Trapdike 2021

“Go on ahead . . .”

“. . . I’ll meet you at the dam,” I said to Kyle as I was struggling to transition my splitboard into touring mode. At this point we had been on the trail for around 9 hours, without water for the last 3, and I was starting to feel the effects of the dehydration. Kyle doesn’t take as much time to transition his skies, so he went on ahead to try and find someone who had a filter we could borrow. Luckily the dam was only about a quarter mile down the trail.

As I finally got my touring skins on, I began to trudge my way towards Marcy Dam where a stream was flowing fast with melt water. I was torn between feeling exhaustion from the dehydration, and accomplishment from the adventure we were returning from. I thought about the gatorade I had stashed in my Jeep, and I thought about the events that had transpired that day.

We had started on the trail that morning around 8:30, and had arrived at our climbing route at 10:30. Before us lay Avalanche Lake, frozen solid. On either side, towering cliffs shot up from the lake’s edge more than a thousand feet. On the left side in the middle of the lake, the cliff was split in two by a steep ravine that went from the bottom all the way to the summit of Mt Colden. This was the Trapdike. This was our climb.

With such an early spring, we were lucky that the Trapdike was on a north facing aspect of the mountain, otherwise the snow would’ve been too soft and even dangerous to climb. However, being shaded combined with the low temperatures the night before, the deep snow was firm Neve snow that was perfect for our climb.

There was a group of 4 people ahead of us already on the climb when we got there, but soon moved out of sight as we roped up. Many people don’t rope up and just solo this route, but there are 2 short water-ice pitches that would cause beginners some hesitation. Seeing as it was Kyle’s first time on a technical climb, I thought it best we rope up. While this meant doubling the weight of our packs to bring the rope and anchors, it was good practice for the larger objectives we have for the future.

The climb was grueling. A relentless 35-40 degree slope for more than a thousand feet all the way to the summit. But the conditions made it go by quick, and we were soon at the top. When we crossed the summit to the South side of the mountain, which we hoped to ski down, we found exactly what we had hoped to find - magic corn. The sun had been shining on this side of the mountain all day and had softened the hard snow, turning it into what is known as corn snow. This is what spring skiers seek, as it makes for phenomenal turns. We hit the jackpot!

As we got ready to descend on our makeshift platform, we had a little snack and finished the rest of our water. We had planned correctly - Kyle had another full water bottle, but we found out that it had leaked empty during the initial approach. While we were aware of the situation, we both felt good still and weren’t too worried. At that moment, we were extremely excited for the turns we were about to make.

The descent was long, and fun. The corn snow was in perfect shape. The slides we were on had some large bare rock spots that actually made it into more of a challenge in decent route finding. It became more challenging the further we got down, as the slides narrowed into a small gully that had some residual avalanche debris from years past. By the end, nearly a mile after we started, we were exhausted. Our legs were toast, but it was well worth it.

We had one more long uphill section to go to get over a ridge and back on the trail that would lead us to Marcy Dam, back where we began. This uphill seemed to never end. The dehydration was starting to get to us bad, even talking became a chore. To call it a relief when we got to the top of the ridge would be a gross understatement. From here we would be able to descend on our skis and splitboard for multiple miles. While it was relieving, it also became challenging. Hiking trails in the Adirondacks are not very wide and are known for their steepness. Skiing on these is quite daunting. As we got lower, the difficulty grew as the trail became icy. At this point my legs were starting to tire and I was forced to stop every few hundred feet.

Finally, we made it down to where I was now, slogging along hoping that Kyle had found some kind soul with a filter or extra water. When I started to hear voices as I came closer to the dam, I picked up speed. There would surely be someone who could help us. I found Kyle sitting next to 2 guys about our age with snowshoes on. He was drinking from a water bottle. I hurried over to them while trying my best to not look too desperate. I drank deeply. My dry lips and growing anxiety were washed away with every gulp.

We chatted with the two guys for awhile, as well as some of the other who were around the dam, and answered their questions about the big day we had just had. After enough water and rest, we thanked the two gentlemen for their kindness, and set off for the last 2.5 miles to our cars, happy that the minor peril was over, and our ambitions had been fully realized.