Mt. Marshall 6/9/08

[Chef]

We started at the Loj at 7:00am and quickly made our way to Marcy Dam. There was a Ranger there who told us about a viewpoint off the summit of Marshall that many people dont know about. The sun started to warm things up nicely by 10 (it was HOT!). Avalanche Pass was beautiful. I had only been through there once this past winter. The black flies along avalanche lake were thick. We stopped for 5 minutes at the Lake Colden Outpost (lucky guy who gets to live there) and then we were off to find the cairn with a stick poking out of it. From the cairn, we followed Herbert Brook almost 2 miles untill it was just a trickle. The summit marker was a welcomed sight, but the bugs were ruthless. After a celebratory shot of Jack Daniels and a look around, we were off. The hike back down took longer then I estimated, but we made it down in just over an hour. We stopped at the outpost again, this time for a bit longer. We layed in the sun for a while and tried to dry out. We then filled up our water bottles and headed back through the pass and made out way to Marcy Dam. We opted not to stop at the Dam because the bugs were so thick. The deer flies followed us all the way back to the Loj. Overall it was an amazing hike. A little buggy, but so worth it. I'm taking a friend up Mt. Colden from Lake Arnold then down through Avalanche Pass next Monday or Tuesday, so I used this hike as an opportunity to scope the trail a little. I love summertime! See you all out there!

Cheers

Chef

[yvon]

Thank you for you report, I have to go there soon. But I think I will start from Upper Works.

[catdacker]

Hi Chef, Is the trap dike clear of snow. I am hoping to try that next weekend and haven't seen any TR's on it this year. Are you going to do a loop over Colden? We did one clockwise and came down into Avalanche Pass. Black flies like me so I.m hoping thy die down a little. Mike D.

[Chef]

Hi Chef, Is the trap dike clear of snow. I am hoping to try that next weekend and haven't seen any TR's on it this year. Are you going to do a loop over Colden? We did one clockwise and came down into Avalanche Pass. Black flies like me so I.m hoping thy die down a little. Mike D.

There was some snow in Avalanche Pass down inside some crevices snd small caves. Theres probably some still in the trap dike but not enough to warrant carrying crampons or ice axes. Yes, I plan on hiking the Colden loop (up from Lake Arnold and down through Avalanche Pass). The flies didn't get really bad untill 10:30 or 11:00. Oh yeah, don't hike through the pass with your mouth open, unless you like the taste of black flies (not delicious).

[Skinney]

Hi Chef,

What time did you make it back to the Loj? I am considering this hike soon and have to bag Iroquois, so I plan to go over Algonquin to Iroquois down to Lake Colden and depending on time constraints, move on to bag Marshall or make Marshall another hike of its own.

[Chef]

Hi Chef,

What time did you make it back to the Loj? I am considering this hike soon and have to bag Iroquois, so I plan to go over Algonquin to Iroquois down to Lake Colden and depending on time constraints, move on to bag Marshall or make Marshall another hike of its own.

We returned to the parking lot at 5:30pm. I think theres a herdpath from Iroquois down to Shepherd's Tooth then into Cold Brook Pass and up Marshall. It's probably a pretty nasty bushwack but it's been done before. The hike to Marshall through Avalanche Pass is worth it's own day in my opinion. It's absolutely stunning.

[JKC1222]

Great report and awesome pictures. I have to head that way soon and am really looking forward to it now
-Jim

[Skinney]

Hi Chef,
I actually went through Avalanche Pass back in '06 hiking Mt. Colden via the same route you plan on hiking. It was a spectacular view as your pics show. I figured I may be able to bag Marshall and Iroquois in the same day.