Sunny 46

I was originally thinking of heading up to do it as a dawn hike. I thought it would be an amazing experience. However, since I didn't have an opportunity to camp the night before, that would have meant waking up for the hike at 11:30pm yesterday night. Wendy was wise to help talk me out of that course of action, especially for safety on the drive home.

Imagine my relief when we drove down the Loj road and saw Algonquin standing proudly in the distance surrounded by nothing but clear, blue skies.

We pulled up to the lot at 6:30am. Someone had forgotten to take down the "Lot full" sign from the day before. I think this happens quite a bit, actually, both here and at the Garden. Always best to check for yourself. We paid our $10 and found a spot. We chatted with the kind trailhead steward who reminded us of dog etiquette on the trails and we were on our way by 6:50.

The day started off quite cool and refreshing and we moved quickly down the Van Ho trail. I had played with the idea of taking the Old Marcy Dam Trail again, but I wasn't sure if it would be super muddy or not. 

We were climbing stairs on Algonquin Trail before 7:30. We were cruising. We actually passed 4 hikers on the way up today which we have never done before.

As with the past couple of hikes this June, the streams were running and the soil was moist-ish, but the slabs and rocks were all very dry and there was very little in the way of actual mud. We had no problem negotiating the terrain and it made for very fast going on the ascent. 

We hit MacIntyre Falls by 8:00am. I cut Sunny loose so he could frolic in the water. It was still kind of junked up with detritus like it usually is, but the water was moving faster than on previous hikes.

We were at the summit by 9:35am, two hours and 45 minutes after we'd started. I was really proud of us. Sunny cooled off in the shade for a bit while I set up my chair. I was determined to enjoy this summit, especially since we'd made such good time.

I'd forgotten my windbreaker at home, so I'd packed the heavy-as-hell Frog Togg, but it was absolutely not necessary. It was warm and the breeze was light. Sunny insisted on laying next to me, so while I was sitting there, I laid it over him to reflect the sunlight. He seemed perfectly happy.

There was a summit steward on Algonquin: the first one I'd ever met. I chatted with him quite a bit. One  of the things I asked about was the cairns, specifically ones like those marking the trail up Marshall. He said that if a cairn is marking a path and serving a purpose, we should leave it alone, especially if it isn't in a very sensitive area. It's quite possible they're there for a reason. DEC and stewards patrol these trails all the time and if they haven't dispersed the cairn, then it's safe to assume it's okay to be there. In fact, it might be that rangers rely on these cairns to find their way in the dark.

The breeze was nice, but not strong enough to keep the deer flies away. Sunny tried eating them. CHOMP! Thanks, Sunny.

I honestly considered going over to Iroquois. It was, quite frankly, the perfect day for it. Lots of folks were heading over there today, though. Several groups were actually coming up the steep trail from Avalanche Lake, two of those groups hucking backpacking packs!

We relaxed at the summit for an hour and 20 minutes. I have never sat at a summit for that long, but I was making up for lost time. We relaxed and had conversations with a lot of people. Despite it being a Monday, the incredible weather meant the summit was bustling with activity.

This hike made me feel really nice because I was able to give people advice when they asked for it. I even gave one hiker directions. We also were able to give a dad and daughter team some sunscreen (which helpfully reminded me to put some on myself! I think I did get a little burned on my nose but not too bad.

It was time to go, though. It was 11:00am and Quinn had to be picked up by 5pm. I knew we'd be fast getting down the mountain, but we'd tarried enough. Still, we took the time to stop and take in the incredible views on the way down until we got back to the tree line.

The hike down from the summit was amazing. The dry trails made it easy to be confident in our steps and pathing. Sunny was extremely happy that we met loads of people climbing up as we went down and all of them wanted to pet Sunny.

One lovely group of hikers at MacIntyre Falls were quite enamored with Sunny. They didn't mind he was off-leash and playing in the water, so we put on a little show. I threw the stick for him up the falls as high as I could several times and he bounded up and got it every time. Well, he lost it one time so I threw him a new one. All of the people on the trail were really awesome today.

We got back to the car at 2:05, three hours after we'd started down. I'm certain a half hour of that was socializing with people. Time well-spent!  We unloaded our gear and ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger from the Hungry Hiker. Sunny was very excited about the prospect of beef and pork in his face-hole. As was I.

I am really happy with the Ruffwear Roamer leash. The old elastic leash was a rope and it got heavy as hell when it got wet. This one is a lot lighter. I bought the one that expands from 7 to 11 feet.  Today I affixed it around my waist so I could carry a trekking pole and it worked great. Sunny was able to find his own path up scrambles and I was free to find my own way. When Sunny feels the slight tug on the bungee, he arrests himself a bit or alters his movement even though it isn't a full-on hard pull.  Still, on the faster, easier ascents, he was still pulling the leash taut, helping me climb. The leash also has a handle at the base so that you can hold your dog without the elastic if you need to.