Hiking the Adirondacks

It was chilly at 9:00 a.m. when we piled out of the car at the trail-head and started pulling on our layers and packing the bags. I knew it would grow warmer as we started to climb, but in the moment I couldn't stop shivering. Partly because of the chilly breeze but also partly because I wondered if I'd actually make it. This was the first peak I was attempting to summit and I was not sure what to expect...

We found our trail-head and settled into a quick pace. Completely surrounded by the wilderness that is the Adirondack mountain range, it was quiet and undisturbed except for the wind whistling through the tree tops and carrying the scent of pine needles. My confidence started soaring as I smugly thought, 'Oh, this isn't so bad,' and after roughly 4 miles of hiking, I told myself I could do this all day It was exactly at that point, however, that I was told that everything we had just hiked was simply to get us to the base of the mountain, and that the real climb was about to begin...

...And climb we did. We took the most direct route which meant the most vertical. The trail consisted of giant boulders, exposed roots, trickling stream beds, and and sheer walls of rock. We climbed, hauled ourselves up, avoided icy patches hiding in the shade and attempted to keep our balance as we scaled boulders. There were a few anxious moments as I glanced over my shoulder only to see the edge of the boulder I was on drop hundreds of feet below me...

Finally, and only after losing the trail and having to shimmy through a crawlspace in the rocks in order to keep going, we made it. The wind blew hard and cold but the ranges, valleys, lakes and wilderness stretching out below us made every step of the way completely worth it.