OUTDOOR AWARENESS

I first visited Adirondacks State Park in February 2001, and I was fantastically amazed with what a jewel this is. Adirondacks State Park was conceived by New York residents over 100 years ago, and includes over one million acres. It includes alpine areas, such as the High Peaks Region, lake, and heavily forested regions.

I drove from Chicago to the Adirondacks, and strangely Mapquest suggested going through Canada. This was prior to needing a passport to cross the border. I crossed the US-Canadian border north of Detroit, drove through Toronto, and recrossed the border prior to Ottawa. Eventually, I reached the Adirondak Loj in Adirondacks State Park around 3pm. Once I paid for parking, I started south toward Marcy Dam. Marcy Dam is a great basecamp for Adirondacks adventures in the High Peaks region. There is an abundance of lean-to's, access to desirable locations, and nice open views around the lake. Having driven through the night, I was very tired. As a result, I had no difficulty falling asleep after my sunset dinner over the lake.

At about 3:30am, I was awaken by a college outdoor club arrival. A large group arrived at the lake, and they were depositing members in available lean-to's. In addition to myself, there was a couple from Ottawa. They were making such a commotion, that I figured I might as well start my trek to Mount Marcy. So at 3:30am, I started out with headlamp to Mount Marcy. For most of the trail, it was fairly well tamped down, and so I elected to use crampons for most of the way. I was still descending into the snow, but my pace was still fairly fast. I reached Indian Falls, and started to see the first cracks of light. It was a beautiful, inspiring vision. Shortly afterward, I came out of the woods, and saw Little Marcy and Mt. Marcy. I initially thought, "this is it, I can't go on", but I didn't give up. What I would learn later to be mountains appearing farther than they are, I quickly summitted Mt. Marcy. It was spectacular. The winds were strong, and the windchill very cold. After spending a short time on top, I started down. I returned back to Marcy Dam very quickly. The hot oatmeal breakfast was very filling and tasty. It didn't take long for me to get tired again, and fall asleep. I thought I would take a quick nap, and then try to Algonquin Peak. However, it kept getting later and later, and I couldn't get motivated to get out of my sleeping bag.

My plan was to wake up the next morning, and climb Algonquin Peak first thing in the morning. I woke up around 4 or 5am, and started toward Algonquin Peak. I didn't get the same illumination of the moon. It seemed darker in these woods, and my initial route finding was challenged. I am by myself afterall. After some of these errors, I reconsidered continuing. Soon afterward, I returned to the lean-to. I slept the remainder of the early morning, and then packed my things to return to the Adirondak Loj. Finally, I made the long drive back to Chicago.