Hurricane Mountain

We have been going to Lake Placid in the Adirondacks since my older son was a baby so that is over 30 years. It is my happy place on this Earth. I am lucky I get to visit often because my husband has to go up there for his work. I took off work Monday and Tuesday to go with him. 

Monday was a work day for him - after he finished working, we checked into our favorite little hotel which is the Quality Inn. It isn't fancy, but they have canoes, rowboats and pedalboats that you can take out on Lake Placid at no charge. They also have an indoor pool, hot tub and free hot breakfast in the morning. We took a canoe out for an hour or so, then we went into town to look in the shops and have dinner. We like to get salad and pizza at Ere's Italian restaurant overlooking Mirror Lake.

Tuesday we hiked Hurricane Mountain in Keene. Hurricane is a fire tower peak, so I can check that off if I ever officially decide to work on the ADK fire tower challenge. This mountain has three trailheads, and we started from the one off Route 9N.  We were the first car there at 9 a.m. and the first to sign the trail register.

Hurricane Mountain has an elevation of 3,694 feet and the trail we took was 6.8 miles round trip. The 9N trail was rerouted in 2015 to bypass eroded areas and make the pitch less steep, which added 0.8 miles each way. The red trail markers were new and easy to follow. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to get to the summit, which was a leisurely pace.

Sun dappled trail

At the summit, there was one other group who had hiked up one of the other trails. We climbed the fire tower, which was also replaced in 2015. For a relatively short hike, the 360 views were very rewarding.

My favorite picture from the summit

After 40 minutes eating lunch and relaxing at the summit, it was time to head down. By then, there were at least half a dozen groups at the summit and we passed many more on their way up as we were going down. We decided to pick up the pace for our descent which took us 1 hour and 50 minutes. Although not a long hike, the 85 degree heat on a perfectly cloudless day - in the Adirondacks! - made it feel tough.


Last Week's Workouts: On Tuesday I did HIIT, on Thursday I did a 2.5 mile trail run, on Saturday I did Zumba with Tammy, and on Sunday I did a 1 hour 15 minute bike ride.


I finally bought trail running shoes which I tested out on Thursday - the little grippies make them a great improvement when trail running (versus regular running shoes). Now I am all set with my new running shoes that I got in July and new trail running shoes.

Hadley Mountain

On Sunday, my daughter and I decided to hike Hadley Mountain in the Southern Adirondacks. We took Summer the dog with us. It was the first - and possibly only - hike of the year for my daughter and Summer. My husband took a pass because he wanted to get a long bike ride in. We got off to a very late start but no worries - we got the last spot in the parking lot! Although it was definitely from someone who had already left.

We signed in at the trail register at 1:20 pm and five minutes later, we saw a trail running friend Jona coming down. That was a nice surprise. We had spoken before about hiking together and we are going to make a plan soon.

Summer checking that we are still there

Hadley has an elevation of 2,654 feet; and it is 3.6 miles round trip. It took us just over an hour to get to the summit. There is a fire tower as well. I don’t usually climb up the fire towers but I got my nerve up and went to the second to last level - I skipped the ladder at the very top.

Perfect day for a hike

We spent about 35 minutes at the top of Hadley, having a snack and enjoying the view. Summer found the one and only puddle and promptly lapped it up and lay down right in the little bit of mud remaining at the bottom. If there is water or mud she will find it!  Even the trail steward asked how she got muddy.

Summer enjoying the view

I have to mention that Summer loved this hike. She is a good hiker too.  We do let her off the leash (unless there is a sign specifically stating that dogs must be leashed). Strangely, when she hikes she has zero interest in the other hikers, even those who want to stop and "say hi".  She just likes to keep her pace.  She will get ahead of us but will backtrack if she gets to where she can't see us.
I have to remember to post my workouts.

Last week I worked out four times: Tuesday I did HIIT, on Thursday I ran 4.1 miles, on Saturday I ran 4 miles, and on Sunday I hiked.

The week before last I worked out four times: Tuesday I did HIIT, on Wednesday I did Zumba with Tammy, on Thursday I did a 3.8 mile trail run, and on Saturday I ran 3 miles.

Thanks for reading!

Acadia National Park - Part 3

You can read the first installments of our trip to Acadia National Park Part 1 and Part 2 here.
For our last hike, we took the free buses that leave from Bar Harbor Village Green to the Jordan Park House.  The buses are sponsored by L.L. Bean and they are totally free and go everywhere. 

From the Jordan Park House we followed the carriage road trying to find the trail. I got a little lost, as usual, but a nice gentleman with a map pointed us toward a shortcut that led to Penobscot.  By sheer luck, I am sure this was the back trail that the family we met on the bike ride had told us about.  It was straight up with iron rungs and steep steps cut into the side of the mountain, kind of like rock climbing. It was fun!

View of Jordan Pond from Penobscot Mountain trail

We ate lunch at the summit of Penobscot Mountain, with a view of Jordan Pond. The elevation of Penobscot is 1,194 feet - not too high.  We debated continuing on to Sargent Mountain and ultimately we passed.  Shocker, right!  It was a good thing we did, because the trail we took back down was quite long and circuitous.  I'm not confident that it was the direct route to the trailhead, but it got us back.  This hike took just under 4 hours.

Thunder Hole - captivating to watch the waves crashing in

We went to Sand Beach at sunset and then back one morning to read and relax.  The Maine water is too cold for swimming but you can get in up to your knees!

Sand Beach at sunset

The unique thing about Acadia is that it's a package deal - hiking, biking, cute shops, lakes, the ocean - all in one place.  I would say the only negative for us was the drive.  It took 8 hours each way with stops only for gas, restrooms and switching drivers. In comparison, the Adirondacks are only 2 hours away for us! If I go back, we would stop for an overnight midway along the route.


Thanks for reading!

Acadia National Park - Part 2

You can read Part 1 here: Acadia National Park Part 1. The cold front and rain that ended the sweltering heat wave came in around dinner time of our second night in Acadia National Park.  This was good timing because the rain was winding down and it was only drizzling the next morning.  We grabbed umbrellas from the hotel lobby and headed over to Bar Island.  This is a little island north of the town of Bar Harbor.  At low tide, you can walk across the natural gravel bridge.

There are signs on both sides with low / high tides and a phone number to call if you get stuck on Bar Island when the tide comes in.  There is about 90 minutes both before and after low tide where you can walk across, so it is a solid 3 hour window. If you do get stuck, it will cost you $50 for a water taxi to come and rescue you.

Gravel road to Bar Island at low tide

View of Bar Harbor from Bar Island

We did the short hike to the peak of Bar Island and then strolled around town. By the time we got back to our hotel, we had logged 3.3 miles walking.

The sun was starting to come out, so we drove over to the Park Loop Road with our bicycles in tow. Acadia has miles of carriage roads that are closed to motor vehicles of all kinds, and are accessible for biking, walking and horse back riding only.  We rode our bikes around Eagle Lake and then up and around Witch Hole Pond.  We biked a total of 11.2 miles according to the carriage road map.

Taking a break to look at the views

Dappled sunlight on carriage road

Everyone we met was friendly, like a young dad who let us borrow his pump when our travel pump didn't work and our tires were low.  We met a family who were avid hikers and runners (we knew by each others' race shirts) who gave us a tip on where to hike the next day as well as what kind of ice cream to buy!


Once again, after a full day of activity, we got in some swimming at the hotel pool before heading out for something to eat.


I wanted to mention that we chose our hotel specifically for the pool and because it included a full hot breakfast.  We also brought bread, peanut butter and jelly from home to make lunches since we knew we would be out on the trails. I even remembered to bring aluminum foil!  Each day, my husband grabbed an  UBR Cinnamon Breakfast Cookie from the hotel breakfast as a snack. This is not an affiliate link, but he loved them and I figured they would be on Amazon.


Stay tuned for Part 3.

Acadia National Park - Part 1

My husband and I just got back from a five day trip to Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park. This has been on my bucket list for years and we finally made it. This trip was nonstop activity!

The first full day we hiked Cadillac Mountain and Dorr Mountain from the Gorge Trail. I admit that was not our planned route as I got a little confused on the Park Loop Road. But ultimately it turned out perfect because evidently this is a less trafficked trail. One of the major differences from hiking in the Adirondacks - no mud! Another cool thing is the steppingstone trails. It made it feel easier because the first day was hot!

Stepping stone trail up Cadillac Mountain 

Cadillac is the highest peak in Acadia at 1,529 feet elevation. You can also drive to the summit of Cadillac. That means when you get to the top of the peak there is a parking lot and a virtual crowd of people. We didn’t spend much time there. We headed back down the way we had come and headed up Dorr. That was a steep but short climb. We ate lunch on Dorr Mountain and enjoyed a nice view of the harbor.

If you zoom in there is a cruise ship in the harbor 

In total we hiked 5 miles in just under 4 hours. After the hike we headed straight to the hotel pool for a swim before dinner.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

Algonquin and Iroquois

On Sunday, my husband and I went up to the Adirondacks to hike Algonquin and Iroquois peaks.  We were motivated by a small group from our running club who went to run repeats up the mountains.  But more about them later.

We left home at 6:08 a.m. and pulled into the Adirondack Loj parking area by 8:25 a.m.  We were more than a little concerned about parking on the weekend, and even at that time the lot was about 80% full.

We signed in at the trail register at 8:45 a.m.  The weather was perfect for the Adirondacks, warm but not humid.  My husband and I don't take breaks when we hike, other than a minute here and there to adjust gear or grab water.  I would say our pace is moderate and steady. My husband would say we are slow and steady. Halfway up, the four runners we know zipped past us with a quick hello, and one stopped to take our picture.

We reached the summit of Algonquin at 11:50 a.m. which means just over 3 hours.  I hiked Algonquin in 2014 and remember having a little meltdown on the way up.  Not this time - I felt really good and strong on this hike. Algonquin is the second highest peak in New York State at 5,115 feet elevation. Mount Marcy is the highest.

The summit was cool and windy and the clouds had rolled in so I put on my fleece. It was busy up there, but not as busy as I had imagined. We found a sheltered spot to take a break and eat our lunch. 
At 12:10, I listened in as another hiker asked the trail steward to point the way to Iroquois Peak. It looks like it is close, but that is the great illusion of hiking.  It's never as close as it seems. Back in 2014, I skipped Iroquois so I was determined to do it this time.  After all we were right there and I have no intention of climbing Algonquin a third time.

To climb Iroquois, you first hike down the exposed ridge following yellow paint marks and cairns which is the marked trail to Lake Colden. That takes you up and over Boundary Mountain.  These mountains are so named because supposedly that was the boundary between the Algonquin and Iroquois tribes years ago.

When you get to the yellow arrow pointing left to Lake Colden, you go straight to Iroquois. Iroquois is an unmarked trail, formerly a herd path, but is now very well defined.  We saw the runners heading back from Iroquois and we saw another running club member who was hiking with a group of her own.

47 minutes later we were at the top of Iroquois. Iroquois is New York's 8th highest peak at 4,840 feet elevation.  It was my 20th high peak in my possible quest to become an Adirondack 46er. My husband took a photo of me in honor of peak #20. I took a few photos because the clouds had cleared out and the views were amazing.
It took exactly 47 minutes to get back to the summit of Algonquin - talk about consistency. The hardest part of the day for me was having to summit Algonquin a second time.

It was exactly 2:00 p.m. when we headed down from Algonquin. Shortly after, we saw two of the four runners  heading up Algonquin the second time! Of course they passed us on their way down as well.  We were slow heading down and I did some on my butt, which is just easier.  Another misconception is that downhill is easier; it's not!

We were able to pick up the pace the last mile or so.  An older hiker passed us, grumbling about his group having gone ahead of him.  My husband recognized the voice - it was someone he knew.
Oh the relief of seeing that trail register and the parking lot!  We signed out at 4:50 p.m. which was just over 8 hours on the trails. Our total distance for the day: 10.8 miles.

View of Boundary and Algonquin from Iroquois

Skies cleared for views

Mount Marcy from Iroquois

Sloan Gorge Preserve and Last Week’s Workouts

On Monday, my husband and I set out to hike Overlook Mountain in the Catskills. I have a habit of knowing what hike I want to do and then winging it when it comes to getting to the trailhead or following the trail. We were headed generally in the right direction when our navigation said to turn around. At that exact point we saw a trailhead with four or five cars. There was one open parking spot which was nature’s way of saying “Hike here!”

That’s how we ended up hiking Sloan Gorge Preserve. It was a short hike, about an hour including a picnic lunch break.

Unique geographical formations

We knew we were right near Woodstock so we headed that way afterwards. That’s when we saw a sign for Overlook Mountain of course! We followed the sign to Overlook so we would know where to go next time. It was a good thing we didn’t hike it; the parking lot was full, and cars lined the side of the road as well. We will save Overlook for a weekday (or a non-holiday weekend).

From there we headed to Woodstock where we did some window shopping and people watching.

Yes, that Woodstock. The 1969 concert was actually in Bethel, NY

Last week’s workouts: On Monday I ran 2.5 miles (trail run), on Thursday I did Zumba with Denise, on Saturday I ran 5 miles, and on Sunday I swam 50 laps, making it a four workout week.

Thanks for reading!