Skylight and Marcy

Looking at the map one day, it occurred to me that we should attempt a through hike from Tahawus to Adirondack Loj. We could have followed Indian or Avalanche pass, but we wanted some great views along the way so we plotted a course over Skylight (one of our favorite mountains of all time) and Mount Marcy.

Dropping the car at the Adirondack Loj the previous night seemed like an an exercise in the absurd. It took an hour and twenty minutes to drive to the starting point, connecting the area that we would WALK the following day. Nervously laughing about it, we went to bed in Newcomb to awaken before sunrise and scarf some oatmeal we had made the day before while driving to Upper Works trailhead in Tahawus. 

Heading on the trail, we noticed quite a discrepancy between mileage on the signs...sadly for us, it turned out that the longer distance was the correct one. The trail to Flowed Lands made a good warm-up with its slow but steady incline. We stopped at Calamity Pond to see the monument to David Henderson - who accidentally discharged a gun into his leg in 1845. We marveled at the size of the monument so far in the woods, wondering how it actually got there... 

Flowed Lands offered great beauty as always and we took a quick break at the Calamity lean-to before heading to the Lake Colden Dam. It was there we had a real meal and took off our boots while admiring Mount Colden's reflection in the water. It is one of my favorite places on the planet, but we eventually had to tear ourselves away to start making the ascent.

We stopped for many views into the Opalescent River Gorge along the way before finding ourselves at Lake Tear of the Clouds. Considering how dry the summer season has been, it doesn't appear to be lacking for water. We ate a snack and continued to Four Corners.

There we climbed Skylight first for one of the greatest panoramic views. After hiking the forty-six, we vowed to return to this mountain. We shared our lunch with a pair of wayward travelers whose lunch had been consumed by a bear the previous night....or do they tell that story to everyone just for free cookies?

After hiking down Skylight, we started the ascent up Marcy. This was untrodden territory for us and we quite enjoyed the Schofield Cobble and trek above tree line. This side of the mountain seemed more open and more rugged than the other. Arriving at the summit, we met two other hikers who snapped our picture and a summit steward. They all made their descent and we had the summit to ourselves - truly a rarity on this peak! 

Being a bit behind the clock, we didn't dally and started descending to Adirondack Loj. It was exactly what we remembered from our first hike up Mount Marcy - a long and steady decline for seven miles. Other than a quick stop at Marcy Dam for sunset pictures, we made it in one shot. We arrived at our spotted car just after sunset and celebrated our hike at the Noonmark diner before collapsing into our bunks in Newcomb with sweet dreams of panoramic mountain views.

Since we needed to pick up our car at Upper Works, we decided to spend the next day paddling on Henderson Lake. We always enjoy the stunning mountain views from this lake and had a great day except for one mass deer-fly attack. After our obligatory view of Wallface Mountain, we car topped the boats and headed out of the high peaks wilderness. This adventure was one that we will remember for many years and will act as a yardstick to compare other days in the woods. 

Fort Ticonderoga to Crown Point

With a stiff south wind we looked at Lake Champlain and decided to embark on an adventure that we had been gabbing about for years: a paddle from Fort Ticonderoga to Fort Crown Point. We car-topped the kayaks and launched them on the LaChute River, just below the kissing bridge in Ticonderoga. The river was pleasant as we meandered under bridges towards the mouth. When we were about to leave the mouth of the river we put on spray skirts in anticipation of the rollers that we would see on the lake.

When we entered the lake we looked up to see many cannons pointed our way. Fort Ticonderoga was prominently situated above us with an American(?) flag flying proudly overhead. We started surfing the waves, at times struggling to keep our boats pointed straight with the tailwind.

After crossing the path of the Ticonderoga-Shoreham ferry, we ducked into a bay for some lunch. It gave our steering muscles time to recover!

The path north led us past the International Paper Mill which dominated the scenery for the next two miles. The scenery improved as we found ourselves surfing towards Crown Point. As we approached the orchard - our floppy, throbbing arms dictated that we should pull the kayaks out there rather than proceeding to the Crown Point Fort. It was a wonderful day and great paddle....time to buy a rudder for my boat.

Rollins Pond and Mt. Jo

For a bit of a different trip into the Adiondacks, we packed our bags and loaded up our niece and nephew for a camping trip. We started with michigans at Gene's in Port Henry and climbed Belfry Mountain in Moriah for a fantastic fire tower view with only a .4 mile hike to get there. We then headed to Rollins Pond for two nights where we rented canoes and the kids were happy as fish splashing around in the pond. They were doubly happy when we took a side trip to Donnelly's for ice cream!

After we parted ways with Tom, Amy, Ben and Hank, we headed to Adirondack Loj to hike Mt. Jo. The trail was short and steep and we were sweating bullets in the humidity. On the summit, the steward helped us identify peaks while we nibbled on cookies. The view was spectacular - especially for such a short hike. The surrounding mountains were imposing and we especially enjoyed the views of Wallface and the slides on Mt. Colden.

We made a loop by following the long trail down (whereas we had taken the short trail up). We headed to the orchard for a dinner in our new gigantic skillet! Mmmm...pork.

Hurricane and Cheney

With a day to hike, we went back to one of our old favorites: Hurricane Mountain. We had last hiked it in 2012 but since then had read about a trail reroute and a refurbished fire tower. Since we had fond memories of our first hike, we decided to try the new route.

Right away, the trail included switchbacks which is a rarity for the Adirondacks. We appreciated the soil under our boots rather than the glacial erratics that we remembered. The trail was still steep and since we had been around the ocean for much of the summer, we were huffing.

Arriving at the top, we picnicked and enjoyed the panoramic views of the high peaks and Lake Champlain. We reminisced about the Nundagao Ridge hike that we had done last summer which was directly to the north.

The fire tower is looking good, except for the last step (a doozy) that needs a bit of repair. It's funny that it gives you a slightly higher view of the panorama that you have at ground level.

We found this guy while descending the trail:

On Sunday morning we wanted to complete a short hike before forecasted rain. We headed to Cheney Mountain in Moriah, which is a favorite of local chef and jack-of-all-trades Don Foote. The trail began over an old landfill and then climbed steeply. The "short and sweet" hike offered many interesting viewpoints along the summit ridge but the summit itself was forested. It was a great way to get some exercise in the morning and get to know a landscape that we travel frequently.

The Boreas

After spending the first portion of the summer in the Maritime Provinces of Canada, we were itching to explore the Adirondacks on our return. For our first trip, we picked a real jewel. We read about the newly acquired state land around Boreas Ponds through an article in Adirondack Explorer by Phil Brown. By random happenstance, he happened to pull in behind us just after we parked the car. We chatted a bit before parting ways - his group was going rock climbing and were bringing boats into Boreas Ponds.

The road was well maintained but certainly not flat. We had hornbeck boats on wheels since it was a full seven mile walk to the ponds. The walk was uneventful although we had to don bug nets to keep swarming deer flies at bay.

Arriving at the pond we were treated to our first jaw-dropping view of Gothics from the bridge over the dam. We launched our boats and it only got better from there. The ponds are set in a bowl surrounded by high peaks. The familiar mountains from that vantage point certainly competes with the most beautiful scenery that I have ever seen. We didn't rush through the ponds but instead floated from one side to the other to see which mountains would peek out next. Within a few years, this will become the premier destination for backcountry paddlers in the Adirondacks.

We made the trek out and got to the car slightly footsore but elated at what we had just experienced. We had just enough energy left to make dinner and collapse in our bunks. THUNK.

The next day we headed for the Hudson River in Newcomb for a short paddle before thunder overhead made us get off the river. We will be back to explore this quiet section of flat water paddling between Lake Harris and the Newcomb Park.

Vicar's Island

Seeing nothing but sunshine in the forecast and knowing that New York students are still in school, we packed the kayaks and headed to Huletts Landing on Lake George. This lake is a "sweet spot" for kayakers in the middle of June before the hordes of camp owners and campers descend on the lake like a swarm of cicadas.

After paying our exorbitant parking and launching fee, we shoved off into the crystal clear water. With a few tips from the ranger, we headed to Vicar's Island. Despite being a large island with six campsites, we had the place to ourselves. It's good to come during the "sweet spot." We set up tents and ate jambalaya for supper before getting back in the kayaks for a sunset paddle.

We spent the evening meandering around Harbor Islands watching deer (on the island), turtles, beaver and fish. There were three fewer chocolate bars in our stash when we returned! Those pesky kayakers ate them...

The next morning "we" awoke early and had a Lake George breakfast (eggs poached in stewed tomatoes served with bacon and bread) before packing gear and heading south on the Lake. We explored some of the islands in this group for future camping trips including Floating Battery, Duran and Saint Sacrement islands. All the while we were sitting under the imposing view of Black Mountain to our east and the Tongue Mountain Range to our west.

As a one night camping trip, it was a perfect way to spend perfect weather on a perfect lake. It's too bad that our experience of solitude and relaxation will not be attainable on Lake George again until after Labor Day...

Eagle Lake

Just after launching our boats on Eagle Lake, we started to notice sprinkles on the water. Enjoying the mild sun shower, we reached for our sandwiches for a late lunch. As soon as we opened the tupperware, a deluge of rain hit and we sealed up our lunches while waiting out the storm on the lake.

When the storm had passed, we opened our lunches back up and floated from the launch towards the broad lake. We spent the afternoon drying out and exploring the shoreline. This was a lake that we had driven by for years and used as a landmark on route 74. As usual, we were more impressed by the lake from our boats. The rock formations and hidden coves made for some nice surprises. However our soundtrack for the day included laden semis knocking over the bridge with engine brakes engaged.

We were delighted to find a lean to and some camping areas on the northwestern shore of the lake. Perhaps we will return for an overnight.