Day 308

Day 308                                                                                                           August 7, 2018

At 05:00 am the alarm sounded and we got up and ready to do a hike.  During the night, two more people had moved in making the small space even smaller.  We were thankfully able to squeeze by and get on the road where we drove about a half hour to the trailhead.  We were going to hike Whiteface Mountain (4, 865 feet) which is the 5^th highest mountain in New York.

The hike started off in a beautiful forest littered with fallen aspen trees and chipmunks.  For the first two miles the trail meandered up and down and then it began its real climb.  I felt pretty solid throughout the entire hike and I would have to say it was one of the easier hikes we have done.  All day the threat of rain lingered; yet, thankfully we did not encounter any.  As we neared the summit we were able to catch a few glimpses before the fog set in and once again at the summit we couldn’t see anything.  I will say it is starting to bother me that we never seem to have decent views at all our summits.  Going down was rough on my knees and feet but with the use of Jason’s walking pole it assisted in alleviating some pain.  I really enjoy hiking with Jason and when we are both quite it is not uncomfortable, and conversation is decent when it is there.  It is nice to be able to have someone to do these things with.  I enjoy being alone, but I have to admit it is a welcomed change.  In total we hiked 10.4 miles in five hours.

At the camper we had a shake and drove towards camping and an Aldi’s in the town of Saranac Lake.  Once we went grocery shopping I paid for us to camp at Meadowbrook campground where we dumped and filled up on water.  We then drove down to the Mt. Marcy trailhead to gather information and decide if we were going to hike the 18 miles.  After still not deciding on the hike we went back to camp to play skip-bo, clean, shower and eat hot dogs.  I hate the taste of hot dogs except when I am camping, and it is cooked over a fire; that is the only time I will eat them.  Before I went to bed I had a wonderful conversation with my mom about her interview today for working at the school.

The trail

Our lovely view!