Monday, September 21, 2009

Hiking - Wright Peak

Today, we climbed Wright Peak, the 16th highest of the Adirondack High Peaks. It was a crystal-clear day in the 50s, and the views could not have been better. I had done this same hike back in February with my brother and some of his friends, but today was a different world up there. This would be Holly's 37th of the 46 4000' peaks, and it was just a perfect day to enjoy the climb.

Fall colors had not yet reached an appreciable level, but the grasses on and near the summit were already an amazing shade of yellow-orange. This shot shows Heart Lake and Mount Jo, with Whiteface Mountain on the far horizon.



As we reached treeline, the summit rocks towered above us, with the way now marked with giant rock cairns.



From the summit, we could see the village of Lake Placid off in the distance, including the condo where we are staying for the week, with Whiteface again hovering above the town.



The most prominent feature from the summit was Algonquin Peak, at 5114' the second highest of the Adirondack summits.



This was an all-day 8-mile hike, with 2400+ feet of climbing, and we were all pretty beat by the time we reached the car. Staying in Lake Placid saved us the long drive home, and having take-out food delivered to the condo completed our day.

1 comment:

  1. I just hiked Wright Mountain this weekend with a bitter cold but beautiful day nonetheless. It took us nearly 7 hours round trip with about 6 inches of snow on the trial and more near the peak. The peak covered with ice was a bit difficult to navigate but getting to the top of the summit gave way to some beautiful views. This was my first of the 46ers and certainly not my last. Hope to have 6 more done by the end of next summer.

    Nice Pictures.

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