Crossover Blog 2/2 - Adirondacks/Mt. Colden

Friday, October 15, 2021
This is a crossover blog, harkening back to the time-tested comic book tradition of having comic hero B appear in comic hero A's issue, then A appears in B. One of the best examples is Spiderman/X-Force from 1990:

(Yes, the issues were printed sideways/landscape-orientation, and meant to be read sideways [don't be stupid and turn your head sideways]). The plots might be silly, but the art was EXCELLENT: Todd McFarlane’s Spider-Man and Rob Liefeld’s X-Force!!

What makes this blog a "crossover" is dixonheadingwest concerns itself with Art Museums and National Parks, while dixonheadingnorth documents my hiking endeavors - 4000-footers in New Hampshire/Vermont/Maine/New York. Yesterday covered 4 Museums in Massachusetts, while today covers hiking Mount Colden in the Adirondacks.

I left the Super 8 Ticonderoga at 6:45, and was hiking at 8:31. Signed the Register, and it was off into The Woods:

After a couple of miles I was up at Marcy Dam, where I signed-in at the second Register:

Well, I might as well show you THE MAP (Yellow going out/uphill, and Orange coming back/downhill):

Soon I took the right "trail intersection" and headed up Trail 68 (Avalanche Pass to Lake Colden), which goes alongside (NOT "IN") a beautiful brook:

I came back down this trail last September (9/28/2020), when I had hiked Wright, Algonquin, and Iroquois. Avalanche Lake was SOOOO COOL, and I really wanted to get back here. So at the next "trail intersection" I headed up to Avalanche Pass (and Avalanche Lake):

The trail gets a little rough:

Avalanche Lake IS WONDERFUL:

Um, it's starting to rain. Those are 2 Rangers out in the boat.

In case you didn't know it, it gets PRETTY TRICKY alongside Avalanche Lake:

Beauty across The Lake:

That "valley in the rock" is another way to get up Mount Colden, called "Trap Dike" (a bushwhack - maybe next time)

At 10:50 I was down at the bottom/southwest end of Avalanche Lake:

and the bridge I just crossed-over:

10 minutes farther is another "trail intersection", with my trail heading off to the left:

At 11:15 I reached Lake Colden:

1/2 mile later you reach the intersection with Trail 70 (Mt. Colden from Lake Colden), which you take up to the left:

You eventually get to the "Longest Ladder I Have Ever Seen" (109 steps):

Um, "wet rock" plus "wet leaves" - what could happen!

Up top was a bit more foggy than I had hoped:

I reached the Peak at 12:46 PM:

Mount Colden is the LAST 4000 footer for me to climb! This makes it 46-out-of-46 for the ADK 46ers, and 111-out-of-111 for the Northeast 111 (which is actually 115 peaks - I have done them all).

Unfortunately, not much of a view out there:

The Peak was where Trail 70 (Mt. Colden from Lake Colden) changed to Trail 74 (Mt. Colden from Lake Arnold via L. Morgan Porter Trail), so I headed down-to-the-northeast.

Have to look back once in a while:

Yes, the trail came down right through that hole!

Pretty cool board-walk up in the "High Peaks":

The Trail came down right next to this big rock-with-moss:

And then I was down at Lake Arnold:

From Lake Arnold I headed northeast-then-northwest down Trail 73 (Avalanche Camp to Lake Arnold and Feldspar Brook) - kind-of-a-hard-trail. Looking Up:

Looking Down:

And then suddenly, hiking down alongside a tributary-brook to Marcy Brook, I saw the prettiest little waterfall:

What a Pleasant Surprise!

I continued down the gnarly trail:

until I reached the "2nd Register" and signed-out:

One last look at the area above Marcy Dam:

I felt pretty good, so I wanted to try something. For a couple of years now I have been noticing a trail that ran to the left of Whales Tail Mountain - Trail 67 (Whales Tail Notch Ski Trail):

It would only add 1/2 mile to my hike, so I went looking for it. The phrase "Ski Trail" is a hint to its "condition" - unmarked and unmaintained.

I was able to poke around, and behind one of the camping areas I found the trail:

It isn't a "bushwhack", but the trail isn't "easy" to climb.

This applies to going down the back-side, as well:

I intersected a "real-trail", and got back to the "1st Register":

13.91 miles in 7 hours 55 minutes:

Bye-Bye Beautiful Adirondacks:

5-and-1/2 hours later, I was home at 10PM. WOW-DE-WOW-DE-WOW - Thank you God for ALL THESE WONDERFUL ADVENTURES!

Music for today:

John Coltrane - My Favorite Things, 1961


John Coltrane - Blue Train, 1958


George Winston - Night Divides The Day: The Music Of The Doors, 2002


Ramblin' Jack Elliott - Me & Bobby McGee, 1995 "hits" album

Ever since hearing it in Feb. 1970, I have always LOVED his song "912 Greens" - gives me chills, and brings me to tears.

Jackson Browne & David Lindley - Love Is Strange [Live] (2 cds), 2010


Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust Tour-Trenton 11-21-2005

I was listening to "Atlantic City" when I hit the summit. Shortly thereafter, my boom-cube started shorting-out, and then stopped working. It was GREAT getting me through my hiking adventures - thank you God!

Once I was driving, I finished the album, then:

U2 - U218 Singles, 2006


U2 - Sweetest Thing [Single #2], 1998

This is a great 3-song cd:

1. "Sweetest Thing" (single mix) 3:00
2. "Stories for Boys" (live in Boston, Massachusetts, 6 March 1981) 3:02
3. "Out of Control" (live in Boston, 6 March 1981)

J. Geils Band - Blow Your Face Out: Live, recorded 1975, released 1976


and then I listened to the radio - WEEI broadcasting the 1st Game of the American League Championship Series (Boston Red Sox at the Houston Astros):

The Astros won 5-4