ADK Trip 2023
May 17, 2023
Raylon arrived on a Delta flight and we hit the road headed north straight to the Adirondacks. Our first stop was to visit Fort Ticonderoga which is a preserved historic star fort on Lake Champlain in Ticonderoga, NY, built by the French in 1755 and captured by the British in 1759. We used to have school field trips here when I was a kid. It's a fascinating and well preserved view of history.
We checked in to the Airbnb in Jay, NY and it served as a perfect home base for our explorations.
The next day was full of adventure which included a romp around High Falls Gorge, a view of Flume Falls, a visit to the McKenzie Pond boulders (which offered some seriously tough rock climbing), and the Ray Brook Brewhouse for libations.
May 20, 2023
Cascade Mountain was today's adventure. It is the first 46er peak that either of us ever climbed at just over 4,000 ft. (There are 46 summits in the ADK that are over 4,000 ft).
Down climbing was not fun for my knees. The 360 degree summit was totally worth it. #nomorestairsplease
May 21, 2023
We took a side trip to lovely Montreal. Luckily we had our passports. L'aventure du jour: les tatouages! And tacos, of course. We stayed the night at the Hilton and put a lot of miles on walking around the city.
The next morning we visited the Biosphere located in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's Island. An incredibly interesting space!
May 23, 2023
Whiteface Mountain was next on the adventure list. The summit views were stunning and there weren't many people around. Visibility of Vermont wasn't good due to wild fire smoke from British Columbia. Raylon was popular with the ladybugs. The Whiteface Castle houses one of the coolest gift shops I've ever visited.
May 24, 2023
Rainy day. We visited some smaller attractions like Stagbrook Falls, the Cobble Lookout and Big Slide Brewery.
May 25, 2023
Today's first adventure was Ausable Chasm. It's a huge park with lots to do and very picturesque viewpoints.
Adventure 2: Olympic Ski Jumping Facilty which is vertigo inducing at the top. Beautiful views followed by tacos and good cheer.
#greatadirondack #gigisplace #zigzag #morefuckingstairs #wyatts
May 26, 2023
Mt Hoevenberg and Mt Jo hikes (opposing peaks) today along with visits to Lake Placid Brewery and Great Adirondack. This place is gorgeous in every direction. #juststopwiththestairs #moosepants
May 27, 2023
Our final adventure was a visit to Star Trek: Original Set Tours in Ticonderoga, NY which was a nice nerdy finish to the blood, sweat and beers we left in the ADK. The owner inherited the original set blueprints that Gene Rodenberry used for the show. They have meticulously recreated them including the Enterprise bridge, med bay, Spock's quarters, and more.
An amazing trip with good a friend. Forever grateful for these experiences.
STATS
Trip Duration: 10 days
Number of Hikes: 15
Steps Walked: 174,000
Walking Equivalency: 110 miles (includes factors like elevation)
Breweries Visited: 5
NY Craft Beer Varieties Consumed: 21 (Moose Island Ale from Lake Placid Brewery is so good)
Memories Made: 1,000,000