Black Mt. on Lake George

August and September have been challenging months. I've found myself short on time off and the weekends have largely been busts as far as hiking is concerned whether due to responsibilites or weather. Some people are good at compartmentalizing their disappointments and using perspective as a coping mechanism; I am not one of those people. All month I have been a bit lax in getting excercise for either of us and I've been feeling rather down.

I found myself with a free couple of weekends at the end of September and for the first one, Sunny and I took advantage of some good weather to climb a mountain. Neither Sunny nor I had done Black Mt. along Lake George before, and it was only a short 5 Adirondack miles, so I thought it was a good option since it had been some time since we'd done a proper hike.

I'd never been through the towns on the east side of the lower Adirondacks before and it was interesting to travel through there. Many of the towns have seen better days, but the farmlands and woods were pretty. I listened to some podcasts and stopped at a couple of Stewarts'.

There was lots of room for parking at the trailhead, but the lot was almost full at around 10am.

The trail was mostly dry going up from the trailhead. There were a few muddy spots which we duitifully went through. However, there was one nasty mud pit and there a new trail had been cut by hikers. I did use the new trail.

You come to a major junction about a mile into the hike. The right-hand trail is steeper and shorter by a little over a mile. I met some hikers on the summit who had taken the left route and they informed me that it was very muddy going on that side. Looking at the maps, I see quite a few ponds and swampy areas over on that southwest side of the mountain. 

We were both glad for the easy going on this hike. The leaves were just turning this weekend; despite the overcast day, the terrain was quite picturesque. 

It was great to get in the serenity of the woods again, but as usual it was also nice to meet and talk to new friends along the way. I kind of understand, but I really do not share the disdain for seeing other people on the trails. I am not sure if folks just expect to own the trails themselves or if they are just hoping to get lucky and be all alone. 

Other people exist and are allowed to be in the Adirondacks. If this is a problem for you, then that's a you problem.

The initial summit features its own Northern view which you can enjoy from some stone slabs in a meadow or the ledge. Another comfy slab is situated on the other side of a communications tower at the top of the mountain.

The view from Black is pretty unique with its wide, largely unobstructed view to the North and Northeast. You can see deep into Vermont and get a look at the Northern tip of Lake George hanging out with the Southern tip of Lake Champlain. 

A new friend, who took the picture of us, also traded beers with me at the summit. He got a Pumpkin Ale.

Filtered wide angle from the summit.

Good boy! This is #4 for Sunny's Lake George 12ster.

Here you can see we are rocking a double leash again. I've dropped the rope leash as it is really heavy. The double leash seems to be working great because I can shorten it by removing a leash if I need to and I can use it as a lead if I don't want Sunny to have to carry one.

I had considered making this trip a loop, but with the report of hard going on the southwest side of the mountain, I decided to take it easy on us and I made it an out and back instead.

Of course I left my hiking stick on the hood of the car.

On the way home, we encountered an Amish buggy.
I have never seen one of these in our region before.

All in all, it was a pleasant midday hike up and down a mountain. I had a great weekend after that and it proved these outings are crucial for me. 

I'll likely be doing one or more hikes next week, quite possibly a High Peak depending on how crazy the trailheads are. Later in the month, I may do Sleeping Beauty and Erebus with Sunny before doing a Halloween hike with him nearby. We have been invited to another Halloween Hike, but I'll be bringing Quinn to that one.