Unnamed 4,000+ footer - MacIntyre Range

[hikingandwildex]

Happy New Year All!

I'm hoping to hike in the MacIntyre Range sometime this year, most likely in the summer months. There's plenty of information available on the main peaks I'll be looking to summit (Algonquin, Boundary, Iroquois, Wright) but I couldn't find much info on this other 4,000+ foot peak that piqued my interest on Google Satellite View and Caltopo:



It's located at 44.152380, -73.994582 and has a rocky summit area. The distance from the Algonquin/Wright trail junction is a manageable 0.5 miles each way according to Caltopo, and the most straight-forward route follows the 4,000 ft. contour line without having significant elevation gain or loss.

Has anyone been to this particular peak? Are there worthwhile views? Is there a herdpath leading there or will it require a bushwhack? And if there's any scrambling at the end, is there anything above Class 2?

Any info would be greatly appreciated! I usually research my hikes extensively before hitting the trail, but haven't been able to find anything on this intriguing detour from the Algonquin Trail.

[Festus]

I haven't been to that alluring sub-peak (not to be confused with the lower rock climbing knob that is very close to the hiking trail 20 minutes before the Wright/Algonquin junction) but I have thought about it many times while sitting on Wright. It is a rocky knob not far from the main hiking trail (that must have great views) and there is an obvious drainage that starts 5 minutes or so above the Wright/Algonquin junction that appears to provide the path of least resistance to get to that summit. I think your best option is to climb Wright and sit there and stare at it and you'll see the best approach. I'm almost certain there is no herd trail to it and surprisingly, know of no one that has been to it. But, beware, the bushwacking at that elevation is very nasty! It will be slow and you will get destroyed so wear durable clothing that covers your entire body, gloves, maybe eye protection and be careful. You may not feel like continuing to Iroquois that day if you do that peak after Wright so maybe do it on your way back if you want to make sure you do the other peaks first...

[hikingandwildex]

I haven't been to that alluring sub-peak (not to be confused with the lower rock climbing knob that is very close to the hiking trail 20 minutes before the Wright/Algonquin junction) but I have thought about it many times while sitting on Wright. It is a rocky knob not far from the main hiking trail (that must have great views) and there is an obvious drainage that starts 5 minutes or so above the Wright/Algonquin junction that appears to provide the path of least resistance to get to that summit. I think your best option is to climb Wright and sit there and stare at it and you'll see the best approach. I'm almost certain there is no herd trail to it and surprisingly, know of no one that has been to it. But, beware, the bushwacking at that elevation is very nasty! It will be slow and you will get destroyed so wear durable clothing that covers your entire body, gloves, maybe eye protection and be careful. You may not feel like continuing to Iroquois that day if you do that peak after Wright so maybe do it on your way back if you want to make sure you do the other peaks first...

My plan is to hike Algonquin, Boundary, and Iroquois first and then see if I have enough in the tank for Wright and this unnamed peak. I could always do Wright + this peak on a separate journey from the Loj. I'm confident in my off-trail navigational skills and have experience bushwhacking through nearly impassably thick brush in different parts of the country. My biggest concern is the rock scramble at the end that's tough to gauge from the overhead satellite view.

Getting a lay of the land from Wright's summit is a good suggestion. I could use my new camera's 40x optical zoom to pick out the optimal approach and then pen it on my topo map printout before making my way back west from Wright.

I see this peak is informally named West Wright Peak on peakery.com. Two people have logged summits, but no trip reports have been posted. One of the members who summited is an experienced outdoorsman who leads group hikes throughout the Adirondacks; I reckon it wouldn't be a bad idea to also contact him for beta before I head out there in the summer.

[TCD]

I'm pretty sure Neil posted a trip report here (or maybe on ADKHighPeaks) a few years ago for this summit. Try searching Neil's posts in Trip Reports.

[Eddie Fournier]

This is what people refer to as "Rong Peak" (v. Wright Peak, get it?), although it's not considered an actual summit (for reasons of prominence & spacing, I assume).

[Neil]

I'm pretty sure Neil posted a trip report here (or maybe on ADKHighPeaks) a few years ago for this summit. Try searching Neil's posts in Trip Reports.

Indeed, been there, done that. Definitely worth the views.
I did it in 2011 as an add-on to an Iroquois bushwhack. Here are the pics.

http://adkhighpeaks.com/neil/outdoor%20pursuits/iro_whack/index.html

Scroll down to the one labeled Algonquin Knob and start from there.

When we did it (late March) there was a very deep and nicely crusted snow pack, which made the whacking very easy. In non-winter if it's hellishly thick just keep repeating: "it can't last forever".

Edit: Here is the pertinent excerpt from my report:

Just before the trail enters the woods we made a hard left turn after wondering out loud what the woods would be like. The drop WNW to the col entails 600 feet of elly loss and in the thickest vegetation of the day it seemed to take a while. The bushwhacking was actually fairly easy and the snow was totally supportive of our goals and objectives.

The 600-foot drop had a few steep pitches and the hard crust with 2 inches of powder caused us to slide awkwardly like novice skiers. My inner thigh muscles got a workout. We hit the col at its highest point and probably 80% of the route down was made through open corridors. From there it was a hop, skip and jump to the 4078 foot summit. We were on a high peak looking up at the majestic sweep of the rarely climbed SE Macintyre flank and across to Wallface, the Santanonis and barely-discernable-in-the-clouds Emmons slide over the top of Lost Pond Peak.

From Iroquois to there it had taken us 2 hours. The route we chose off would be due north to the Indian Pass trail 2 kilometres away. The woods were open the entire way.

[Woodly]

Great photos Neil

[DSettahr]

This is what people refer to as "Rong Peak" (v. Wright Peak, get it?), although it's not considered an actual summit (for reasons of prominence & spacing, I assume).

This is funny. Upon seeing hikingandwildex's post, I was sorely tempted to make a snide remark about the lack of originality in naming this peak (even if unofficially) "West Wright Peak," and was totally going to suggest "Wrong Peak" as a much more appropriate alternative (in line with the likes of "Hough" and "Pough," for example).

Turns out had I done so, it wouldn't have been an original thought anyways.

(As an aside, I've been mildly disappointed that fewer and fewer folks visiting the Dix Range in the past few years have any idea of what "Pough Peak" is... much less how to pronounce "Hough.")

[Neil]

The outcrop known as Rong Peak is the one beside the trail just below the Wright Junction. It is a sub-summit of Wright.

The 4k sub-summit which is the subject of this thread is unofficially known as Macintyre West and looks to me like a sub-summit of Algonquin.

Map: https://caltopo.com/map.html#ll=44.1...223&z=16&b=mbt

[hikingandwildex]

Excellent info!

After reading Neil's post about bushwhacking to "MacIntyre West" in the winter vs. the summer, I think I will do this as a separate outing next winter (likely Feb-Mar 2021) after doing the standard hike to Algonquin/Boundary/Iroquois/Wright this upcoming summer.

Rong Peak looks to be an interesting scramble with a 360-degree reward at the end. Wonder how it compares to Bearfence Mountain in Shenandoah National Park, which has a scrambling route w/ 360-degree views. Now that was a lot of fun!