Another overcast day in the Adirondacks...

Saturday, October 5, 2013

The wind had picked up and the rains fell heavily during the night and I was quite glad for the rain fly protecting us snugly in our tent.  Geese had gathered in the hundreds during the night on the pond and were communicating noisily throughout.  There were no stars to be seen.

We were up around 7 and Paul moved to the edge of the pond in an attempt to get some pictures of the geese.  I see too many of these in Ohio and have become desensitized to them.  They are powerful fliers and beautiful birds and make for great photo opportunities when they aren’t shitting all over your lawn.  Paul’s presence seemed to disturb them and before he could snap his shutter, hundreds were noisily passing overhead.  I ducked inside the tent to avoid their bombs.

We hiked out and returned to the Noon Mark for a pancake breakfast with real, New York maple syrup.  A light, misty rain was falling and the mountains surrounding the town were completely shrouded in fog.  My plan was to drive to Heart Lake outside of Lake Placid and take the short hike up Mt. Van Hoevenberg, which offered tremendous views of Mt. Marcy and the MacIntyre Range – something that could be spectacular if the clouds lifted. 

We arrived at the trailhead around 11 a.m. and began the 2-mile hike as the mist continued to fall.  It’s an easy hike with only 900 feet of elevation change and although there were many cars parked near the trailhead, apparently none of the occupants were headed for our peak.  We arrived on top in an hour, but visibility allowed us to see only portions of the meadow below.  No peaks were visible.  We stayed on top for 30 minutes before returning to our cars and beginning the drive to Potsdam and a visit with my relatives.

We arrived at my Uncle Bill’s by 3 p.m. and enjoyed a 13-bean soup he’d been preparing.  “I like beans and I figured adding more kinds could only make it better,” he surmised.

He was right and since I’d had two different kinds of bean soup at Noon Mark and now this; was determined that I’d make one of my own when I returned home.  We left after a shower and dinner and drove to my cousin Donnie’s place where we’d spend the night and swap family stories for as long as we could stand it. 

Hike duration:  Two hours.

Training Heart Rate:  90-120 bpm.
Calories burned during workout:  1000.