Adirondacks Hiking & Swimming

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Lake Placid/Whiteface KOA

July 16

After a 5-hour drive from Watkins Glen we got to the Lake Placid/Whiteface KOA around 6:00 p.m. to begin experiencing Adirondacks hiking & swimming  We had never camped at a KOA before. I think we can safely say will never camp at a KOA again. This was a “KOA Resort”, which basically means it’s an outdoor motel. It had a carnival atmosphere with huge RVs with party lights, back-in trailers, tents, and small cabins all mixed in together. The occupants of several sites decorated their sites with colored lights, some had clotheslines.  There was a pool, rec room, snack bar, game room, store, and tennis courts (used primarily as a scooter park for the little kids). There were kids everywhere. The sites were very close together. We could hear all conversations, and there was music playing at multiple sites (bad music). It definitely was not a quiet campground.  But the snack bar had great cheeseburgers and cheese quesadillas (or as our daughter likes to call them, “Mexican Grilled Cheese”), which is what we had for dinner this night.

There was a threat of a major rain storm, so even though we put up the tent, we slept in the car this first night at the Lake Placid/Whiteface KOA.

Ausable Chasm

July 17
We woke in the car to a beautiful but cloudy day.  We had breakfast at the campsite, this time however with Keurig coffee from the very close KOA campground store.  KOA Resort Campgrounds bring our glamping to a new level. After bfast we drove off to Ausauble Chasm, about 30 minutes away.  This is a privately owned sandstone chasm that is the center piece of an adventure park that includes mountain biking, zip-lining, hiking, and river boat rides on the Ausable River.  We had pre-purchased 10:00 a.m. tickets online.  This is a popular tourist attraction in the Lake Placid area.  Unfortunately, due to COVID, the more adventurous activities at Ausauble Chasm were closed, and all we could really do was walk the trail around the top of the chasm.  This is probably why it was not crowded at all.  When we got to the front desk to check-in, we were given the option of adding a “Riverwalk” portion with a private tour-guide to our package.  It was only about $20 so we did it.  This was a good decision.  With this add-on we were able to walk along the bottom of the chasm, get good insights to the area from the well-seasoned, veteran 20 year-old guide, and cross high above the chasm twice via rickety rope bridges.  That made the Ausable Chasm visit worthwhile.

Towards the end of our hike on our own along the trails above the chasm, Emilie was stung by a bee!  Fortunately, we shortly caught up with some employees who were carrying bee sting relief and who were eager for something to do. Though not exactly qualifying as Adirondacks hiking, this was a fun outing.

Cascade Mountain Trail

We planned on doing at least two highly popular hikes in the area.  So, after Ausable Chasm we headed to the trailhead for the Cascade Mountain Trail.  Cascade Mountain is one of the 46 famed “High Peaks” of the Adirondacks with a 2,000-foot ascent. Word on the internet is that the summit views from its bald peak are some of the best views in the Adirondack mountains, and it’s very close to where we were camping.  It has been cloudy all day, and the forecast indicated a chance of rain.  As we started around 1:30 p.m. we passed some people who had just come back from the summit, and they said they couldn’t see a thing because of the clouds.  But we’re here and didn’t know when we’d be back, so we took our chances as our weather app showed that is should clear, and up we went.  We also scored a pretty good parking spot along the main road since most of the early hikers had already gone.

Though considered a moderate hike for a “High Peak”, this was a very strenuous hike for us. It was persistently steep.  It seemed to just never let up.  But the weather was just a bit cooler under the canopy of trees along the trail so we remained reasonably comfortable even though the temps were in the 80’s.  It was about 2.5 miles to the summit, but it took us a long time to get there.  We took a lot of breaks as breathing is definitely not overrated.  There was some slick rock scaling and ladder climbing as well as trail hiking.

Near the tree-less summit, the scenery was coming into view.  Here we needed to scramble along large rocks, rocks, rocks, and then some rocks for a bit.

At the summit the views were, as advertised, spectacular!!  The cloudy sky had yielded earlier to clearer skies for as far as we could see.  It was windy, of course, but sunny.  An added bonus was that we were the only ones at the summit when we got there…we had it to ourselves.  We found a comfortable spot on a rock and had a snack with the expansive 360-degree panorama of upstate New York.

By this time there were a few others at the summit with us.  After about 30-minutes of treating ourselves with our just reward views at the summit we started the trek down. On the way down from the summit we discovered a cool small boulder that looked just like a mole (or whatever small animal comes to mind).

Once down, we were exhausted, and ready for dinner.  After changing our sweaty clothes Emilie pointed out the summit that we just hiked to.

We drove the short distance to the town of Lake Placid and walked around the busy, lively resort town until we decided to have dinner at the only place we actually could get into with only a moderate wait, The Pickled Pig.  We waited for our table with a drink at the fire pit on the patio and had a nice conversation with another couple.  The food was perfectly fine BBQ, and the service was very friendly.  We ate at an outside table directly across from the Lake Placid Olympic hockey rink where the “Miracle on Ice” game was played in 1980 when the U.S. men’s team beat Russia.

After walking around a bit more we headed back toward the KOA but we took a small detour into the Whiteface Mountain ski area parking lot to look for the Neowise comet that was supposed to still be visible.  Using my Sky Guide app, I was able to locate the position of the comet in the night sky, and we actually saw it with our binoculars.  It really was cool.  This made Emilie’s decade, I think.   Then back to the KOA carnival (I mean campground) for a nightcap by the fire, bad music from our neighbors, and then bed in the tent.

Whiteface Mountain Trail

July 18

We got up early to be sure we scored a parking spot at one of the three trailhead options we found for the Whiteface Mountain Summit Trail.  We opted for the trailhead by the reservoir because even though it’s a bit longer than the others, it at least doesn’t start out steep like the others so we figured this would give us a couple of miles of gradual climb to get our juices flowing.

Whiteface Mountain is the 5^th highest peak in New York at 4,867’, and is one of the 46 “High Peaks” of the Adirondacks.  The various sources of information we found gave the hike a range of 4.5 to 5.7 miles each way.  However, by the time we were done we were convinced it was 11 miles up and 18 miles down!!  OMG!! This was by far the most difficult steep hike we had ever done.  Demanding, steep, rugged, steep, muddy, steep, rocky, steep, and demanding and rugged.  The never-ending mud after the halfway point especially was difficult to navigate through and around.  Almost every step of the way required thought, which added to the mental difficulty of the hike. We thought yesterday’s Cascade Mountain hike was tough…hah!  We actually weren’t sure we were going to complete this hike.  It was relentlessly difficult, and very hot (in the 80’s again) but we kept on going…at one point hoping that we could call an Uber to take us down the mountain road once we reached the summit…really, Uber was a serious strategy.  We took many breaks.

 

We finally reached the point at about half a mile from the summit where the trail meets up with the mountain road.  Here, there were lots of people who had driven up mulling around near a small parking lot…wimps!!  We mistakenly started walking up the road as we weren’t really sure where the trail continued from there.  After about ¼ mile we realized our mistake, and asked somebody.  Turns out, the trail continues right where it intersects with the road…. we just missed it.

The final ½ mile was grueling, psychologically and physically.  Making it worse, we shared the segment with people who had driven up, but had to hike this last part to actually reach the summit since the main parking lot at the summit was closed due to COVID.

Very sweaty and exhausted, we finally reached the elusive summit.  It was, fortunately, truly exceptional.  The views were even more distant than the amazing views from the summit of Cascade Mountain.  We could see Vermont, Lake Champlain, and Lake Placid, among many other things.  We found a comfortable spot on a rock and had a well-deserved lunch.  Since people could drive most of the way here, the summit had a lot of people on it.  Not too crowded, though…we were easily able to get space.

After about 30 minutes of enjoying the reward of our hike up, we set out downward.  (We were not able to secure an Uber since there was no internet service at the summit).  The thought of the hike down was daunting for us, but on we went.

We were very tired, and we were low on water.  We thought we’d be able to get supplies at the concession stand at the summit but it too was closed due to COVID.  My kingdom for an ice cream truck.

The descent, as expected, was just as difficult due to the steepness and the many boulders to scramble and slide down.  Our gps tracking log showed it was about 5.7 miles up so then we had 5.7 miles to go…daunting.  At about the 3.5 mile mark, and the sun going below the trees, we ran out of water.  There were no other hikers passing us at this time (all hikers passed us) so there was nobody to potentially get water from.  Emilie contemplated having me go ahead to get water at the car and bring it back while she waited.  We continued on, though.  Finally making it back to the reservoir and the car after 10 hours of hiking.  I think we sat in the car drinking water for about an hour…or it felt like an hour.

Lessons learned:  1) Do not attempt a mountain trail this challenging the day after hiking another strenuous trail;  2) When attempting a trail of this difficulty carry more water than you think you would possibly need, especially when it is so hot;  3) Do not believe everything you read.  That last lesson is due to the slightly misleading descriptions of this hike we read on the internet. One being, “At nearly 5,000 feet, you might expect this to be a very challenging climb. However, the nine-plus-mile trail is actually more moderate than one would expect.”   We should have known this description was an understatement when we saw that is was from a U.K. website.  After hiking across England last year, we learned that the English are far more stoic than Americans about difficult hikes.

We have no regrets.  This was a great adventure with a great reward. Adirondacks hiking conquered!

After making a bee-line for the campsite after this, we heated water and poured it into our bag of dehydrated fettucine alfredo, and enjoyed a gourmet dinner.  We drank some beer and wine, marveled at our accomplishment to each other, and hit the sack…well, air mattress.

 

Lake Placid Beach & Covered Bridge Swimming Hole

July 19

Our last day of our trip.  We had bfast at the campsite and pulled up stakes, literally.  We packed the car and headed toward home, 5 hours away…eventually.  Before heading for home, we decided to check out some swimming holes in the area on this very hot summer day.  I actually found a web site that listed local swimming holes.  Considering logistics, accessibility, and coolness we set out for Lake Placid Beach House on Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, and Covered Bridge Swimming Hole on a branch of the Ausable River in Jay, NY.

We were familiar with downtown Lake Placid from the other night so we kind of knew where we wanted to park to get into the town beach.  There was also a chance we wouldn’t get into the beach as they were limiting capacity due to COVID.  We lucked out on both fronts, we got a great parking spot close by, and there was room for us at the inn (beach).  We put our towels down according to COVID mandated separation markers on this popular lifeguarded town beach.   Our portable changing tent came in handy as we changed right there on the beach and went for a very nice, refreshing swim.  Ironically the body of water in downtown Lake Placid where this beach is located is not Lake Placid, but rather Mirror Lake.  It’s a large lake with a small corner of it partitioned off for this public beach.  There is a dock to swim out to and dive off of, and plenty of room to swim.  It’s a very nice public beach that definitely has a swimming hole feel to it.  The only negative was the presence of biting flies.  I got bit while out on the dock, and it really hurt, and swelled up…damn!

After our morning swim we changed back into our clothes and walked into town to find lunch.  We found Ere’s Pizza, a decent glorified pizza shop with tables and wait service right on Mirror Lake.  The location, perched above the lake and a small park next door is the reason we chose it.  We received excellent service, and the food was as expected…glorified pizza shop.  That was just fine for us for a quick, relaxing, satisfying lunch in town.  We would definitely eat there again for a reasonably priced tasty lunch with a view in Lake Placid.

After lunch and some walking through town we got back in the car and headed to Covered Bridge Swimming Hole in Jay, about 30 minutes away, and heading in the direction of home.

This was a true gem of a swimming hole.  What a find!!  A quintessential swimming hole in the middle of nowhere with plenty of flat rocks for laying out or sitting on in the water, some safe rapids, a natural water slide, cool clean mountain water, easy access once you find it, and the bonus of a beautiful covered bridge looking down on it.

We found parking, changed into our swimsuits in the changing tent and headed down.  It was not crowded at all.  We staked out a great place near the covered bridge in the middle of the river.  We had our own private bath-like pool enclosure to cool off in.  After the days of rigorous hiking we endured, this was a perfect respite for our weary muscles.

We moved to another spot after about 30 minutes, just to explore a bit around the rocks. We could have stayed here all day, it was so refreshing and relaxing, and beautiful.  After another 30 minutes we pulled ourselves out of the river and changed back into our clothes.  We took a couple of minutes to walk through the old but well-maintained covered bridge, which is not open to cars, and then we got in the car and headed home.

End of Emilie and Dean’s Excellent Adventure in upstate New York!