Finally got on top of Mt. Marcy (highest in NY) yesterday. Third time the charm after being stormed off previously. We started at the ADK Loj, went up the Phelps Brook trade route, then dropped off the south side and returned via Lake’s Colden and Avalanche. 17 miles, 11 hours, 4k of up.
And bottomless scenery.
Trails in the ‘Dacks are hikers trails. Trails for hikers, that is. Real hikers. Hikers who like to hike for the act of hiking itself, rather than the often profligate side benefits. And by all this I mean, the hiking is really damn hard.
Besides the steep, fall line nature of most all of the climbs (they don’t do swithbacks out here), most of the trails have been around long enough to be eroded in a spectacular fashion, which means lots of roots n’ rocks. Big rocks.
There are some side benefits.
Llet it be known that it felt like at least twice the elevation gain it was, and half again the miles. My mom, who is a very adventurous woman but hasn’t done a ton of hiking lately, did a fantastic job all day. About 5.5 or so miles from the end (and a but before the above trail around Avalanche Lake) she asked me if this was one of the harder day hikes I’ve done. I regretted to inform her that, due to others being prodigiously long and or off trail, this one didn’t make the top twenty on that count. Not the best encouragement.It will I think make the top five in the hierarchy of memory, however. It would be a superlative loop under any circumstances, and getting to do it with my mom and sister made it infinitely moreso.
Time to head back upstairs and cook breakfast. We seized the weather window well, as it’s rainy and in the 50’s this morning.
Bedrock & Paradox 
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