Return to Upper Works
A second trip into Upper Works followed the Lake Colden corridor toward Skylight and Marcy, blending long miles, wet trail sections, and familiar landmarks into a deeper connection with the heart of the High Peaks.
TL;DR: Return overnighter from Upper Works to Lake Colden, Skylight country, and the Opalescent with late-summer conditions and big High Peaks views.
Some trips are repeats in name only. This return felt like a new chapter.
The first trip to Lake Colden had been in July. In between came a visit to Colorado, and that time out west clarified something: this corridor was not done offering what it had to give. The route called for a return through Upper Works, back to Lake Colden, then farther to find the source of the Hudson River and maybe add a summit if daylight allowed.
It was an early departure, and the day moved quickly enough to reach Lake Colden not long after noon. That arrival carried urgency. If Lake Tear of the Clouds was happening the same day, there could be no wasted motion.
Soon after getting in, the trail crossed with another solo hiker and his dog. The original plan was Marshall. After twenty or thirty minutes of conversation, that plan was gone. He made a compelling case for Skylight, and Marshall started sounding like a bad dream no one needed that day.
With a late start and a long objective, the approach shifted to a slack-pack push toward Lake Tear and Skylight. A headlamp on the return to camp felt almost guaranteed, but the timing still worked on paper: up hard, summit fast, descend in twilight, and eat before full dark.
The upper Opalescent surprised the route with a gorge that does not get much attention. Access was limited, and the clock was moving, but it was still impossible not to imagine what kind of brook trout might be living in those pockets and seams.
For all the rushing, stepping up to Lake Tear of the Clouds brought instant stillness. Standing at the beginning of the Hudson gives a trip a different kind of weight. You are looking at a quiet source that eventually becomes a defining river for an entire region.
Then came the part of the route shaped by that trailhead conversation. Skylight rose quickly after Lake Tear, almost like an elevator ride compared with the work required to get there. The summit felt huge, open, and generous with space and horizon.
Skylight remains a favorite. It is one of those tops where scale and quiet hit at the same time.
After a longer summit rest and half a jar of peanut butter, dependable quick fuel, the route finally turned downhill. Darkness before camp was expected, and that is exactly what happened. The descent was quicker than the climb, but by the time camp at Lake Colden came back into view it was pitch black and the day had fully cashed out.
Morning brought a different objective. After tagging the high points that justified the return, the goal was to continue the Hudson thread by checking one of the biggest waterfalls on that system below Flowed Lands.
On the way, a couple shared fresh bear news: a black bear had breached a food cache near the Flowed Lands lean-to. The original idea had been to drop the pack and move downstream light, but with a food-conditioned bear in the immediate area, that option was over. Risk management makes decisions for you sometimes.
The falls themselves were no disappointment. They felt earned, and they completed the river story that prompted the return: source above, power below.
On the hike out, thoughts kept drifting to the story of the 26th president and these same woods. Theodore Roosevelt moved through this country before he was called to lead the nation, and walking this corridor makes that history feel less like trivia and more like lineage.
That thought opened into something deeper. Backcountry miles strip life down to essentials, and in that simplicity there is room for honest introspection, prayer, and course correction. Faith is not an abstract idea out here. It is a practiced dependence, one careful step at a time, with enough silence to hear what matters.