So anyone that knows me, knows that I do not like the heat of summer. and that is putting it mildly. I was going to write an article “Why I Hate Summer”. I was going to say that it is because of the heat, humidity, black flies, mosquitoes, deer flies and ticks for starters. But then August arrived with its reprieve from July’s hot temperatures. Now I could finally hike and paddle again.
The weather looked cool and dry so I gladly accepted an invitation from my good friend Bonnie Rondeau to hike into Avalanche Lake. I love that part of the Adirondacks and had not been there in a while so I did not hesitate to quickly accept it.
The plan was to meet at the Adirondack Loj parking at 8 AM. The Loj is very popular as several of the high peaks are accessed from there. I arrived at 7:45 am on a Thursday to an almost full parking lot. I knew that Bonnie’s group had 2 vehicles and I kept my fingers crossed as I watched car after car pull in. The parking lot attendant kept checking each lot to see how many spots were left. I was quite relieved when they arrived with a few spots left for the taking.
Our group consisted of 10 enthusiastic, happy hikers. We mingled near the sign in register for a few minutes as there was a line waiting to check in. Mary Murphy, a seasoned hiker, signed us in but also put a small star on the top of the page in order to be able to find her name to sign us out when we returned.
Richard Apelt signaled to our group it was time to hit the trail with his loud “Wagons Ho!!” We were off. The 2.5 miles to Marcy Dam seemed to go quickly with lots of lively chatter and laughter. The dam was breached a few years back due to a hurricane. You can stand a remaining part of the dam for a spectacular view of Mount Colden and Wright Peaks. There is a newly constructed bridge downstream but as we scanned the stunning landscape, we realized that crossing the almost dry bed was a possibility. One after another, we marched across with a tiny jump over a small stream. On a side note, I saw some photos of the same dry bed a few days later after some very heavy rainfall. There was no dry bed that day and crossing was not an option on that day.
The next mile we would hike partially along Marcy Brook. The water was crystal clear and flowing at a good clip. Crossing a sturdy bridge and we reached a junction indicating we had one more mile to go. I’ve heard this called ‘Misery Mile”. It does climb a bit and it is rocky and a bit wet in spots but our team was up to the task. Taking a few breaks to hydrate, we made our way to our destination. A short downhill at the end and we had arrived.
I was very surprised how high the water was. Usually you can walk along the shore to the left but this time it was totally flooded. After finding a short trail that led us to a spot where we could soak in the beauty of nature we had a bite to eat. A boat was still there on the bank as it has been for years. Mary is well known for wanting to get out on the water if there is any boat available. Before she could investigate a ranger popped out of the woods. Ranger MacKenzie would be taking the boat across the lake enroute to the Lake Colden Outpost. Mary tried her darndest to convince him that having her in the boat would be to his advantage. But Alas, as he launched the boat he apologized that it was not his watercraft so he did not feel comfortable taking a passenger. I have to give Mary an ‘A’ for effort — she gave it her best shot.
Avalanche Lake is just spectacular. On the left, the side of Mount Colden rises out of the water and on the right the rugged slopes of Avalanche Mountain reach high up to the sky. Nestled in between the two is the clear, cool waters of Avalanche Lake. It is just stunning. On the right shoreline, Avalanche Pass leads you to the other end of the lake. Some of our group decided to pass ( no pun intended) on this section and just relax and enjoy the beauty that lay before them. This section of the trail is no piece of cake. I was surprised at how much work has been done since I was last there. There are quite a few ladders and boardwalks, all of which were very helpful. Still, there are large boulders to climb over and slide down and we wondered how we would ever get back up them on the return trip.
Our crew were all looking forward to reaching the ‘Hitch-Up Matildas’. These are cat-like walkways attached to the rocky walls of Avalanche Mountain. These structures allow a hiker to take advantage of a dry path along the lake, a spectacular view of the Trap Dyke (a difficult, unmarked route up Mount Colden) plus a variety of views of the lake itself.
After some navigating along the pass, we finally reached the infamous Hitch-Up Matildas’. The story goes that back in 1868, a guide named Bill Nye was guiding Matilda Fielding, her husband and niece along Avalanche Pass. There were no helpful cat-like structures at this time. There was a shelf about 2 to 4 feet wide but underwater. Nye said he would carry them all across with Mrs. Fielding going first. He backed up to a high rock and told her to climb onto his shoulders. As he waded through the deep water, one hand holding her feet and the other steadying himself on the rocky wall, she somehow slipped further down his back. At this point he hollered, “Hitch Up Matilda!” As I walked along the boards bolted to the rock wall, I had to chuckle as I remembered Bill Nye’s story.
After our photo quota had been sufficed, it was time to retrace our steps. Surprisingly, the tricky section did not seem that bad and in no time at all our group was reunited. We all grabbed a bite to eat and readied ourselves for the hike out. A loud, ‘Wagons Ho!’ alerted us all it was time to leave. One last look at a view that never gets old and we began our return trip. Misery Mile did not seem so miserable but we were happy to get back to Marcy Dam where we knew the trail would not be as rugged. Soon Mary was finding the page on the trail register with the little star on the top to sign us back out. There were many, many pages to flip through since we had signed the book in the morning.
After roughly 11 miles of hiking, we said our goodbyes and went our own way. I think we all agreed it was a great day recreating in nature with good friends on a fun filled adventure.
If you search for ‘Bill Nye: The 1800s Adirondack Guide’, on a computor, I’m sure you will get a laugh out of his account of the Hitch Up Matilda adventure.
Happy Trails.