when we woke up to fantastic weather on our last day in the mountains of the adirondacks, i knew we had no other choice but to attempt the hike that we had originally planned for the first day. my pal, andrea, who i had hiked with a few days earlier, told me about hurricane mountain, and it seemed like the perfect way to finish off our time here.
we weren’t off to the best start when we realized that ike had “forgotten” to wear hiking shoes. thankfully, derek had a spare pair in the back, but they were a wee bit snug. so. you can imagine how that went. either way, we made a go of it.
as per the usual here in the northeast, there were many stream crossings. which are actually kind of fun if you ask me.
so, the first mile or so of the trail is not super steep. which is good and bad. good because we were quite a long way in before the steep parts began. bad because all the elevation is crammed into a shorter distance. we trudged straight up along/in yet another muddy, slushy, rocky, rooty stream.
we stopped to photograph the cool flora and fauna along the way. we also saw the tiniest little mouse scuttling around too, and stopped to watch for awhile, but it was so quick and i couldn’t get a decent photo.
up up up we went. at some point, ike’s shoe situation got the better of him and he decided to hang out and wait for us on the way back down.
and then, magically, after the long trudge through the dark woods, we emerged at the top. upon seeing the the sweeping panoramic views, anna’s exact words were “i wasn’t expecting THAT”
at the top, there’s a fire tower, where all brave climbers can get a 360° view of the surrounding mountains, as well as lake champlain and into vermont
the “top” of the mountain is a big long rock, with lots of spots to take in the scenery. we wandered around for a good while, soaking it all up.
captured all of the obligatory shots. the feet with the summit marker. the mom pose. and the illusion of feet dangling off a cliff.
we found a nice little spot to enjoy our lunch. i think derek took this pic from his view in the fire tower and i love it.
he also snapped this next one of the girls and i trying to get our epic foot dangling pic.
we frolicked around the top for quite awhile. the girls even reenacted a scene from the little mermaid, which cracked me up. but eventually, we had to get back to the other kid and begin the long descent down the mountain. sigh.
the hike down was misery, as it often seems to be. hopping down and around the slippery rocks. sloshing through mud. the steep descent. never our favorite.
and i of course didn’t take pics on the way down. just focused on completing the hike and finding the boy safe and sound (we did). anyhow. it was a great hike and a perfect ending to our time the adirondacks…
until we meet again.
You guys are real adventurers!