Essex County Highpoint Trip Report
Mount Marcy
Date: June 7, 2007
Author: Thomas Harper
I thought this was going to take a lot of extra effort on my part and was I right.
Doubt was gnawing at me as I started the hike but I just kept climbing anyway.
I started at the most popular trailhead at the Adirondack Loj and
followed the blue blazes nailed to the trees up to the summit.
Early in the hike is Marcy Dam, which has an incredibly clear and blue lake.
Great for taking photos.
photo 1
photo 2
I continued up to the halfway point of the trail which is near where this tree
is growing right on top of a rock.
photo 3
After this, soon the fun begins. I never had experience on boulder fields yet
but I got some on this hike. There are 2 stretches of rock field that took me
almost an hour each to get over. I called them "Cirith Ungol" after that huge
staircase in Lord of the Rings. After the first, the trail thins and goes
through shorter pines, then the second one starts. When it ends the views begin.
At the 1.2 miles-to-go sign my overriding thought was "I should've eaten more vegetables."
There was a little bit of drizzle but the rocks weren't that slippery.
It look a lot of effort but I finally made the top!
photo 4
I met a couple other hikers from Cornwall, Ontario, and Scranton at the top.
Coming down they passed me. I didn't know my pace was that slow.
When I finally saw a car I was almost afraid I wouldn't reach it by nightfall.
I was never go glad to see a car in my life. I had spent 11 and a half
hours on the trail. If I hike with anyone in the future,
I'll have to tell them about my slow pace or I'll get left behind, I'm sure.