Sunny 46

  The last time we were at Colden, it was a bit chilly , especially for September 24. It was also totally socked in. My sister, Erica, was visiting from Indiana and I thought Colden would be a beautiful first High Peak since it's mostly just hiking with very little technical skill needed to summit from Lake Armold. Our original plan was to do a backpacking trip, staying at the Avalanche Camp area and hiking the mountain the next day, but the weather report was not cooperating with every day forecast for storms. As such, the day after she arrived, we woke up at 4:30 and were out the door by 5.   We arrived at the Loj and started our hike around 7:30. It was a truly beautiful day for a hike. Although we were no longer camping, I was interested in checking out the camping sites and lean-tos along Marcy Brook. Most of the camping sites seemed spacious. Here's one of the lean-tos along the brook. I like these because, even if you can't have fire, you have the rushing water to lo...

Our original plan was to make our way to the Pharoh Lake Wilderness and hike out from the Putnam Pond Campground out to Grizzle Ocean lean-to for an evening of camping. It was not only a great opportunity for a relaxing evening by the fire but also for me to gain some confidence and knowledge in camping. When we got to the gate to the Putnam Pond campground, the attendant informed us that, in order for the dogs to enter, we needed to have their vaccination paperwork. It begs the question, how many people show up to NYS campgrounds after hours of travel only to find they cannot enter with their dogs? At any rate, we pulled a u-turn and drove back a short way to the Lost Pond trailhead. Jay's research on this pond in the past had mixed results, but it was only a little over a mile to the pond, so we decided to give it a try. If it was a miserable, dank marsh, we could always turn around. Jay did his best to calm the Velocipuppies. The trail was clear, well-marked, and well-maintained...

  Sunny and I planned to hike Algonquin, Iroquois, and Wright with our friends, Mark and Daisy this week. I was eager to get onto the trails, and also these three mountains would put Daisy into the single digits needed to get her 46, so we were pretty motivated to get them done despite the forecasted weather conditions. The forecast called for cold, wind, and rain, but not what I'd define as terribly dangerous for prepared hikers. There was some wildfire smoke in the atmosphere, but we have no underlying conditions and the air was nothing like other areas of the state. Still, as always, we were prepared to turn back if conditions became dangerous for us. Our original plan was to camp at the MacIntyre Falls campsite at the base of Wright. I've never camped out like that before and I was hoping to be able to learn from an experienced camper what I need to do and what I still need to buy.  The weather conditions looked miserable, though, and even included the possibility of thund...