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  • Adirondack Explorer

    Alpine enchantment on ice

    Dec 28, 2019 6 minutes
    By Phil Brown

    It’s 4:40 a.m. What the hell am I doing up? Oh, yeah, I’m meeting Kevin “MudRat” MacKenzie to go ice climbing.

    This is late for MudRat. The guy is notorious for alpine starts. Many times he has awoken at 2:45 a.m., trekked eight-plus miles to Panther Gorge, established a new rock or ice route, and then hiked back out the same day. His longest jaunt to the gorge took 22 hours car to car, 4 a.m. to 2 a.m.

    So I feel fortunate. We’re only going to Avalanche Lake, a mere 4 ½miles from the trailhead. Nevertheless, this will prove to be one the most exhausting—and exhilarating—outings I have undertaken in a long time.

    I’ve been to Avalanche Lake many times in winter, but almost always on skis. The trip to the small lake and its stupendous cliffs is a classic Adirondack ski tour. After taking up ice climbing a few years ago, I had it in mind to

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