traveling in the alpine zone. It was a clear blue bird day, the visibility and cloud coverage was perfect. I soon made my way over from the false summit to the true summit after a short 15 minute stretch. I took my pack off and grabbed some food from my bear canister. I enjoyed a quick snack followed by a very nice nap.
After trying so hard not to leave the wonderful summit I realized that i needed to get down and find a leanto/ campsite so I had time to enjoy the rest of the day. The descent down wasn’t too bad. The rocks were slick from the rain that we had recently. Having good traction/foot wear make all the difference. I soon found myself by the steps that they had installed by the steep section of rock. I personally liked it before they installed the steps but what can I say. After heading down for quite some time, taking in the views and listening to the sounds of nature I soon found myself at the next junction. I had just arrived at Colden Lake and a junction as well. I went right it would bring me back to Avalanche pass and the trail to Marcy Dam. If I went left it would bring me to Colden Dam and other trails If I wanted to do something else. I took the left turn and was again on my way. I had nice views of the lakes and Algonquin until I went into tree cover again. I soon reached the dam at Lake colden and just sat down and appreciated it for a bit of time. The lake was still, everything was just still and beautiful.
I soon donned my pack again hoping to grab a spot at leanto next to the lake. I had lucked out I arrived at the leanto with it complete empty shelter. I had my spot all to myself. I started to unpack and get my gear together. Prior to this trip I promised myself I would go swimming no matter how cold the water was. After getting settled in and a short nap, I went swimming in the cold water with the sun shining just a mere 50 feet from where I was. Being Russian I enjoyed the cold water and pretty much any cold thing. A short while after soaking in the water I got back on land and dried off.
A short while after I saw a group of three hikers approaching the leanto. A father and his 2 sons. They all had heavy packs but looked to be in good spirits. We chatted for a bit, but the only thing on my mind was food. I soon headed out to the colden dam to cook up some food. Once again I got caught up talking to random hikers for way too long. I enjoyed my dinner with a nice breeze and view.
Being on 2 hours of sleep I decided to go back to camp and try to get some sleep. I placed my canister well off trail and was hoping that I would remember where I placed it the next morning. I soon headed back after placing the canister. I got in my sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep. Little did I know that about 10 hikers had passed the leanto and some enjoyed the sunset meanwhile I was fast asleep. I woke up several times to late hikers trying to find camp.
The next morning I quickly packed up my gear after enjoying the beautiful sunrise. The hike out was very uneventful.
