A quick writeup of a simple little hike up Wright Peak, done on May 22, 2011.
Jenn and I simply wanted to get out and climb some sort of peak - it had been several weeks since we'd come back from our very successful
2011 Utah Trip, and we were itching to get out and do something. We chose Wright Peak for nothing more than the fact that it was straightforward and has a very nice summit.
We started off under sort-of-sunny, sort-of-hazy skies on the well-beaten path towards Marcy Dam shortly before 8am.
Early at the ADK Loj Parking
Heaviest use-trail of the Adirondacks
We usually hike the MacIntyre Range (the sub-range that contains Wright and Algonquin Peaks, among others) in the winter. As a result, we are hiking on a nice, packed snow-track. In May, however, there is no such thing, and I am always amazed at how severely eroded the trail is (once it starts gaining elevation). This trail is so heavily used that in places there is practically no soil left - just endless rounded boulders. This makes for somewhat tedious and tiring hiking.
Boulders and more Boulders
We reached the beautiful trailside waterfall at 3250 feet, and I stopped to take a few long-exposure shots. We then continued, soon reaching the small col between the main mass of Wright Peak and a bare rock nubble. I've always looked at that nubble and thought it would provide a superb lookout point, but in all my years up here I have never climbed it. So, I suggested that we give it a look - it was early and we were making good time.
After a scramble up a ten-foot wall, there is a faint herd path that leads to the main inside wall of the nubble, which is quite high and vertical. Moving a bit to the right (north), we came to a spot where a blocky 3rd-class chimney allowed us to easily climb up onto the top - which, as suspected, was an extremely nice bare-topped lookout point. There are nice views of Wright and Algonquin, as well as a clear, unobstructed view back down to Lake Placid. It is really a little summit in its own right.
On top of Wright's Nubble
We scrambled back down off of the nubble (which I am inclined to call 'Wright's Nubble' unless someone gives me a proper name), and continued on up the trail. Soon we reached the junction with the side trail to Wright Peak's summit, and we started the short but very steep climb to the top.
A few minutes of climbing along the trail in the trees gave way to treeline, and then it was a very nice climb up quite steep but solid bedrock to the summit.
We stopped at the summit, enjoying the warm and calm conditions, to have a morning snack break. The weather was nice, but the mountain scenery was muted by a high haze. Off to the distant south, we could see an extensive section of undercast (i.e. clouds below us).
After finishing with our summit break, we decided to visit the B-47 crash site not far removed from the summit area. I had tried to find the site on previous Wright Peak climbs, but never looked hard enough to find it. There is now a sign that points to the crash site, so it was a simple matter for us to walk the couple of hundred feet to where a memorial plaque and a few pieces of wreckage are to be seen. We could see the glint off of a few more pieces of wreckage in the scrub in the vicinity of the plaque, but we did not investigate too closely.
Following the crash site visit, we returned to the main trail and started a quick and unventful descent back down to the trailhead. Although this was my sixth ascent of Wright Peak, this had still been a trip that included new things: the visit to 'Wright's Nubble', and the visit to the B-47 crash site and memorial. A short but satisfying outing!
Interactive Trackmap, Wright Peak - click map to expand
Start Time:
7:32a.m.
End Time:
12:27p.m.
Duration:
4h54m
Distance:
11.72 km
(7.28 mi)
Average Speed:
2.4 km/hr
(1.5 mph)
Start Elevation:
2231ft
(680m)
*
Max Elevation:
4606ft
(1404m)
*
Min Elevation:
2129ft
(649m)
*
End Elevation:
2253ft
(687m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
2540ft
(774m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
2518ft
(767m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
