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Hi all, I'm doing Mt. Colden via the trap dyke this weekend. I was just wondering what the conditions are this time of year. Has ice started to form? I've been keeping an eye on the temps and it looks like it only dipped below freezing a few times near the peaks so far. After Mt. Colden we plan on hitting TT then Phelps. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
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Good time to do it. Has been historically dry this fall. Should be nice, but be prepared and don't take it lightly. The crux is still a dangerous place. For sure no ice yet, but still vertical and gravity still works, even in the upside-down world of 2020...Originally posted by cpoit View Post
that being said, it is a fantastic adventure. I did it a few years back with a ranger friend and it is one of the highlights of my nearly 5 decades of traversing the ADK. Just stay safe....and take pictures. -
There was no shortage of ice at higher elevations this past weekend. Overnight lows were in the mid to upper teens in some spots. That being said, it melted quickly with the sun in the morning. The overnight lows this upcoming weekend are also predicted to be much higher than this past weekend.
While I wouldn't be too worried about ice, you definitely want to take the Trap Dyke seriously. Make sure you've researched the route and are comfortable with rock scrambling with substantial exposure. I'd definitely not attempt the Dyke on Sunday with the rains that are forecast for that day.
EDIT: The forecast apparently is calling for the rains to hold off until Monday... but still worth double checking again and again as the planned day of the ascent draws near.Comment
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I was up there a couple weeks ago. We went the day after big rain (probably a mistake, but it was the only time window our friend had).
There was a lot of water still coming down; many of the "standard" routes were really wet. The "crux" second waterfall was unapproachable to to heavy runoff.
Of interest, people have pioneered a new way to climber's right, about 40' right of the waterfall. It seems to work OK. First time I have ever gone that way (in probably 20 trips up the Dike). This route scrambles up moderate rock and then a small gully, and eventually brings you to the right end of the ledge at the top of the second waterfall. Walk left 40' to get back on the normal route.
We have had an extended run of dry weather, so the Dike should bee dry this weekend. Plan on the normal route; it's cleaner and more direct.
At the second waterfall, the route climbs to the right of the water. But avoid being sucked into the chimney feature that seems to offer relief from the exposure; the holds dead end in there. Instead, stay on the blunt arete just left of the chimney, where there are huge shoebox sized steps that make the climbing easy.
Do be careful and keep your head.Comment
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Thanks all, I really appreciate it!Comment
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Yes! Great hike! It was pretty tough. Our group went up with 2 other groups of people that were doing it as well. The openness of the slide portion was the biggest issue for me. Turning around and looking at the decline of the slide combined with the elevation and the view was a lot of information for my senses to process.Comment
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Any ice up there? I'm hiking Grey, Skylight and Marcy via Panther Gorge this weekend. If I don't have to bring my spikes I'd be happy to shed the weight.Comment
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No ice... Last weekend it had to be close to 60 on the peak. I'm not sure what the weather was this past week but it was very dry and warm last week. I don't remember seeing the trails as dry as they were last week.Comment
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Congratulations. Nothing like some exposure to bring out the best or worst in a person.Originally posted by cpoit View PostComment
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