Climbing into a colour spectacular

from Issue #47 - Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

by Ottawa Outdoors Magazine

In like a lion, but lamb tastes like a delicacy

Waiting atop Mount Algonquin for the colours to appear.

Sunrise arrives in brilliant hues.

CLIMBING INTO A COLOUR SPECTACULAR Early start on Mount Algonquin pays off

BY LESLEY CASSIDY

Being a weekend warrior, sometimes you just have to get up and get at it.

Convincing two female friends to drive three hours to hike in the Adirondacks was not the hard part. Telling them we would camp and set the alarm for 1:30 to hike up Mount Algonquin for sunrise, was a tougher conversation. For some reason, they agreed to take on its 1,559 metres.

In early July, the three of us – fit and experienced hikers in our late 40s – drove to Lake Placid. We had booked a campsite at the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Wilderness Campground next to Heart Lake at the base of an area known as the High Peaks. We had hiked in the Adirondacks many times, but this was our first stay at the campground. After eggplant and fish stew for dinner over a camp stove, we headed for the tent to try and fall asleep early. We had organized our gear and clothing, the packs with water, food and first aid, so everything would be ready to go.

We even prepped a breakfast we could carry and eat on the trail. Despite all this, foggy brains and eyes did not want to co-operate when the alarm went off at 1:30 a.m. Bodies kept saying go back to bed – this is not right.

But we forced ourselves awake and quietly made our way to the start of the Algonquin trail. Hiking up, it took a while for eyes to adjust to the pitch black beyond the headlamp beams. We stopped well away from the campground, sat in the middle of the trail and scooped cold oatmeal into our mouths. As we sat in our little breakfast circle, we peered around and wondered how many animals were awake and what they thought of our visit.

As we continued hiking up, we focused on putting one foot in front of the other instead of looking too far forward. There was little conversation, but comfort in the stillness and silence. About two hours into the hike the sky started to shed its inky black, and a deep blue emerged. The trail was getting steeper, the trees smaller and the large rocks were flatter, forming a solid base for our feet. We knew we were getting closer to the treeline.

Being the last of the three hikers, I watched the headlamps bob ahead of me as my friends made their way up the final steep stretch to the bald rocky peak of Algonquin.

Arriving on top to enjoy the stillness of a hot humid morning made it all worthwhile. The 360-degree views of the high peaks surrounding Algonquin kept us there for almost two full hours. But the real treat was the colours. As the sun rose, the changing sky shifted from deep blues to soft pink, and as the sun climbed still higher, it became a bright hazy orange. It felt like we were on the roof of the world.

Descending, we ran into hikers who asked us how early we got up to be done so soon. We told them about our timing and most thought we were crazy. Once back in the campground, we went for a long swim in the cool waters of Heart Lake, pulled out the sleeping mats, and slept for the afternoon.

Well deserved, we felt, and a definite repeat adventure for next year.