Algonquin and Iroquois

On Sunday, my husband and I went up to the Adirondacks to hike Algonquin and Iroquois peaks.  We were motivated by a small group from our running club who went to run repeats up the mountains.  But more about them later.

We left home at 6:08 a.m. and pulled into the Adirondack Loj parking area by 8:25 a.m.  We were more than a little concerned about parking on the weekend, and even at that time the lot was about 80% full.

We signed in at the trail register at 8:45 a.m.  The weather was perfect for the Adirondacks, warm but not humid.  My husband and I don't take breaks when we hike, other than a minute here and there to adjust gear or grab water.  I would say our pace is moderate and steady. My husband would say we are slow and steady. Halfway up, the four runners we know zipped past us with a quick hello, and one stopped to take our picture.

We reached the summit of Algonquin at 11:50 a.m. which means just over 3 hours.  I hiked Algonquin in 2014 and remember having a little meltdown on the way up.  Not this time - I felt really good and strong on this hike. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York State at 5,115 feet elevation. Mount Marcy is the highest.

The summit was cool and windy and the clouds had rolled in so I put on my fleece. It was busy up there, but not as busy as I had imagined. We found a sheltered spot to take a break and eat our lunch. 
At 12:10, I listened in as another hiker asked the trail steward to point the way to Iroquois Peak. It looks like it is close, but that is the great illusion of hiking.  It's never as close as it seems. Back in 2014, I skipped Iroquois so I was determined to do it this time.  After all we were right there and I have no intention of climbing Algonquin a third time.

To climb Iroquois, you first hike down the exposed ridge following yellow paint marks and cairns which is the marked trail to Lake Colden. That takes you up and over Boundary Mountain.  These mountains are so named because supposedly that was the boundary between the Algonquin and Iroquois tribes years ago.

When you get to the yellow arrow pointing left to Lake Colden, you go straight to Iroquois. Iroquois is an unmarked trail, formerly a herd path, but is now very well defined.  We saw the runners heading back from Iroquois and we saw another running club member who was hiking with a group of her own.

47 minutes later we were at the top of Iroquois. Iroquois is New York's 8th highest peak at 4,840 feet elevation.  It was my 20th high peak in my possible quest to become an Adirondack 46er. My husband took a photo of me in honor of peak #20. I took a few photos because the clouds had cleared out and the views were amazing.
It took exactly 47 minutes to get back to the summit of Algonquin - talk about consistency. The hardest part of the day for me was having to summit Algonquin a second time.

It was exactly 2:00 p.m. when we headed down from Algonquin. Shortly after, we saw two of the four runners  heading up Algonquin the second time! Of course they passed us on their way down as well.  We were slow heading down and I did some on my butt, which is just easier.  Another misconception is that downhill is easier; it's not!

We were able to pick up the pace the last mile or so.  An older hiker passed us, grumbling about his group having gone ahead of him.  My husband recognized the voice - it was someone he knew.
Oh the relief of seeing that trail register and the parking lot!  We signed out at 4:50 p.m. which was just over 8 hours on the trails. Our total distance for the day: 10.8 miles.

View of Boundary and Algonquin from Iroquois

Skies cleared for views

Mount Marcy from Iroquois