Little Adventures: Thomas Mountain and Oakwood Cemetery

 

Autumn is a busy time in the Adirondacks, but the weather is perfect and the views are gorgeous. Peak foliage starts in the High Peaks region and works its way downhill and down south. If you're willing to try different things, you can find the foliage for quite some time. Quinn and I have been the Autumn for weeks now and I though I'd share some of those experiences.

Thomas Mountian

Quinn's second peak of the Lake George 12ster was Thomas on October 9. He was excited to try out his new Merrell hiking boots. They served him much better than the sneakers he wore going up Sleeping Beauty.


The rocky climb up Thomas was as tiring as I remember. Quinn managed it like a champ. He only asked to be carried once and handled it well when I politely declined. We did stop to throw rocks into streams a few times and he had lots of quesitons that I was happy to answer (some of them many times).

I've been working on explaining different aspects of hiking a little at a time. I can't expect him to understand everything all at once, but I hope that starting early will make them second nature as he gets older. 

The Lake George summits are very pretty in early October. I took a breather while Quinn tossed sticks off the East ledge (away from the switchback on the Southwest side of the mountain). We chatted with other hikers on the summits. Quinn managed to swindle some extra snacks from a few kind folks.

I don't know if Quinn will ever love hiking, and it'll be okay if he doesn't. One way or the other, I won't ever forget these days as long as I live.

Having skipped his nap, he was pretty tired by now and we did have a bit of a lie down before heading back down the mountain. He asked to hold my hand for much of the descent. It was a pretty good idea, especially since he was tuckered out. The trail down Thomas is very stony and I didn't mind giving him a little extra stability.

Oakwood Cemetery Halloween Stroll 

Quinn and I were supposed to join Uncle Jay on a fun Halloween costumed hike up Van Hovenberg, but we got COVID the week before and it made sense to ensure everyone stayed healthy. Instead, Quinn and I visited Oakwood Cemetery. Actually, it has been a bit of an informal tradition for us to enjoy the cemetery immediately before Halloween, so it felt right to come back.


It was a gorgeous day for a stroll in the cemetery. The foliage was booming and the weather was absolutely perfect. I did kick myself for not spraying some bugspray on Quinn's pants because he couldn't help but slosh through the leaves and I wasn't about to stop him.



Quinn and Sunny were on a mission. Quinn was very interested in the "Skeleton houses" and Sunny was hyper-focused on the multitude of squirrels and chipmunks preparing for winter all around us.



"Nobidy's home. Only skeletons."



Oakwood is a proper celebration of life.



We crossed over to the little island in the big pond so that Quinn could engage in his favorite pastime; throwing rocks.



"This is a big one!"



Quinn helped pick up trash at the overlook and elsewhere.



Quinn's two best friends.



To the victor go the spoils: plain cake donut, "no sparkles".


We've been doing other little walks as well, but these were the main adventures of the past month or so. Quinn and I may have a go at another small peak before it gets very cold out. Quinn is taking hockey lessons this winter, but I may try to do some winter hiking with him as well, depending on the weather of course.




Location: Lake George, NY 12845, USA

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