Neil
09-18-2005, 03:53 PM
Some people never do the same mountain twice. Especially those who are in pursuit of the Hundred Highest. Well, I went back to the Wright Slide on a data gathering mission. Pleasure had nothing to do with it, I swear.
Armed with a brand spanking new camera and my trusty GPS I enjoyed lunch (yeah I got a late start) at the Kagel LT which is in a truly beautiful setting. It's easy to miss the turn to this LT so to be sure I had my gps turned on and I still walked about 50 feet past the turn!!
The trip up Wright Brook was a real special treat. It's important to keep track of the forks (easy with a gps) and ensure you are heading west as you follow the correct drainage. Last year Doug Hillman, son Dominic and I did this route and so it was déjà vu for me. The brook was even prettier than I remembered it to be. I recommend staying either in the brook or on the left bank. There is an old tote road at first then there are whispers of herd trails almost always on the left. At times, walking along the brook is open, flat rock. I arrived at the turn to the slide much more quickly than I thought I would, about 90 minutes past the LT. (2 1/2 hours from the TH) I'm no stone mason but I made a big pile of rocks (see photo) to mark the turn. Remember to fill up with water at this spot.
15 minutes of climbing up the tiny, rubbly drainage, including a right turn into the trees brought me to the slide base. I love the sight of a slide as you catch glimpses of it through the forest. It is so big as it hulks over you, a silent testimonial of one short-lived episode of unfathomable violence.
This slide isn't long (aprox. 0.2 miles) or steep. I give it an easy rating. The best views are of Colden and the valley you just ascended. You also see Marcy and of course Algonquin is in your face. At the slide's top you have no choice (AFAIK) but to traverse a band of cripplebrush. I remembered that from last year’s trip and went very slowly and methodically and it really wasn't that bad. I even was rewarded by seeing a big chunk of the plane (I left it "in situ"- see pic) I wore shorts and a flimsy t-shirt and didn't leave one single red blood cell up on Wright Mountain.
Pictures are right here. (http://neil.webcentre.ca/outdoor%20pursuits/index.html)
Armed with a brand spanking new camera and my trusty GPS I enjoyed lunch (yeah I got a late start) at the Kagel LT which is in a truly beautiful setting. It's easy to miss the turn to this LT so to be sure I had my gps turned on and I still walked about 50 feet past the turn!!
The trip up Wright Brook was a real special treat. It's important to keep track of the forks (easy with a gps) and ensure you are heading west as you follow the correct drainage. Last year Doug Hillman, son Dominic and I did this route and so it was déjà vu for me. The brook was even prettier than I remembered it to be. I recommend staying either in the brook or on the left bank. There is an old tote road at first then there are whispers of herd trails almost always on the left. At times, walking along the brook is open, flat rock. I arrived at the turn to the slide much more quickly than I thought I would, about 90 minutes past the LT. (2 1/2 hours from the TH) I'm no stone mason but I made a big pile of rocks (see photo) to mark the turn. Remember to fill up with water at this spot.
15 minutes of climbing up the tiny, rubbly drainage, including a right turn into the trees brought me to the slide base. I love the sight of a slide as you catch glimpses of it through the forest. It is so big as it hulks over you, a silent testimonial of one short-lived episode of unfathomable violence.
This slide isn't long (aprox. 0.2 miles) or steep. I give it an easy rating. The best views are of Colden and the valley you just ascended. You also see Marcy and of course Algonquin is in your face. At the slide's top you have no choice (AFAIK) but to traverse a band of cripplebrush. I remembered that from last year’s trip and went very slowly and methodically and it really wasn't that bad. I even was rewarded by seeing a big chunk of the plane (I left it "in situ"- see pic) I wore shorts and a flimsy t-shirt and didn't leave one single red blood cell up on Wright Mountain.
Pictures are right here. (http://neil.webcentre.ca/outdoor%20pursuits/index.html)