All's right on Wright

After hiking Colden, the weather was forecast to be even better. I opted for Wright Peak as it had a similar elevation gain but a much shorter hike. My legs were tired and sore and I had some semi blisters on my feet but a bluebird day is too good to miss. Again there were few cars in the lot for such a nice day. The first mile is flat but from then on it just goes steadily up without stopping. From summer hikes I remember this trail as quite rocky with awkward footing. Today it was nice and flat. As with yesterday's hike it was plenty of stops to get some oxygen and keep the pulse rate at bay. There were several brook crossings and a quick stop at the waterfall that is currently all thick ice. The first views start with the Seward range off to the right and Whiteface if you turn around.

I was expecting to see a 3500 feet sign and was getting worried that I was hiking slower than I thought when I arrived at the trail split to Wright. None too soon as I had thought that the white summit I could see above was Wright when in fact it was Algonquin!! The Wright trail had that nice winter look to it with trees coated in white stuff and there are views in all directions as you stop and look around. This was the first peak with a rocky summit that I have hiked in winter and I realise I will have to invest in some crampons as the snowshoes aren't really up to the job. Lucky this day though as there was no wind to speak of and hardly a cloud in the sky either. My only complaint was that if I had been quicker on the ascent the sun would have been behind for photos towards Colden and Marcy. But no complaints about a beautiful day with a peak to myself. I spent about an hour snacking and snapping photos and making a mental note to put some sunscreen in my pack in the future.

As I made it back to treeline the afternoon shift arrived in the person of a guy from Vermont. Yesterday's butt sliding lessons were put to work on the return to the Algonquin trail. This would be a great hike to have a sliding device. As it was I was able to slide down most of the Wright trail below tree line and many big sections of the trail back to the LOJ from there. On the way down I met four groups going up. Two of the groups were heading up Wright armed with skis. The highlight of this hike is the views in all directions from the rocky summit but the sliding on the way down is a close second!

More pics here