THREE PEAKS - TWO BROTHERS!

My brother and I hiked for the first time together in August 2012. We were camping in Saranac Lake with our family so David and I decided to make the short drive to the high peaks to climb a few of them. Both of us were excited because the weather was sunny, low 80's, and a slight chance of rain at the summit. We got up early in the morning and ate a high protein breakfast. With a history of quad cramps during past hiking trips, I made sure to get plenty of Mountain Blast Gatorade.

When we arrived at the ADK LOJ parking lot, we were the first hikers setting out. It was mid 60's and made for a nice start to the hike. The first 2.5 miles went by fast because the walk was far from challenging. The exciting incline started at the base of Wright Mountain. After 0.7 miles of a moderate incline we came to the trail split, 0.4 miles to the left was Wright, and 0.5 miles straight ahead to Algonquin. We meet a forest ranger at the intersection and after a short conversation we decided to stick to our plan of doing Algonquin, Iroquois and then Wright.

We were only hiking with a day pack but the rest of the trail to Algonquin was unforgiving and very steep. It's all open and bare rock, and some spots were slick from a previous rain shower. After a painful hike we made it to the summit. As soon as we got there we saw a dark rain cloud heading our way from the north. I also realized that I didn't bring any rain gear with me. David on the other hand had a poncho which we threw over our shoulders and then crouched under a large boulder downwind of the summit. A good downpour lasted for 15 minutes, which was 15 minutes too long when crouching under a rock. The cold and crouching was a good set up for quad cramps.

After the summit photos, this being my second time on Algonquin and David's first, it was a good start.  The next summit was 1.1 miles away. It was an interesting traverse on the ridge between the two peaks. There are two boundary peaks which aren't steep but difficult because the trail is very narrow with short brush and surrounded by bog-like areas. So the short distance took more time than anticipated. Finally at Algonquin David and I took a longer break because the weather was finally nice and the rocks were dry enough to sit on. The views on Algonquin and Iroquois are very nice because they stand at almost 5,000 ft, however they are the few northern summits further from the other peaks to the south and southwest.

I really don't like back tracking and the hike back to Algonquin wasn't too much fun since it was also slowed by another downpour. Once past Algonquin again, we quickly descended to the right turn that would bring us to the Wright summit. Although a short distance of 0.4 miles was anticipated, the incline of the trail wasn't. It was like scaling the side of a mountain and very brutal on the knees. However the view was very rewarding when we reached the top. There was a very nice view of the entire Algonquin mountain, with Iroquois hiding in the back.

Wright is also know for having plane wreckage on one side of the summit. It was a devastating B-47  plane crash that took place in 1962 during a military training exercise. Four military personel died in the crash and their names are presented on a memorial. There was landing gear scattered on one side of the mountain.

After our short historical endeavor we began the descent. At this point, both of us were hurting, especially our quads and soles. the 3.5 mile return trip took us about 2 hrs. Overall it was a very satisfying trip.

Weather: sunny, mid 70's
Round Trip Distance: 10.2 miles (from ADK Loj)