I just found out about this place; I've only been the Adirondacks once (in the Lake Placid area, generally), and I never heard about it. Back when I was younger and tougher and a bit more daring, I might have given it a try. Not now, though. Good hikers that like a challenge, though, could definitely try it.
Climbing Colden's Trap Dike tests hiker's abilities
If you read the article, you'll find out that it isn't really considered a hike on a trail, it's considered a rock climb, and if you aren't proficient, you could get hurt. (And sadly, in rare cases, killed.)
A couple of pictures are below, at the end. What's a trap dike, you ask? Well, from this article about taking on the Colden Trap Dike, it's "a slide, short for landslide, located on Mt. Colden’s western slope. The slide was formed as a result of a debris avalanche, in which the thin layer of soil on top of Colden’s bedrock was released, most likely due to too much precipitation during a hurricane storm.
In the case of Mt. Colden, the slide (or slides, plural, because Colden has two on its western slope) released and drained into an eroded dike feature. What’s left of the eroded dike is a prominent gorge with vertical rock walls on either side that drains out to Avalanche Lake at the foot of Mt. Colden."
If you look at the map, you'll see that just getting to where you can see it requires a substantial hike. It actually isn't that far from Lake Placid. But getting there is done on foot.
In the first picture (taken by Timothy Behuniak), a climber is shown to provide a sense of scale.
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| The geologist's favorite view |
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