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| hiking in on the first day with very full packs! (D. Herscovitch) |
Day 1, Friday, May 15th
The group was organized via a hiking group on meetup.com, the same group I hiked Glen Onoko Falls with earlier in the year. After spending an hour in standing traffic, we finally made it to the Mountaineer outfitting store around 4pm for bear canister rentals. One inexperienced group member brought more food than could fit in her canister, including delicious Trader Joe's corn puffs, so we all helped her eat the remainder on the hike in. No protests. We arrived at our predetermined backcountry campsite only to find John's Brook, which we had to cross to get there, was extremely high. We found a backup on the trail site of the brook and settled in to rest.
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| postholing down from Mt. Marcy. |
We woke early to an overcast sky, and packed up to leave for Mt. Marcy. The round trip hike would be 10 miles, almost 3,000 feet of elevation gain. Anyone who's ever been to the Adirondacks in the spring knows to expect very, very wet conditions, but what we did not expect to encounter was a significant amount of snow.
Halfway through the ascent, the trail turned into a running stream covered by undeterminable depths of snow and ice. We punched through the layers of snow frequently, every few steps, sometimes waist-deep, which made the going slow and difficult. We were unprepared for those trail conditions, and only half of the group had adequate rain gear. I made the conscious decision to leave my gaiters at home. Bad, bad decision. And then it started to pour.
The rain came down in sheets, petered off, then started up again. When we finally got to the summit, we'd been battling 50-60mph wind gusts, sleet and rain torrents along the last mile of rock-scrambling trail. Dan and Josh, our fearless trip leader, had to hold our first-time backpacker's hand during the last half mile. But we made it.
The rain came down in sheets, petered off, then started up again. When we finally got to the summit, we'd been battling 50-60mph wind gusts, sleet and rain torrents along the last mile of rock-scrambling trail. Dan and Josh, our fearless trip leader, had to hold our first-time backpacker's hand during the last half mile. But we made it.
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| snapping a quick summit shot before the wind blew us off! |
Down bag + 30-40º nighttime temperatures + wet = potential hypothermia. Luckily, I was able to see refuge in another tent, a two person with two people already in it, while Dan roughed it out in ours. I still got wet in the other tent - a 12-hour torrential downpour will do that - but it was better than the alternative. Dan spent the night in a 4" puddle on a little Thermarest island.
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| snuggled in bed with a friend and Lake Placid Beer! (D Herscovitch |
After our bout with bad weather, trail conditions and the lack of preparedness for both, we decided to bag the remainder of the trip and hike out Sunday. The hike out was painless with decent weather, and four of us decided to find a cheap hotel near Lake Placid to make the most of our time off from work.
We spent the night at the Ledge Rock at Whiteface. It was a fantastic find during a ski trip last March; the lodge has a game room, complete with an archaic collection of VHS movies, a fireplace, a pool table, and a BYOB bar. It was a great night, and we drove home refreshed the next day.
Lessons Learned:
- Prepare for Anything. I made a few stupid decisions on the Mt. Marcy hike, failing to anticipate changes in weather. When the temperature dropped and trail conditions worsened, I might've been in real danger of hypothermia.
- Be Patient. Even when there's someone in the group who is unprepared, inexperienced, and does not move at the speed of the rest of the group, that person still might have the same desire to explore the mountains as all of us do. As a group, we could have done a better job of helping her pack. Each one of us might be that person on our next adventure!
- Manage Your Reactions. I was quick to feel and act negatively as Mother Nature continued to throw us curveballs I need to make sure I recognize I cannot change how I feel about a situation, but can change how I react. I can allow myself to, for a second and only in my head, say, "This f*cking sucks!" And then I need to move on and remember how special being out in the wilderness is.
Despite the fact that the Adirondacks have hit me with rain or snow on nearly every trip, I can't wait to go back. My next trip will be to the Catskills for Devil's Path in June, then back to the Adirondacks for a canoe trip in August. I can't wait!