Wright Peak – 7.11.21

After a 2 year hiatus, Brendan and I finally summited a high peak together, Wright Peak!

Brendan is almost done with his 46er Journey. He’s hiked almost all 40 of his high peaks with me over the years and on Sunday he hit #40, with Wright. Our original plan was to hike the trio, Algonquin, Iroquois and Wright together, but since it’s been so long since our last big day, we decided to break it up to make it a little easier. At 4,587 ft in elevation, Wright is the 16th highest peak in the Adirondacks. At only about 7 mi RT with ~2,500 ft of ascent, Wright on it’s own is a reasonable day hike. But keep in mind, it is a high peak, so it’s not easy by any means.

We arrived at the Loj later than recommended but decided to check for a parking spot anyway. We lucked out–apparently the campers and backpackers were leaving which opened up a few spots in the parking lot. We started our hike at around 10:30.

The first few miles are pretty easy, eventually the trail climbs steeper and steeper, with a total ascent of about 2500 feet in 3 miles.

 

Eventually we came to the side trail to Wright (on the left), continue straight go to Algonquin.

Right before the summit there is a steep section—get ready for some scrambling. It had been a while since I’ve done a hike like this. I’ve missed it.

 

We actually had the summit to ourselves for a few minutes (along with the ADK summit steward, of course!)

We spent a little over an hour on the summit snacking and enjoying some hard cider. Then we slowly made our way down. The trail is so rocky—I had forgotten! I took it slow.

We made it down in about 2.5 hours. At the High Peaks Information Center there is now a snack bar, complete with hot sandwiches AND beer. Man, I would LOVED to have this when I was hiking the 46. It was such a nice treat to sit and enjoy a sandwich and beer after a long hike.

 

I don’t think I’ll finish a 2nd round. But If I were, Wright would be 14/46 for round 2.

Wright Peak

Distance 7.3 mi RT
Ascent ~2,500′
Time 6 hrs, 35 minutes (includes 1 hr break at summit)

Gear used Patagonia nine trails 26L day pack, Osprey 2.5L bladder, 1L Nalgene, Altra lone peak 5, Darn Tough hiking socks,  Black Diamond distance z collapsible hiking poles
Clothing wearing old navy bike shorts, target tank top, Under Armor sports bra, Melanzana fleece hoodie, Buff headband
Inside pack extra Smartwool socks, Marmot Precip rain layer, and outdoor research tantrum hooded jacket, Mammut fleece hat, first aid/blister kit, ankle brace, snacks, Liquid IV hydration powder, sunscreen, bug spray, headlamp, SPF lip balm, iPhone, Julbo sunglasses, 3 liters of water
Navigation Gaia GPS iPhone app (hiking partner carried paper trail guide)