Trap Dyke Solo Mission
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| The base of the Trap Dyke |
I havent had much of a chance to update in a while. In fact, I may have totally forgot I even had this blog. Anyways, I'm not working this month and the weather outside leaves something to be desired. Wet and rain and snow...tail end of ice season is upon us but early rock season is not quite here yet in the ADKS.
One of my favorite days this summer was when i scrambled the Trap Dyke on Mt. Colden. The Trap Dyke is a 2000 ft scramble with many 3rd class sections and a 4th class crux. Considered to be one the Adirondacks Classic Mountaineering Routes. I came in from the ADK Loj and made the pleasant easy to moderate hike up to the scenic Avalanche Lake.
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| Avalanche Lake in July Avalanche Lake is just so perfect, surrounded by steep rock walls and thick spruce, nestled between high peaks. The hike around and bushwhack to the base to the Trap Dyke on the other hand, leave something to be desired but add the experience none the less. Once inside this giant gully the temperature was nice and cool as i was out of the ever warming sun. I should also note that the geological feature is caused by the differencial errosion of an igneous dyke surrounded by a much more weather and errosion resistant anorthosite. Interesting.  As one gains elevation by climbing the route more and more spectacular views come into play. About 30 minutes in one encounters a few rock steps waterfalls. The highest been the 4th class crux. Some parties may chose to rope up here and belay. A small alpine rack of a couple cams and nuts would be sufficient i think. There is also a fixed piton there at the top of the waterfall. Since Irene came through there are no trees at all for anchors. The waterfall is certainly exposed and has a couple "moves" but they are simple enough and it is certainly a thrill. I would suggest that someone wanting to attempt this climb be familiar with rock climbing or have experience on off trail scrambles with exposure. A fall from the crux on the Trap Dyke could easily be fatal and was for one young man only a few seasons ago. USE CAUTION.  After the waterfall it becomes more pleasurable climbing all on easy rock. Eventually, a large white slide of anorothsite intsects the dyke from the right. This is the new exit slide formed by hurricane Irene. I decided to throw on some rock climbing shoes I brought along just in case. They arent absolutely necessary but I recomend something sticky because this is about 1000 ft of slab friction climbing leading almost directly to the summit. The first and last 100 ft are the steepest and will get anyones attention. They are avoidable if one wants to wade through krumbholz. But why do that?  This shot shows the exit slide with Avalanche Mt, Algonquin and Wright Peak in the background.  Notes A rewarding view in every direction as Mt Colden has one of the more scenic ADK high peak summits. After having a drink and a snack I decended via the Lake Arnold Trail which eventually led me back to Marcy Dam. Round Trip was estimated at 12 miles with 3000+ ft of elevation gain. PLEASE NOTE that these are my rough estimates and more accurate info from people who actually own and use a GPS can be found online. Equipment consisted on a Camelpak with 3L resevoir. Snackbars. One pair of Merrell Moab Sneakers. One pair of Scarpa Thunder Climbing Shoes. Hiking Pants. T-Shirt. EMS TecWick long sleeve. Sunglasses. Headlamp. Time car to car: 6 hours. |
I know that this is an older post, and I'm not sure if you'll get this, but I thinking about soloing the Trap Dike. The only slides that I've done are Eagle and Cascade, but I do rock climb, and I do hike alone a lot. I'm not worried about the class 3 at all. I was wondering if you could tell me about how many hours from the bottom of the dike to the exit? Also, how many feet is the class 4 section as this is my biggest holdup? And is it a tough class 4 or an easier one for someone who climbs about a 5.8 or 5.9? Thanks. Allen amercat37@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHey Allen,
ReplyDeleteEven though the blog is old and I always forget about it, I am still here and check on it once and a while. Sounds like you have more than enough climbing experience to handle that class 4 section. I remember it being exciting and exposed, and most def not a place you can take a fall from. That being said it wasn't very hard and can be done in hiking boots/approach shoes. You can even bring climbing shoes along and throw them on for this section and the exit slide if you want.
As far as time in the dike to the exit, I guess it would depend on the climber, and also if you mean the beginning of the exit slide, or the exit onto the summit of Mt. Colden. I don't think I kept track of my time but imagine about and hour to an hour and a half to climb the whole route is reasonable.
Let me know if you ended up doing the route and thanks for reading my posts!
Ben