~*~ Mount Marcy, New York ~*~

“Two witches and Brad mounting Marcy”

Date: June 16, 2007

Mileage: 16

I woke up early…I always wake up early. Which of course meant Brad was going to get woken up early as well. Once we are all up, we sorted out the snacks, got water, and piled in Katie’s car to head for South Meadows Trailhead. I couldn’t believe that we were going to have yet another amazing day of weather. The sun was shining and there was no indication that we would have anything but blue skies for the entire day. Promising weather…because Marcy owes me a view.

We were at the trailhead by 8:00am and on the trail by around 8:30am. We stopped briefly to sign in at the register. It’s a quick 2.8 miles from the trailhead to Marcy Dam along an old fire road. Every time I have hiked it, it has gone by really fast. There’s nothing in your way so you are able to just walk and stretch your legs. It’s great because by the time you get to the climbing; you are warmed up and ready to go. At the Dam, there were a few people around. We stopped again to sign the register and check out the view from the bridge. I thought this had been wiped out in a storm last year, but it didn’t appear to be new or damaged for that matter so I’m not sure.

From the Dam, we took the Van Hoergenfarvegnuegunstein Trail. Really…that’s the name of it. It is 5.1 miles on the trail to reach the top of Marcy. We talked a lot as we hiked…surprising I know. It has been a year and a half since the three of us were together so we had a lot of catching up and a lot of just reminiscing. We set a good little pace and moved along on up the trail. Fortunately, this is a good hike to introduce people to the Daks on because it’s not that rugged or steep, with minor exceptions. You know…get them up here, get them hooked and then you show them the scary crap. It’s part of a master plan.

We did have a scary little experience when we were taken hostage by a corgi and a Yorkshire terrier. It wasn’t pretty…the corgi tried to march us back to his leader and we had no choice but to comply. Fortunately, we kept our composure and eventually found our way to safety. But for the grace of God…

We crossed a nice little bridge spanning a stream that consisted of two handrails and four giant logs…one of the logs was missing so Katie & I carefully crossed it. Brad decided to grab both handrails and do a little dance. Probably should have checked to see if the handrails were secure first but it made for a funny moment…might have been funnier if he’d gone in the drink. Right after the bridge, the trail steepened a bit and we ascended. There are no views on the beginning of this trail…just a lot of trees and rocks to admire. Even after a week in New England, I don’t think Brad understands why the trails are blazed the way they are. He insists we don’t make trails, we just walk along with a bucket of paint and put the blazes in a straight line, no matter what the path may be. I think he may be onto something there.

We passed the junction to Phelps and shortly thereafter reached the junction that would lead us up to the summit of Marcy. Finally we had a clearing and could see the summit from where we stood. However, we did not stand around very long at all because the bugs come out en masse when you stop for more than 2 minutes. We did a few rounds of mosquito dancing and finally just left to escape the madness of the swarms. I have to say, Katie was kicking some serious ass on that mountain…we had been hiking all week but she was out there cold. I loved that she was smiling almost the whole way. The Daks will do that to you, I think.

We paused once again at a small clearing to get a picture of Brad telling us “we are going THAT way” and to capture Katie and I doing our best “jazz hands” impression. It was hot. Really. Shortly after, we broke out of tree line and were climbing on the rock slabs that define the Daks in my opinion. I’m not a fan, but I know when I hit the slab, the summit isn’t too far away. Brad and I made our way up, pausing here and there to check out the view that was surrounding us. I was thrilled because I have yet to have a view on Marcy. Climbed it…but never had a view. The weather held out and was spectacular as we climbed rock after rock from cairn to cairn. Besides the bugs coming out, so did the day hikers. The closer we got to the summit, the more people we saw swarming Marcy. Deet does nothing to prevent tourons. But alas, we too were tourons on this day.

We passed a lot of people making there way up, and a lot of people that had stopped for a rest and to take in the view. Brad and I finally reached the summit and scouted out a place to sit and relax. We spotted Katie coming and waited for her to get to us before sitting. She smiled from the point we saw her, all the way up to us. It was reminiscent of a smile I had seen in Banff when she crossed a slippery log over a river. Kind of a “take that you stupid mountain!” smile, combined with a little bit of “this is friggin’ great”. Both Brad and I admired the smile as she approached.

We found a quiet place away from the rest of the ant hill and proceeded to settle in. We had all packed in beers on ice for the summit and it was time to enjoy them. Katie brought a Yeungling to represent PA, I brought a Long Trail Ale to represent VT and Brad brought a Saranac Pomegranate to represent NY. Cracked them open, toasted the summit and enjoyed. Brad also had his leftover ribs from Tail o’ the Pup the night before. I think he got a huge kick out of sitting on the summit, taking in the porn, feasting on ribs, drinking a beer, and enjoying the company of 2/3 of the witches. Hey – you can’t beat that scenario with a stick.

We spent a good hour or so up there before finally heading back down, but not before we got Brad’s token summit shot - #22 of his high points. Almost half way there! We got pictures of all three of us and one of the witches. Yea, that’s right – we mounted Marcy together and have the sign to prove it! I snapped shots of Algonquin and Wright, thinking fondly of the Elevation Gain Bang Trip from almost two years ago. We did not even see the rain that was coming down in the distance until the steward pointed it out. Well hell…we should probably get going, eh?

It seemed to take no time at all to go back down the mountain – we went right back the way we came. Once you are off the rock slab, the hiking is relatively easy. Even though it’s rocky, it’s pretty fast going. Of course, the company kept made the miles fly by even faster. We were talking and laughing the entire way down the mountain, looking forward to showers, a good meal and beer when we returned to the campground. At Marcy Dam, we stopped again for a little break. While sitting on the edge of the bridge, I somehow managed to drop on of my Leki’s into the water. Thankfully the resident MT fisherman was on hand to do a little catching. We learned that Leki’s float. Good to know. Once he fished my pole out of the water, we were good to go back to the car.

What a great hike and beautiful weather! We could not have asked for a better day. It took us about 7 hours and we were back at the campsite by 5:00pm. Hot showers were in order, we changed and headed to Tail o’ the Pup.

Live music was playing again…we ordered up a bunch of food, a round of beers and just kicked back for the night. The first round of beers turned into about 5 rounds and we managed to rack up a bill of $130. Not bad for three people! Plus…we had beer waiting for us back at the campground which we would certainly be drinking in short order. We did notice that every time we ordered a round, our waitress got really excited. Apparently she was living vicariously through us…either that or she was seeing dollar signs with her tip. Maybe a combination?

Back at the campsite, we were rivaled by some partying mountain bikers a few sites over. We built a fire and continued our festivities. There was some dancing…if you can call it that. It was kind of like a frat party gone bad but it was way too much fun. There was some butt-slapping dancing going on which thankfully did not make it on film. There were phone calls and text messaging to other states. There was a lot of laughing and carrying on. We managed to pack a lot of fun into one day and the day just didn’t seem to end. Katie’s just lucky she got her camera back. hahaha

I have no idea what time we finally went to sleep…but it was a great day and a great way to end NESBT ’07.

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