Destination: Adirondacks, New York
Dates: Sept 28- Oct 1, 2018
Reason: Celebrate Kyle’s completion of the 46 peaks
Day 1 September 28, 2018
Our friend Josh arrived at our house to carpool with us at 5:00am. We had dropped the dogs off at my parents the night before, so we were ready to roll. There were no issues on the road until we hit a bit of rush hour in Columbus. Smooth sailing up to Cleveland, then we cut across to Erie, PA. We were all surprised to see Lake Erie suddenly. The whole drive we played car games, keeping each other company.
After stopping for gas near Erie, we wound our way up into western New York. This was Julia’s first time going through this part of the country. Toll roads began in New York and plagued us as we hit Buffalo and turned east toward Rochester. From there we went nearly all the way to Albany, then turned north. Julia was anticipating a phone call from a prospective employer, but our service cut in and out as we entered the mountains. Due to this, I ended up driving about 10 ½ hours out of 12. We finally got service when we were right near Keene (our final destination), so we stopped so Julia could make a call. Josh and I found a trail and followed it to a lake. Very pretty.
Next we headed past Keene to meet Meagan, Danny, and Lauren at Lake Placid Brewery. They had dropped Kyle and his friend Drew off in the morning so they could begin their mountain climbing. On the way to the brewery we passed the Olympic center and saw the ski jump facility. So tall!
At the brewery we ate dinner, had beer, and Josh, Dan, and I played darts. Dan won. We followed Meagan to the cabin after, climbed the very large hill to arrive, and got there about 8:30pm.
Kyle’s mom, grandma, and sisters were already at the cabin. We chit-chatted a bit and went out on the driveway to check out the stars. They were amazing. Due to the lack of light Julia grabbed some pics of the Milky Way.
Josh built a campfire and we sat around for a while. In the distance we heard a pack of coyotes and Julia got scared. Around 11:00pm we went to bed.
Day 2 September 29, 2018
Waking up at 8:00am, we pretty much headed out the door immediately. The crew was just Meagan, Josh, Dan, Lauren, Julia, and I. Our plan was to get on a trail at 9:30am, hike 4.5 miles to a dam, and meet Kyle and Drew. On the road, our first stop was the Noon Mark Diner in Keene for breakfast. It’s a cute little establishment, very conventional.
We had a lot of trouble finding a parking spot. As it ended up we parked near the trailhead. The hike started by going past a country club. Mountains ringed the golf course and it was picturesque. On the trail, we walked through the woods on a wide track. The way to the dam was all uphill, so we moved slowly and ran short of breath. A small stream tumbled aside the trail, so we were never short on scenery.
As we made our way, Kyle called us on the walkie-talkie. Unfortunately, he and Drew picked up some food poisoning, so they were delayed and couldn’t finish their hike until around 8:00pm. We decided to continue anyway and reached the dam. It was really neat. A bridge carried us across and we went ahead to Rainbow Falls. The path to the falls took us over slippery rocks, but we made it without too much trouble. The falls themselves came over a cliff face and dropped vertically for probably 50 or 60 feet. We got lots of pictures and climbed around.
Heading back the way we came, Meagan told us about another trail nearby called Indian Head Cliff. We veered off to take it and met hikers coming down that warned us about mud. They were right. The path was arduous. We had a 600 foot elevation climb along rocks, mud tracks, fallen trees, and mossy trails. The destination was worth it though. We had an unbelievable view from the peak, overlooking the Ausable Lakes, as well as the dam we visited earlier. We stayed at the top for a while.
The way back down was quicker but still tough. By the time we reached the bottom again our feet ached, our shoes were muddy, but we were having a good time. The walk back to the car, about 4 miles, was full of pain. The downhill climb was easier, but we had to be more cautious, and moved more slowly. By the time we got the car it was much warmer than it had been at the top of the cliff too.
At the car we were greeted with a parking ticket. Apparently we missed a no-parking sign and had to pay the price. Thanks, New York. We went back to the cabin and had some lunch. The kids put a movie on, the adults had beer, and we waited while listening for Kyle and Drew on the radio. In the meantime, Meagan, Julia, and I drove to a nearby town for dinner groceries. The store was tiny and attached to a gas station. I ate salt and vinegar chips on the way back.
Returning home, we started cooking dinner while Meagan and Kyle’s mom went to pick up Kyle and Drew. They came back shortly after with the intrepid hikers. It turned out Drew was the one who got the food poisoning, which is why they were ultimately delayed. We all ate dinner while Kyle and Drew told us about their adventure. Josh made another campfire afterward and we sat around for a bit before bed. Julia went to sleep extra early and Josh burned his finger on a log in the fire.
Day 3 September 30, 2018
Kyle and Drew hit their trail at 4:30am to begin the ascent for his final 2 peaks. We all slept in until about 9:30am and Kyle’s mom made a wonderful breakfast of french toast, bacon, and goetta. At 10:30am we caravanned out to meet the guys at the summit of Whiteface Mountain. The peak is driveable, so luckily we didn’t have too much climbing.
On the way up the mountain Kyle’s mom’s car overheated, so we left it. This meant Kyle’s nephew Gordon rode with us. No trouble. We got to the top (after fudging the little guy’s age to avoid an exorbitant toll) and poked around inside the castle built near the summit. Normally you can take an elevator all the way to the peak, but the power was out, so we had to hike. Due to this, Kyle’s grandma, mom, and sister elected to wait at the bottom.
The climb to the summit was more difficult than expected. The path was steep, rocky, slippery, and frigid. Temperature at the top was around 30 degrees. Defeating the climb, we met Kyle and Drew at the top. We all congratulated him and snapped pictures. The views were magnificent. We saw all the Olympic venues around Lake Placid, distant Lake Champlain and Vermont, and even peaks in Quebec. Supposedly on a clear day you can see the Montreal skyline.
Afterward, Kyle told us he still had to go back down the mountain for it to be official. Both Kyle’s niece and nephew rode back to the cabin with us. Josh led us in playing fun games. Back at the cabin we continued to play games while checking football scores intermittently on our bad wi-fi. After a while Meagan and Kyle’s mom went to retrieve him and when they returned we finally had our champagne toast since he was now officially a 46er!
That evening we all went to dinner in Lake Placid. We ate at a restaurant called the Pickled Pig, located next to the ice skating and speed skating venues. Julia, Josh, Kyle’s niece, and I went over to a small gift shop first. It was a neat little place, vaguely Hobbit-themed, called There and Back Again. Julia got a sticker for the Jeep. At dinner, Josh got a burger called the Carnivore, which was way too large.
Afterward the younger crew all went to a brewery called Big Slide. We had one celebratory beer and then went back to the cabin. Josh passed out because he was so full. The rest of us had beer, talked, and then packed up. Everyone was super tired and sleep came easy.
Day 4 October 1, 2018
Josh, Julia, and I departed the cabin at 5:00am promptly. Driving through the Adirondacks in the pitch dark was quite a challenge, especially with the fog and drizzle we encountered. Josh and Julia caught some sleep. Around 8:30am, after morning light was well established, we stopped for a potty break and Julia took over driving. We switched off and on through the rest of New York and Pennsylvania. Unfortunately the rain stayed on us all the way to the Pennsylvania-Ohio border where we stopped for lunch at a McDonald’s. Josh accidentally ordered way too many chicken tenders. Earlier, while I was driving, I saw a lot of deer and a coyote standing in a farm field.
Julia took over driving again outside of Akron and got us all the way home. We hit a little rush hour traffic in Columbus, then almost an hour standstill delay south of Grove City due to a truck fire. Finally we got free and cruised back to Morrow. Our drive back was much quieter, probably because we were all so tired.
Josh retrieved his car from our house and departed. Just a bit later my parents brought the dogs over and we reunited and told them stories of our trip. We started laundry and went to bed.
Robinsons on the Road 