My fondness for the Adirondacks began several
years ago (more than I care to remember) when upon graduating from college I took
a job in a little town in Upstate NY named Norwich. I now live
in Bethlehem, NH where the White Mountains are almost literally at my doorstep,
and as such, they provide a portal to outdoor adventure that is definitely more
convenient than a 3 hour drive to the Adirondacks. Nonetheless, there is still a soft spot in my
heart for the NY mountains, and therefore trips are made there as often as opportunities
present themselves.
Over Memorial Day weekend, my wife and I had an
opportunity to visit the Adirondack region.
Although our trip was primarily for some personal business, there was
time to fit in two tiny hikes, as briefly described below. Both of these hikes were new to me. This provided added enjoyment since exploring unfamiliar
places is a personal passion of mine.
1) Rattlesnake
Mtn (1,292 ft); 3 miles RT; Trailhead on
Rt. 22, about 4 mi south of I-87 Exit 33 and 4 mi north of Willsboro, NY. (Click HERE
for more details about this hike.)
2)
Cobble Hill (2,332 ft); 1.6 miles RT; Trailhead off Mirror Lake Drive, Lake
Placid, NY. (Click HERE for more details
about this hike.)
As is often said, a picture is worth a thousand
words, and so I'll simply present a few snapshots taken during the course of
these two treks and let the pictures "do the talking"!
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| RATTLESNAKE MTN HIKE: Looking east over Lake Champlain toward high peaks in Vermont |
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| RATTLESNAKE MTN HIKE: Another view overlooking Lake Champlain from one of many ledges on this mountaintop |
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| RATTLESNAKE MTN HIKE: One of several picturesque corridors leading from one ledge to another |
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| RATTLESNAKE MTN HIKE: Looking southwesterly toward Giant Mountain (large rounded peak seen directly over Long Pond in the foreground) |
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| COBBLE HILL HIKE: At center is Mt. Colden (peak with several slides visible); tallest peak to its left is Mt. Marcy; prominent peaks to right of Mt. Colden include Wright Peak, Algonquin Peak, Boundary Peak, Iroquois Peak. |
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| COBBLE HILL HIKE: Highly zoomed view showing ski jumps (foreground, just right of center) from the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid. |
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| COBBLE HILL HIKE: Zoomed view of downtown Lake Placid as seen from Cobble Hill ledges |
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| Wild Columbine was in bloom on Rattlesnake Mountain |
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| An Adirondack sunset |
~ THE END
~
6 comments:
Hi John,
I love the first shot over Lake Champlain! The mountains over in Vermont look like a painting!
I love the one from Rattle Snake Mountain over to Giant Mountain (great name for a mountain...do you think it's big?)!
Glad you were able to find time to get out on a trip primarily for business...Also, I'm very jealous about the Whites being at your door step ;)
Karl
Hey Karl . . . thank you so much for taking a moment to read my blog and post your thoughts.
Regarding the Whites being nearly at my doorstep, I have little doubt but what you too will eventually have this good fortune! Your love of these mountains, is self evident from postings in your blog (http://livefreeandhikenh.blogspot.com/). It took me a while to finally get here. My career involved working in KY, NY, NJ, GA, DE, before finally arriving here in northern NH. Yay! :-) So, hang in there Karl . . . your time will come!
John
Great pictures from two places I've have not been to. It is great that both the Whites and the Adirondacks have small hikes that can be done with a limited amount of time.
Also, did you hike when you lived in the other states?
Josh
Hi Josh,
Totally agree that it’s nice to have a collection of small hikes in your “back pocket” when time is limited. And oftentimes, I like doing a small hike just as a fitness thing, and then have the rest of the day free to do other stuff.
You asked if I hiked when I lived in other States. The short answer is yes, but not nearly to the extent that I do now.
Thanks for reading my blog and posting a reply!
John
Hi John,
Tim and I have a friend who is fortunate enough to live in the Adirondack Mountains, near Gloversville on a small lake. We love going to visit him (haven't been there in years) because of the beauty and serenity of his location. And it looks like your two hikes embraced both the beauty and the serenity of the Adirondacks. And you're right about doing a short hike for "fitness". But what a rewarding fitness regimen—you sure can't recreate such amazing scenery in the gym!
And, as usual John, I learned something new from this post. I didn't know that wild columbine grew in New York.
Thanks for taking me back to the Adirondacks!
Hi Rita,
Glad to learn that the photos in my report provided you with a vicarious journey back to the Adirondacks. It oftentimes happens that a photo will elicit a flood of memories. Just recently, I e-mailed a photo to my Mom that I’d found while going through some stuff. It showed the house where my grandparents (her parents) had lived in the 1940s. She was very appreciative and shared with me the memories that it brought back to her.
And lastly, oh yes! We certainly are in complete agreement about doing short hikes as part of a fitness program versus working out in a gym. No comparison!
Thanks, as always, for taking time to read and comment on my blog.
John
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