It got down to 42 degrees overnight, but we were snug as two bugs in our sleeping bags. Getting out of the bags in the morning was no fun, though. With no stove or kettle, our morning refreshment was granola bars washed down with cold coffee. Outdoor life!
Breakfast from the bear canister
We left camp at 8:50, immediately resuming the aggressive ascent that ended yesterday's hike. The 4.4 miles between us and the summit contains almost all of the trail's 3,590-foot elevation gain. Thankfully, the majority of our gear stayed behind in camp, and we were down to carrying about 10 pounds of essentials each.
Tom on the trail
After 1.7 miles, a short side path led us to the top of Indian Falls, an area of exposed rock along Marcy Brook with incredible mountain views. You can't see much of the waterfall safely, but it's a great place to take a break.
Thataway -->
View from Indian Falls
The Van Hoevenberg Trail is often very wet, as was evident by the many sections laid out with bog boards to help prevent erosion by keeping hikers out of the mud. Lucky for us, it hadn't rained recently. Even so, there were lots of puddles, but we managed to keep our feet dry.
Often a muddy mess
Rocky section
Jana crosses some bog boards
The higher we ascended, the shorter the forest became. A half mile before the summit, we got our first clear view of Mount Marcy, its peak still looming 500 feet above. The trail had been steep all day, but at this point we got out our gloves and continued up on all fours!
Getting closer...
First look at Mount Marcy
Finally, an open view
Trees are getting shorter
The forest continued to shrink as we rose, before disappearing altogether. The last bit of the climb was across open rock, and the view was magnificent! We'd planned to eat lunch at the summit, but we had to pause a couple of hundred yards short to refuel for the final push.
Seriously steep
Mountain climbing
Getting close
Almost there
State high point number 35: Mount Marcy, New York, 5,344 feet! We did it!!! The weather was beautiful, around 70 degrees on the summit and no wind. There were clouds in the sky but none to obscure our view. There are 46 peaks over 4,000 feet in the Adirondack Mountains, and we could see most of them from here.
Jana is triumphant!
Tom on top of Mount Marcy, 5,344 feet
New York's highest point
Proof!
We spent about half an hour at the peak before heading back. Our hike was only half over at this point, and we had every intention of returning to camp before dark. Going downhill is harder on the knees, but at least it doesn't require a bunch of breaks to let the heart rate slow down.
High Peaks of the Adirondacks
What a view!
Tom and Jana atop Mount Marcy
Beginning our descent
A few fall colors
Once more, we stopped at Indian Falls. The view was gorgeous in the afternoon light. We filtered water here and then again at Phelps Brook when we arrived back at camp. Gotta stay hydrated!
Afternoon view from Indian Falls
By 6:00 p.m., we'd made it back to home sweet tent, an hour and 15 minutes before sunset. If you're keeping score, that's 8.8 miles in just over nine hours – not a record pace, but we did it! Dinner was bagels, summer sausage, and cheese. So was lunch.
Back to the campsite turnoff