Algonquin Peak , New York

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

Algonquin Peak, the second highest peak in New York, lies within the confines of the Adirondacks. She’s the crown jewel of the MacIntyre Range standing at 5,114 feet, dwarfing all but one peak around her. My husband Nick and I had the privilege of hiking Mount Marcy (the highest peak in NY) and Algonquin a few years ago.

Sarah Tiedemann hikes Algonquin Peak, check out the full story below in Issue 12:

Algonquin Peak

Issue 12 Page 1

[Dogwood]

Those were great pics of the route up Algonquin. Thrued the Northville Lake Placid Trail(NPT) SOBO in Oct tacking on another 60 miles or so in the High Peaks area bagging a few 4000 footers(Gray, Skylight, Mt Marcy, Haystack(s), Armstrong, Gothics, Wolfjaw(s). If I was selling lattes and oatmeal cookies atop Mt Marcy that sunny gorgeous Oct day I could have made a small fortune. There must have been at least 500 people up there. I resupplied back in Lake Placid where I quickly hitched a ride back to the LOJ where I went over Indian Pass back to the NPT at Duck Hole. Question?: was the view atop Algonquin much the same as from atop Mt Marcy? It seemed to me many of the routes to the summits were very similar as well as the views.

[Dogwood]

At least I see you had fewer people atop Algonquin than I had atop Marcy.

[sarahtied]

Hey Dogwood-

It can definitely get crowded up there. I think it's a unique place on a nice day- you can hardly see anyone on the trail but once you get to the summit it is almost unreal how many people are up there. I prefer the summit of Algonquin to Marcy- sure, the views are similar but theres always something different to look at. Algonquin's summit is larger than Marcy's, so there is more room to get away from the crowds if you choose to. Algonquin is also more interesting because there is way more summit vegetation. Their approaches are definitely different though. Marcy was a breeze compared to Algonquin. It was considerably longer but more gentle...Algonquin was brutal after about a mile in. It took us just as long to hike Algonquin (~ 7 miles) as it did Marcy (~15 miles).

It sounds like you're well versed in the High Peaks region- have you ever done any winter hiking there? My husband and I are thinking about it but it's surely intimidating.

Here's the summit of Marcy:

.

You might be on to something-- a "summit store" would definitely make you a fortune

[sarahtied]

Dogwood- I saw on another thread you're living in Hawai'i. What island?

I lived there for several years- Waikoloa on the Big Island and Honolulu. I'm itching to go back... the islands certainly call you. Curious how the islands are after 5 years of being away.

[Dogwood]

Hi Sarah. That was only my second hike of any significant distance in The DAKs. I'll go back prolly summitting Algonquin on my way to another hike like in Adirondack Park(I want to do Avalanche Pass) or another Long Trail thru-hike. I find that area nice in the mid Fall. It would definitely be interesting doing a winter hike there perhaps w/ snowshoes. I'm not able to use my Return key for whatever reason so bare with the run on paragraphs. I split my time in Hawaii between Kauaii and the Big Island not far from Waikola in the upcountry of the Kailua-Kona area. Have you hiked the Ala Kahakai(King's Tr) National Historical Trail? It's slated to be 175 miles along the coast from Puna south along the coast through Hawaii Volcanoes NP to South Pt past Kailua-Kona past Waikaloa(part of the Fisherman's Tr) to Kalahuipaua(Upolu Pt) on the northern tip of the Big I. I did only the section that was complete from Old A's(old Kona Airport) to Stephens Beach? Went right past Waikola along the shoreline in front of the mega hotels and golf courses. I would really like to see the trail saved and land restored to the native Hawaiians as part of their cultural heritage. HI is changing VERY VERY fast, and not always for the better IMHO, as MANY pushy newcomers are constantly arriving and changing the dynamics of the islands.

[sarahtied]

Avalanche Pass looks amazing and it probably would be pretty cool in the wintertime. The ADK Mountain Club offers winter trail-less guided peak bagging trips, but none of them have very good views... but I guess that's why they do it. None of them are above treeline so it's way safer. It would be beautiful to be on Algonquin or Marcy with everything covered in snow. I might just bite the bullet and go for it!

How do you manage to split your time between islands and the mainland? Do you work from home (if you don't mind my asking!). I've been really missing the Big Island and my husband and I are thinking of buying a piece of land on the Hilo side.. but we're trying to figure out how to navigate the job situation. Also, we're trying to figure out the Hilo side situation in general.. I know those subdivisions are rife with break ins. We're trying to gauge whether or not it's worth it. Ideally we'd be in the Kailua-Kona area or the Hamakua Coast, but we can't afford it! It's a shame.

I've hiked a very small portion of the King's Trail but no real distance to speak of. Never checked out the trail to Stephen's Beach.. I worked at the King's Shops so I tried to stay away from there on my days off

Have you ever hiked to the sacrificial heiau and Kamehameha's birthplace? It starts out at a defunct airport (I'm sensing a theme here, hah) and goes along the coast. That was probably one of the most memorable hikes I've ever had on the Big Island. The energy there was really, really strange. The dirt path eventually dead ends to an old Coast Guard Base and the views from beyond the no trespassing gate were phenomenal. On the way back a sickly looking cow blocked the path for us. It was a really eerie place but memorable nonetheless. If you haven't yet, you should check it out!