On September 28, me, along with two friends from the branch hiked Mt. Marcy. Mt. Marcy is the tallest peak in New York, standing at 5344 feet. I know all you westerners are thinking that isn’t very tall, but it was still a good climb. When we started out we each grabbed a rock to carry to the summit. The rocks are used to make kearns and define trail so people won’t walk on the alpine vegetation that is at the summit. The hike was pretty fun, crossing streams, maneuvering over boulders and beautiful fall colors. The Indian name for Mt’ Marcy is Tahawus, meaning “the cloud splitter”. It was true to its name that day as we gradually got higher and higher we were hiking in the clouds. Every once in a while the clouds would clear and you could see in all directions. We had a great view of Haystack Mountain and could even see the ski jump from Lake Placid. Once at the summit we took a break to enjoy the views and ate some lunch. In total we hiked 15 miles. A good day!
View from Marcy Dam
View from the trail
On the trail
Saving the Alpine vegetation
