09-13-2019: Algonquin Peak

It's been some time since I've posted, not for lack of doing anything, but because of how much time it takes to sort out good pictures from the hundreds I take on each excursion. I'll skip over a few events in late August and go right to the most recent.

On a cool Friday in mid-September I hiked Algonquin Peak in the Adirondacks. At 5115 feet, Algonquin is the second-highest mountain in New York, and one of few whose summit is above the treeline. It's about a 9-mile round-trip hike from the parking area at the Adirondack Loj in North Elba. The hike starts out fairly straightforward, with most of the 3000 feet of elevation gain concentrated in the last mile or so. This was my highest hike to date, and my first time above the treeline.

View of Algonquin Peak (L) and Street Mountain (R) from the road to the Adirondack Loj.

Hemlock forest along the Van Hovenberg Trail. This trail goes one mile before meeting the Algonquin Trail.

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The MacIntyre Falls are located right along the trail at about 3300'.

Trail weather warning at 4000'. This was the first mountain I've climbed to come with safety labels.

Seemingly endless fir forest coats Algonquin and the slopes of neighboring Wright Peak.

Trailside view of Wright Peak, from about the same elevation as its summit.

Alpine plant warning at 5000'.

Looking west along the trail from just below the summit.

I took two panoramas at the summit, this one facing east...

...and this one facing west. Check the link above for the full-resolution versions.

I also took a video from the summit, to try and get the whole 360-degree view in one shot. Note the powerful winds; it was often difficult just to stand still. I (and the other hikers on the summit) found myself hiding on the leeward side of boulders, venturing out only for a few moments to take pictures. It hurt to face the wind directly.

Looking northeast from the summit. Whiteface Mountain (at left) is very prominent in this direction.

This eroded USGS survey marker denotes the mountain's highest point. However, several detached boulders at the top reach slightly higher.

Looking east across the northern High Peaks.

Mount Marcy dominates the windswept view to the southeast.

The most spectacular view was to the southwest, where endless layers of mountains and hills stretched out to eternity.

A closer view of Mount Marcy, NY's highest peak. Mount Colden is the striped mountain in the foreground.

The Great Range, home to seven High Peaks, is always a recognizable feature in this area.

Route 73 runs through this distant notch between Pitchoff (L) and Cascade (R) Mountains.

Cliffs on the aptly-named Wallface Mountain were quite prominent from the west-facing side of the summit.

Stone cairns marked the path above the treeline. The winding path continued past Algonquin to Boundary and Iroquois Peaks, shown here.

Cliff (L) and Calamity (R) Mountains guard the endless hills to the south.

Rist Mountain blocks much of the southward view, although distant foothills still rise beyond it.

A view of Lake Placid, 10 miles north and half a mile down.

A close-up shot of the summit of Iroquois Peak reveals no late-morning hikers.

Cairns dot the open rock on Boundary Peak. This photo is blurrier than most, as the relentless wind made this angle hard to maintain.

A close-up of the distant Giant Mountain, which I climbed back in June. Somehow it looks more formidable from 13 miles than it did then.

Even from 5100 feet up, Mount Marcy still seems impossibly high.

A view of Lake Colden, half a mile below the summit between Algonquin and the Great Range.

Water runs down the enormous rockfaces on Mount Colden. Flows like this can make Adirondack hikes very dangerous, especially in the cooler months.

Closer view of the evergreen wilderness at the southern shores of Lake Colden.

Flowed Lands is an artificial (c. 19th-century) swampy area south of Lake Colden.

A four-mile view to Marcy's barren peak reveals several hikers at its summit.

This northwest-facing view of Street Mountain reveals autumn colors not only in the forests below, but in the alpine scrub at the summit as well.

A cairn on the southwest side of the summit guards the endless mountains in the distance.