Since daylight is getting to be in short supply, we started from Crown Point before daylight and drove the beautiful Blue Ridge Road while it was still dark. We arrived in Tahawus just as the sky was beginning to lighten up and headed into Flowed Lands.
As the sun began rising in the sky, we started to notice the colorful foliage all around us. We had driven out of a green valley and into peak foliage at a higher elevation! We stopped along the way to snap pictures of the bright and beautiful leaves. We could tell that we were in for a fantastic weekend!
Arriving at Flowed Lands at mid-morning, we couldn't find an open tent site so we pushed on towards Colden Dam. Luckily, we were able to find a site a mere hundred yards from the Herbert Brook path that we would be following the next day. Happy to finally drop our gear, we set up our tent and sleeping pads for the night.
With much lighter packs, we headed to Lake Colden where we snacked on trail mix and admired the lake, which is one of my favorite places on Earth. We then followed the trail to the Uphill lean-to where the herd paths to Cliff and Redfield mountains diverged.
It was decided that we would attempt Cliff first since we had heard how rough the trail was. The path had a fine mixture of mud and rock scrambles and was slow-going. While scrambling up one of the rocks, I happened to see a bald eagle fly by while admiring the mountains to our east. When we made it to the summit, a nice pair of hikers from Quebec shared some delicious cheese avec nous! It was a gouda way to enjoy the viewless summit.
It was a scramble to get back to the foot of the mountain and we started up Redfield later than intended. We found a path with a much different character than Cliff. There were some muddy sections but it was mainly a steep rock hop to the summit. The fall colors seemed to pop in the late afternoon sun!
We made it back to the Colden Dam as the sun was setting and ate our dinner before heading to our tent by headlamp. We collapsed into our sleeping bags, footsore from a long day of hiking.
The next morning, we waited until the sky was light to start moving for the day. Once up, we ate banana bread and headed up the Herbert Brook herd path to the summit of Marshall. The path was enjoyable except for a few muddy sections. It mostly followed the drainage and at times, the brook was the path.
We had been told that Marshall didn't have much of a view, but found the opposite to be true. By heading directly south from the summit sign for thirty feet, we had an expansive view to the south. Henderson Lake was visible and low hanging fog made some of the mountain peaks look like islands in the sky.
For the most part, it was easy-going as we headed down Marshall and we went back to our campsite for lunch. While eating sandwiches with visible mud on our hands, we realized that our standards of cleanliness really drop while backpacking...
We packed up our tent and made the long trek back to Upper Works. The colors were still stunning and we were amazed at how many leaves had fallen since we had hiked in the previous day. With cider doughnuts waiting in the car, we were happy to see the parking lot!
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