Adirondack Peeks Summer 2024

The Foolishness of Youth Phil Corell, #224WV T o Adirondack climbers, ascending the trap dike on Mount Colden has become a bucket list item for ad venturers looking for a new challenge. Using the in

ternet and YouTube you can accompany a group of climb ers up the dike and out onto the wide-open rockslide to the summit, all captured on a GoPro camera with a run ning commentary by the hikers extolling the surroundings and views during the trip. Blogs energize and motivate new climbers to attempt the climb, raving about the ex perience and bragging of their accomplishment online. Viewing the ease of the trip portrayed online on a beauti ful, dry day, what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, some unsuspecting individuals and groups arrive with no knowledge of the potential hazards that lie ahead or ig nore bad or worsening weather conditions. The route has experienced major changes in re cent years due to slides and debris fall caused by hur ricanes and major water events. Much of the vegetation of previous years has been scoured and removed from surfaces. New slides have formed, but the climbing route has remained the same. But, as a route, the Trap Dike has been described as an “accumulation of risks”—route find ing, rock climbing, and, potentially, the use of technical skills not possessed by the average enthusiast. There is no control over who attempts the dike; no one evaluates a climber’s credentials or checks their preparedness. Have they done any research before the trip? The climb has the potential to become one of the most dangerous endeavors to be attempted in the Ad irondacks. Two factors can affect the safety of the climb: water—its presence and current volume—and route se lection. During our attempt, our personal failing resulted from poor judgment. Whether someone is an unprepared beginner or a knowledgeable enthusiast, their experience in the dike can change dramatically from one day to the next. One day, in perfect weather with knowledgeable leadership and proper safety equipment, the climb can be an excit ing, safe, and memorable experience. But, the next day, with water cascading down the narrow shoot and slippery footholds on rock surfaces, it becomes a harrowing and life-threatening challenge. People have been seriously injured or died in the attempt—rookie climbers and expe rienced climbers alike. In 2011 two different college outing groups decid ed to climb the dike on the same weekend. On Saturday, the leader of the first group who was helping others man age a difficult section, slipped, fell, and lost his life. Amaz ingly, the very next day in wet weather and pouring rain,

Phil Corell on the summit of Colden [above] Snow in the Trap Dike [left]

16 | ADIRONDACK PEEKS