Two down, 44 to go…
On Saturday, June 20th, I packed my bags and headed for the first of my 46 adventures that would eventually lead me to the Adirondack 46er’s club. My friends and I couldn’t have asked for a better day to hike; the sky was a vivid, cloudless blue and it was 75 and sunny. The only fault in our trip was the path, muddied and slippery from the rainy days prior to our trip.
As mentioned in a previous post, we did not expect the path to be as rocky and steep as it was, but I simply blame that on our ignorance about the concept that we were, in fact, hiking up a mountain. Looking back on the climb, it was tedious in the moment but beyond worth the effort once we reached the top of the summit and got to look down at the 4,098 feet that we had conquered. For the few places on the trail that weren’t gigantic boulders, the path was 1-3 inches deep with mud.. if you were to climb this during a less rainy season it would be far easier.
After a handful of water breaks and a few Kodak moments, we finally reached the point at the trail where the path divides into two; you can either go straight for .3 miles and reach Cascade summit, or go to the right for .7 miles and reach the summit of Porter Mountain. First, we headed up to the top of Cascade because we were told that it had the best view from its’ summit.
After 1:20:45, we made it. We broke out of the forest and found ourselves looking at a 360 view of the surrounding mountains; Mt. Marcy, Algonquin Mtn., Mt. Right, Whiteface Mtn., and of course Porter Mtn. were sitting perfectly still in the distance in a blue-shadowed silhouette. The climb up the summit is all rock and is arguably the most difficult part of the climb (because there are no trees to grab onto to pull yourself up) but it is by far worth the climb all the way to the very top. the temperature at the summit was about ten degrees cooler than the bottom, but once you make it to the top you’re so tired that it feels amazing.
We stayed up there for a while (be sure to brig snacks because you’re going to want them at the top) and rested our legs while talking to the “Mountain Stewardess” about the various facts about Cascade Mountain and its wildlife. Just to make it clear, a mountain stewardess climbs the mountain every day just to talk to the tourists when they get to the top.. talk about an exhausting job.
The climb from Cascade to Porter lasted for a little under an hour. the Porter trail was a bit muddier, but also had less rocks. I suppose whether that made it easier or harder than the Cascade climb (disregarding the obvious difference in distance) is subjective to the person. The Porter Summit was smaller and less impressive than Cascade, but worth the climb nonetheless. The Porter trail also has boulders that jut out of the forest and make for great photography (or selfies).
I am very grateful to have chosen this trail for my first high peak mountain climbing experience. We couldn’t have picked a better day; the views were breathtaking and the temperature perfect. Overall, our hike lasted roughly five hours, so if you’re reading this with plans of taking on this hike, the earlier in the day the better. The summits were pretty crowded (about 25 people) but that’s because this hike is the perfect experience for people of all ages and physical abilities (I saw people from ages 5-50). Bring bug spray, water, snacks, and your camera! The hard work is worth it, it’s a hike you’ll never forget.
conquering the climb; 46 Mountains, One Lifetime 