4th of July Mount Colden

 

“The great revolution in the history of man, past, present and future, is the revolution

of those determined to be free.”

We woke early at camp on Fourth of July. Our plan was to meet Laura and John at ADK Loj by 5:30am. We were concerned about getting parking and boy was it close. Ryan and I, always punctual and don't mind waking early left a few minutes before Laura and John to grab breakfast sandwiches and coffee on the way. We figured get to the lot early, pack, eat, and have coffee there. It would ensure us the parking spot and we could hit the trail when we were done.

When we left camp we were driving down 86 along the Ausable River and happen to catch an amazing sunrise in our rearview. We obviously had to pull over and take some photos. Once back in the car we headed towards this little corner mart Laura had recommended for breakfast sandwiches. We stopped here picked up 4 sandwiches and 4 coffees. Later to realize they were the worst microwaved breakfast sandwiches we all ate. But found it funny regardless.

Once in the parking lot, we all packed up our gear for the 12 mile trek, fed the dogs, and started on our way to Mount Colden. You can access this summit 2 ways, one of which will take you into the Colden Lake area and up the Trap Dike. The Trap Dike is quite the rock scramble, and from what I have read can be quite treacherous for humans. We opted to skip that route for the sake of our dogs. We decided to go the Lake Arnold route. This was a beautiful and fairly gradual push to the summit of Colden. I very much enjoyed this trail.

The forecast was fairly warm that day and we brought lots of water for the dogs and ourselves. My dog, RickyBobby was struggling the week prior with some roughed up paw pads, so Laura brought her Pack-A-Paw JUST INCASE. This item is always good to have regardless for an emergency carryout of your dog. We were unsure of how much water we would run into on trail for the dogs, so again being prepared is always better than not. However, water was no issue on this trail. The dogs could soak, drink, and stay cool at their leisure.

Once we arrived at Lake Arnold, this is where the uphill push started. Again, fairly gradual the entire time. We came to one spot just before the lookout, it was a bit of a tall scramble and the dogs needed a bit of an assist but all worked out. Once at the top of that was the first lookout before the summit. It was absolutely stunning. As you head down off this lookout there is a few ladder sections to navigate. I am however learning that the Adirondacks are known for their ladders. I very much enjoy them.

We scrambled through some large boulders making our way over and up to the summit. Starting to get amazing views we finally made it to the open summit where we sat and enjoyed our lunch and a fourth of July celebratory beer.

RickyBobby was definitely hot and seemed to be overheating but was refusing to drink water, as he usually does. Once we got up and started heading back to the cars he just wouldn't walk. No matter how much I tried. I think the rocks were too hot for his paws and he was just too warm. It was starting to stress me out as we had 6 miles back to the car.

Laura pulled out the Pack-a-Paw, I put him in it and I continued to carry him for the next 3 miles or so until we hit a cold running stream. I took him out and let him soak, then I left him off-leash for the rest of the walk back to the car and he was slow going but he managed to finish the walk out, thank goodness. Sometimes, I think he is just a spoiled baby and knows I will do whatever for him.... Like carry him down a mountain. :)

Eventually making it back to our cars, we all stopped at the food shack in the parking lot and grabbed burgers and ice cream. At our well earned snacks and headed back to camp to relax and eat amazing burritos made by Laura.

It was a good day!