An anniversary adventure in the Adirondack High Peaks
This day was a special one! Most importantly, it was my partner Ben’s and my one-year anniversary. We spent the evening before dining at the restaurant where we first met. After an incredible meal, we headed to bed with a pretty wonderful adventure planned for the following morning.
Enter, Avalanche Pass.
I’ve adventured through this trail before, but not since last year’s avalanche tore through the surrounding landscape. Thanks to immense work by trail crews, including the NYS DEC, Adirondack Mountain Club, and Adirondack 46ers, what was left behind has become a wilderness wonderland. Beautiful destruction, somehow making an already spectacular place even more fascinating to explore.
I love this trail.
I’ve spent much of the last few years with my eyes on the prize of becoming an Adirondack 46er. There was always another summit to chase, another route to plan, and another mountain to check off the list. Since finishing my 46, I’ve really enjoyed exploring JUST to explore. No summit, no list, no particular destination that needs to be reached. Just getting out into the woods and seeing where the day takes me. That has meant spending more time at lower elevations and revisiting places I may have hurried through while chasing the High Peaks.
We started our adventure at the Adirondack Loj, heading toward Marcy Dam on a trail I’ve traveled more times than I can count. I know the markers and practically have the timing memorized. Twenty-five minutes to the junction, another twenty-five to the dam. Sign in, continue toward Avalanche Pass, stop at the Avalanche lean-to (because it’s awesome!), and head into the pass.
Something magical happens when you’ve been on certain trails so many times. They start to feel like clockwork. You can slip into autopilot and just move, enjoying the scenery you know so well without constantly thinking, “Are we going the right way?” Instead, it becomes, “God, I love this forest.” It’s a vibe, and one I’ve come to appreciate more and more.
Ben had never been through this area, so I was especially excited for him to experience it. There’s something wonderful about sharing a place you love with someone seeing it for the first time. As we approached the wooden planks leading into Avalanche Pass, my inner child was nearly bursting with excitement and delight. I knew what this place looked like before, but I wasn’t entirely prepared for what we were about to see.
Holy. Shit.
What an absolutely beautiful display of destruction.
We were immediately caught up in what I can only describe as a “mount-gasm.” You know, when the scenery is so breathtaking that your mind, body, and soul just get completely swept away by it? That’s exactly what happened. We were surrounded by massive rock walls, exposed stone, and a landscape unlike anything I had ever seen before.
The newly exposed rock glistened, even in the shadows. The ground was covered in sand in places, brilliant orange mushrooms stood out against the forest floor, and trees were scattered and twisted in some unorganized yet strangely organized pattern. It was amazing to see just how much force had moved through this area and how dramatically the terrain had changed.
Avalanche Pass has always been one of those places that makes you feel small in the best possible way. The enormous rock faces, the narrow passage through the mountains, and the sheer scale of everything surrounding you are enough to make anyone stop in their tracks. But seeing it after the avalanche added an entirely different aspect to the experience. Nature had quite literally rearranged the landscape, and here we were, walking through the aftermath.
I found myself thinking about how much work went into making this trail passable again. It’s easy to walk through a place like this and get completely caught up in the beauty without considering the people who put in countless hours clearing debris, moving trees, and restoring sections of trail. The work of these trail crews deserves enormous appreciation. Thanks to their efforts, hikers like us can continue exploring this incredible part of the Adirondacks.
After spending plenty of time taking in Avalanche Pass, we continued toward Lake Colden. And really, what’s an anniversary adventure without a little backcountry dining?
On the menu? Burritos and espresso, OF COURSE!
Apparently our idea of a romantic anniversary outing involves hiking into the wilderness with enough supplies to enjoy a proper meal and a little caffeine. Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There is something about enjoying a meal in the backcountry that makes even the simplest food taste incredible. Add in the scenery around Lake Colden, the company of someone you love, and a hot espresso, and you’ve got yourself a pretty fantastic anniversary celebration. No reservations required, no fancy clothes, and certainly no complaints about the view.
One of the things I loved most about this adventure was that we weren’t chasing anything. We had no summit to reach, no list to check off, and no pressure to keep moving at a certain pace. We could stop to admire the rock, photograph the mushrooms, enjoy lunch by the lake, and take in the scenery without feeling like we were falling behind schedule. After spending so many years focused on reaching mountain summits, I’ve discovered just how much I enjoy these kinds of days.
Sharing all of this with Ben on our anniversary made it even more special. As we explored the pass, I couldn’t help but see a parallel between the landscape and our own lives. We’ve both come from places where things were, in one way or another, a little destroyed. We’ve each spent time rebuilding, figuring out what we wanted our lives to look like, and laying the groundwork for whatever unfolded next.
And now here we were, a year into our own adventure, walking across a landscape completely changed by forces beyond our control. It was still beautiful, just different from what it had been before.
Life doesn’t always leave things the way we expected, and rebuilding doesn’t necessarily mean putting everything back exactly where it was. Sometimes it means creating something entirely different and discovering that it can be pretty incredible, too.
Ben and I have spent the last year building something together, figuring out our individual rhythm, and enjoying the journeys that come with it. Celebrating our anniversary in a place like Avalanche Pass felt especially fitting.
And perhaps one of the best things about finishing my 46 is realizing that there is still so much of the Adirondacks left for me to explore. Not every adventure needs to end on a summit, and sometimes the places you thought you already knew have an entirely new story to tell.
Avalanche Pass certainly did that for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to share it with.
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