Attempt to hike Mt. Colden

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hobkyl
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Attempted to complete my 2nd winter 46er last weekend, however with poor planning-we were unable to. We went the long way around the mountain, and found 3' of untouched snow going up the mountain. It was already too late in the afternoon to try to attempt to summit the peak, and none of us wanted to break trail through all that fluff. Even with snowshoes on we were sinking up to our knees. The pics are of the Avalanche and Colden lake area. Mt Colden, Algoquin, Wright, and Iroquois, along with the spectacular Avalanche lake. Even though we didn't get to claim a 46er, the views were well worth the 12mi round trip.

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“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
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olmstead
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Sorry to hear the trip didn't go as planned. These are a great set of images though. I don't usually see too many winter shots of the Adirondacks. How far along are you in achieving 46'er status?
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Matt
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great photos. I would suspect that turning around because of trail condition on a few is the norm for aspiring 46ers. 3 ft of snow would be grueling!
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I also did Colden in the winter, went in the long way via Lake Arnold, summated and went down to Avalanche Lake. Colden has a false summit that a lot of people mistake for the true summit in bad weather. New snow fall is always a bear to break in but 3 feet is a lot congrads on the attempt. In my quest to become a 46er I failed a number of times too due to weather or time. But that adds to the adventure and memories.
Nice shots :)
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awesome photos! I can't believe you hike in that stuff
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hobkyl
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This weekend we will attempt Colden again, a year to the date. Jim you say you went over Colden to Avalanche lake? Via the trap dyke or ladder trail? Guys in my group want to try that, I on the other hand am skeptical as I know there are cliffs on that side.
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
--Alison Wat




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Kyle,
I did Colden April 10th 2004 and their was still well over 6 feet of snow, we went by way of lake Arnold. From Marcy dam went to Lake Arnold, from their it's 1.4 miles to the summit. We did not do the cliffs (bushwack) down the slid, we stayed on marked trails ( which is very steep 1925 feet in about 1.1 miles, but not too bad going down) to lake Colden then out by way of Avalanche Lake. The shore line around Avalanche lake is short ups and down and plank walk ways mounted to the rock walls, The lake should have enough ice to make walk much easier. If my memory is correct its around a 13 mile hike the way I did it. But much easier going by way of Lake Arnold, and don't be fooled by the false summit of Colden. Any other questions feel free to ask, have a great hike and throw in the crampons.
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hobkyl
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OK Jim thanks. I thought there were cliffs with ladders on that descent though? Oh well heading out in a few and will find out tommorow. And yes hopefully we will be able to push along across the lake as thats a time saver. -4 for a high in Lake Placid today! Gonna be a cold one.
“There’s an inconsequentiality to our lives that living in the wilderness shows up. Mountain are real, they set their limits, they set ours. They expose us, make us vulnerable and strong at the same time. “
--Alison Wat




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