Order in ranking: 26
Let me start off with I'm blogging this late because I hated Allen every step of the way. Allen was my beast, that mountain that just doesn't play nice. You feel....off, your pace is off, you're sore, and you honestly think that maybe, maybe you'll have to turn around because this just isn't happening.
Allen was not my day.
I'd thought, and read and been told, that climbing Allen in winter made more sense. First, you don't have any red slime to content with. Second, you cut time off simply because to get down, you sit, you push off, and you slide down - what takes you 2 hours up, is only 20 minutes down. You also can walk straight across the Opalescent and Lake Jimmy, rather than wading and skirting. It all made sense, so I packed up my winter gear and set off.
I'd posted on the ADK high peaks forum that I was heading out, and I met someone at the trail head. We set off, and things went ok....until they didn't. At first it was just my snowshoes bothering me. I toughed it out for a ways, then had to take them off - part of it due to the fact that the trail was really well-packed, but had formed a bit of a ridge in the middle that I had trouble navigating. (I know, I know, wear your snowshoes, don't posthole, etc etc).
From the cabins to Allen brook went quickly. The weather was good, the trail was solid, as were the water crossings. I knew what to expect as a friend had climbed Allen only a few weeks previously, so I was prepared for the rolling terrain and the length of the hike to get to the actual mountain.
We signed in at the trail register, and soon hit Skylight brook and Allen brook, hearing the water gurgling away under the ice. At this point we start to climb, in earnest. And things just kept going downhill for me, including me. When we hit the slide, I slide backwards and down about 40 feet. I was frustrated, upset, and starting to think that I was going to have to turn around and attempt Allen another day. But I had already come so far that I pushed on, and slowly (ever so slowly) pushed towards the summit.
When I finally broke out of the trees to the summit clearing (the last one) I finally felt some elation. Here it was! I gobbled down some food (some that I had brought, some that people fed me), before turning around and heading back towards the slide, where I could finally sit down and let gravity do it's work (again, but this time in the right direction). Only.....I lost control, careening down the slide, and (having already rammed into one person) I opted to hit a tree rather a backpack, wrenching my ankle.
Heading back was nearly as torturous. My climbing partner told me it's best to think of the climb in stages - from the slide to interior register, from the interior register to the trail, from the trial to the road, from the road to the cabins, from the cabins to Lake Jimmy, from Lake Jimmy to the suspension bridge over the Hudson, which is a hop, skip and a jump from the parking lot.
It had been snowing on and off since about 11 am, but it really picked up pace as we hit the logging road. It would have been wonderful if it wasn't so tired and fed up with the hike. I trudged and plodded my way along, and I swear my bag got heavier with each step. It wasn't until we hit the parking lot that I realized why - snow was collecting in a pocket - I had been carrying a growing snowball, about the size of a soccer ball by the time I found it, in my bag.
Total climbing time: 9 hours 22 minutes
Left parking lot at: 7:00, returned at 4:22
Summitted Allen at 12:20
And to apologize for the lack of pictures, please enjoy this BBC video:
Let me start off with I'm blogging this late because I hated Allen every step of the way. Allen was my beast, that mountain that just doesn't play nice. You feel....off, your pace is off, you're sore, and you honestly think that maybe, maybe you'll have to turn around because this just isn't happening.
Allen was not my day.
I'd thought, and read and been told, that climbing Allen in winter made more sense. First, you don't have any red slime to content with. Second, you cut time off simply because to get down, you sit, you push off, and you slide down - what takes you 2 hours up, is only 20 minutes down. You also can walk straight across the Opalescent and Lake Jimmy, rather than wading and skirting. It all made sense, so I packed up my winter gear and set off.
 |
| All is well crossing the Opalescent, even with open water |
 |
| No view, but still a winter wonderland |
We signed in at the trail register, and soon hit Skylight brook and Allen brook, hearing the water gurgling away under the ice. At this point we start to climb, in earnest. And things just kept going downhill for me, including me. When we hit the slide, I slide backwards and down about 40 feet. I was frustrated, upset, and starting to think that I was going to have to turn around and attempt Allen another day. But I had already come so far that I pushed on, and slowly (ever so slowly) pushed towards the summit.
When I finally broke out of the trees to the summit clearing (the last one) I finally felt some elation. Here it was! I gobbled down some food (some that I had brought, some that people fed me), before turning around and heading back towards the slide, where I could finally sit down and let gravity do it's work (again, but this time in the right direction). Only.....I lost control, careening down the slide, and (having already rammed into one person) I opted to hit a tree rather a backpack, wrenching my ankle.
 |
| Allen! Allen! No, wait, that's Steve.... |
Heading back was nearly as torturous. My climbing partner told me it's best to think of the climb in stages - from the slide to interior register, from the interior register to the trail, from the trial to the road, from the road to the cabins, from the cabins to Lake Jimmy, from Lake Jimmy to the suspension bridge over the Hudson, which is a hop, skip and a jump from the parking lot.
 |
| Still plenty of snow at the end of March |
Total climbing time: 9 hours 22 minutes
Left parking lot at: 7:00, returned at 4:22
Summitted Allen at 12:20
And to apologize for the lack of pictures, please enjoy this BBC video:
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