It comes as no surprise to regular readers that I have a passion for climbing and hiking in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. And I’m one of millions that feels this way. All of my climbing to date has been on trails, at times steep and slippery, but never technical. I’m not a thrill seeker. I go to these mountains to enjoy the serenity of the camping and the beauty of the views afforded by the climbing. There are many who go there to rock climb with thousands of excellent venues throughout the 6 million acres that make up the park...but I’m just not one of them.
There is one place though that is somewhere between the true rock climb and the hikes I normally do. It is called the Trap Dike and is crack in the rock running between Little Colden and Mt. Colden from their base at Avalanche Lake three quarters of the way up a peak of 4,700 feet. Hikers ascend through this ravine past two steep and narrow water falls to a point where they can exit the crevasse and put themselves on the open rock face created by a slide (a slide is the result of heavy rains saturating the thin layer of soil on the mountains to the point where they can no longer sustain their own weight. Like an avalanche, the soil and all that grows in it begins to slide down the mountain with everything on the rock face in its path going along for the ride) stretching the remainder of the distance to the summit. It is quite steep and requires great care to ascend and the final open face has pitches of forty degrees at points. It’s also important to consider that once you’re in it, there’s no turning back since it is safer to ascend than descend when not using equipment. Climbing shoes, noted for their sticky grip, are recommended over the hiking shoe normally worn on the trails.
Matthew Potel, 22, of Croton-on-the-Hudson and a student at Binghamton University was leading a group of seven fellow students and members of the outdoors club this past September. He’s a 46’er, having climbed all of the Adirondack peaks above 4,000 feet and had climbed the Trap Dike before. He was in the process of helping two climbers who were having trouble ascending the second waterfall when he lost his footing on slippery rock and fell twenty feet to his death. He was not wearing a helmet in an area where climbers seldom do. This tragic accident serves as a reminder to hikers like me...the Adirondacks are the real deal and need to be treated with respect. Careful thought needs to be given to the routes you will take and the condition and abilities of the people with whom you travel. Though this was the first death of a climber in the Trap Dike, I suppose this will have me reconsider my ascent of this route and my chance to climb my first slide. I suppose I’ll have to continue to be satisfied with reaching the peaks in more traditional fashion.
I arrived at home with some daylight available and decided I should take full advantage and go for a ride. It was damp and cool, but with a long-sleeved t-shirt under my riding jersey and a pair of socks on my feet, I was quite comfortable. I don’t know how many more rides I’ll get in this year...I talk like I’ll ride in the cold but when it actually comes to that, I’ll likely wuss out. This weekend could provide some sunshine and warmth and if I manage to get the painting I need to do out of the way, I may hit the road again.
Bike workout: 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 1600.
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