LOCALadk Magazine

Winter 2019 LOCALadk Magazine 43 LOCALadk Among the great features of Adirondack geography are the many large roadless areas. During the non-snow months, these roadless areas may just mean a long approach to climb a 4,000 -foot peak. Once the snow falls, however, not ever y Adirondack outdoor adventurer immediately puts on snow- shoes and continues to bag peaks for their winter round of the 46. Some get out their heavy telemark or alpine touring (AT) gear and head for the slides and steep glades. Those not inclined to either of the above pursuits get out their lighter cross-countr y ski gear and explore the lakes and valleys be- tween the peaks. Ice-covered lakes afford many views not available in the summer, while also easing the passage in places where the smooth lake ice is a much easier alternative to a rough trail on the shore. In no place is this contrast greater than on Avalanche Lake, Lake Colden, and the now-drained Flowed Lands. Coming to Flowed Lands from the south, hikers get a view of Mt. Colden from the junction near the lean-to, but then return to the thick woods for a rough climb up and over a ridge. One could walk out onto the now-dr y area for a more expansive view, but then likely have to backtrack because the Opalescent River isn't easily crossable at this point. By contrast, in winter, one can enjoy the view and then just keep on going. Of course, the Opalescent River must be frozen, but it usually is unless a recent severe thaw has caused the ice to go out. On Lake Colden, the contrast is even greater. Neither trail around the lake is ver y pleasant to hike, and whichever side one hikes, there is only one view: either Mt. Colden (sort of ) from the west side, or the McIntyre Range from one of the precipitous drops or climbs on the east side. While gliding across the center of the lake, however, one can enjoy views of both and then take the winter access trail from the north end to join the hiking trail up to Avalanche Lake. Once on Avalanche Lake, winter travelers are rewarded with a view of the spectacular vertical cliffs on the Ava- lanche Mountain side of the lake —a view totally missed by summer hikers as they scramble along among the rocks and across the Hitch-up Matilda bridges. From the ice, one sees both sides of the lake and is further rewarded by a close-up view of Colden's Trap Dike. The only potential difficulty on Avalanche Lake is that the ice near the outlet can be unex- pectedly weak. If in doubt, use the bridge over the outlet to access or exit the ice on the west side. The views as described above, and the considerably smoother going, suddenly make it desirable to undertake longish traverses that would not other wise be all that en- joyable without snow. The traverse from Upper Works to Adirondak Loj (per above) is the most obvious example. The only problem with this traverse is that it is a 70 -mile drive from one trailhead to another. Thus, a shuttle would require 210 miles of driving for a 13-mile ski. Arranging a shuttle thus requires much more driving than skiing—not to mention the extra miles of greenhouse gas emissions. The solution for avoiding a shuttle is to arrange for separate groups to meet along the way and exchange keys. Skiers have been arranging to swap keys on an Avalanche Pass traverse for many years. My first one was in 1977. I started from the south end with two Saranac Lake doctors. We agreed to meet at the Lake Colden ranger cabin (now Interior Outpost), where we would enjoy some tea with the long-ser ving caretaker, Charlie Nolan. There we would ex- change keys with several other doctors from Lake Placid and Saranac Lake who were skiing the other way. I distinctly re- member that, while we were at the cabin, another group that also included several doctors came in. After exchanging a few pleasantries, one doctor looked around at his fellow phy- Nancie Battaglia

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