Hike Date: May 28, 2011
Hike Location: Prospect Mountain, Lake George, NY
Hike Difficulty: Strenuous
Hike Rating (Scenic views or/and interesting terrain/vegetation): A-
Hike Description: For a change, I will tell a little illustrated story, instead of providing a brief description.
Let us start with my reaching the trailhead at the corner of Montcalm Street and Cooper Street in the NW corner of Lake George Village at around 3:00 p.m.
Having barely started, the trail opens up into a road, where one must look to one's left to spot a metal stairway to an overbridge that crosses the Adirondack Northway. A metal staircase at the outset was rather reminscent of the Inclined Railway trail up Mt. Beacon, and later I found several aspects that reminded me of it time and again.
After getting to the other end, the trail starts in earnest. Trail markers are few and far between, but the trail is easy to follow since it tracks a brook or rivulet. On the day I hiked, the trail was wet and slippery due to recent rains. I grabbed a sturdy branch to act as trekking pole...I find this a better course of action that lugging along a trekking pole all the way to the trailhead and then back. As a combined effect of the wet conditions and my decision not to apply any insect repellent, I found myself being feasted upon by insects of a wide variety. The slippery trail also meant that in a while, I had to put my DSLR inside my bag to ensure I was unencumbered. Hence the only photos I took of the trail going upward are a few I took with my cellphone (none of those are included here). By the time I was well on my way, clouds had gathered and there was near-constant rumbling; I found myself praying for the rains to hold up till I got to the summit. The thought of standing with a flimsy umbrella (I did have one) on the slope of a hill, while it pours, is not a pleasant one.
After a short while, there is a road crossing...I convinced myself that this was perhaps half-way up...but that was not so. Most of the hike was yet to come, but almost an hour and a half after I had started, the trail terminated at the road again, this time very close to the summit. Slightly down the road was a parking lot for those who choose to drive up.
From here, started a "trail to summit".
Finally I got close to the end of the trail where the brook forms a little miniature waterfall.
Hike Location: Prospect Mountain, Lake George, NY
Hike Difficulty: Strenuous
Hike Rating (Scenic views or/and interesting terrain/vegetation): A-
Hike Description: For a change, I will tell a little illustrated story, instead of providing a brief description.
Let us start with my reaching the trailhead at the corner of Montcalm Street and Cooper Street in the NW corner of Lake George Village at around 3:00 p.m.
Having barely started, the trail opens up into a road, where one must look to one's left to spot a metal stairway to an overbridge that crosses the Adirondack Northway. A metal staircase at the outset was rather reminscent of the Inclined Railway trail up Mt. Beacon, and later I found several aspects that reminded me of it time and again.
After getting to the other end, the trail starts in earnest. Trail markers are few and far between, but the trail is easy to follow since it tracks a brook or rivulet. On the day I hiked, the trail was wet and slippery due to recent rains. I grabbed a sturdy branch to act as trekking pole...I find this a better course of action that lugging along a trekking pole all the way to the trailhead and then back. As a combined effect of the wet conditions and my decision not to apply any insect repellent, I found myself being feasted upon by insects of a wide variety. The slippery trail also meant that in a while, I had to put my DSLR inside my bag to ensure I was unencumbered. Hence the only photos I took of the trail going upward are a few I took with my cellphone (none of those are included here). By the time I was well on my way, clouds had gathered and there was near-constant rumbling; I found myself praying for the rains to hold up till I got to the summit. The thought of standing with a flimsy umbrella (I did have one) on the slope of a hill, while it pours, is not a pleasant one.
After a short while, there is a road crossing...I convinced myself that this was perhaps half-way up...but that was not so. Most of the hike was yet to come, but almost an hour and a half after I had started, the trail terminated at the road again, this time very close to the summit. Slightly down the road was a parking lot for those who choose to drive up.
From here, started a "trail to summit".
A couple of minutes later, I was at the summit and enjoying the views of Lake George and the surrounding hills.
And then the rains came....shortlived but heavy, forcing me to take shelter in one of the picnic sheds.
They let up very shortly, and I went around inspecting the abandoned incline railway equipment....another point of similarity with the Mt. Beacon hike.
But then the rains came again.
Finally, they stopped for good, and as it started to clear up, I was treated to a surreal view of wisps of cloud rising from the lake.
I lingered a few more minutes, taking more photos of the views as well as some pretty wildflowers.
Then I descended down to the parking lot from where a nice view can be had too.
Finally, I half-heartedly decided it was time to get going if I was to get back to Lake George Village before dark, and headed towards the trail.
Pleased after conquering the summit, I decided I would rectify the omissions of the upward hike by taking nice photos of the vegetation on the trail, and set about changing my 18-55mm lens for my 50mm f/1.8 prime lens. Alas...in that attempt, my poor 50mm lens fell from my hands with both caps off and tumbled down the fairly steep trail for around 20-30 ft. I feared the worst, and rushed to retrieve it, being unable to resist the temptation of taking a photo with my cellphone before I did so.
To my pleasant surprise, the lens was unharmed, though a bit muddy from the fall. I thanked the Gods of photographic equipment who have always been kind to me and indulgent of all my acts of negligence. I have dropped lenses on hikes, I have taken my DSLR to the Cave of the Winds at Niagara Falls without a protective cover, and yet with limited consequence. I cleaned up the lens and attached it to my DSLR. The remaining photos were all taken using it.
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| Fern growing on the trail. |
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| Interesting wildflower...I later learnt that it is called Pink Lady Slippers |
Finally I got close to the end of the trail where the brook forms a little miniature waterfall.
And eventually, I was at the intersection of Cooper and Montcalm again...before dark as planned.
It was quite an enjoyable experience for me to go through the blog. For a person who had never been to the site under discussion it was not only informative, but a virtual reality in hiking as well. The scenic beauty of the place can best be appreciated with a reaonable degree of human effort and the fact that this is possible only when the effort in hiking coupled with the experience of being alone in nature's company makes you feel that you are not at all alone. With the brief description of the place along with the trail's details there were interspersed photographs which were selected with care and with a degree of maturity that showed the intention of the blogger to convey what she wanted to.
ReplyDeleteI congratulate the blogger and hope that in future we would have occasion to go through equally interesting experiences.
As regards the entire region around the lake it appears to give some kind of an spiritual experience.
While returning back from the overwhelming scenic beauty the blogger must have heard the whisper in the breeze saying:
Arey yayawar, rahega yaad.
My congratulations to the blogger.
Well done, Vartika.