9/14/13 Haystack Canned!

At Panther Gorge, over dinner, we decided to change our route from Haystack to Mount Marcy. We had much advice questioning taking heavy packs over haystack.

Susie began to read the guidebook from the southside of haystack not realizing the trail numbers had changed. It said "not advised to take large packs over this mountain. " So we looked at our options on the map and the decided to go up and over Mount Marcy the highest peak in the great range. 5,344 ft !

The trail was a steep boulder choked trail.

When we got to the top we took a break before ascending to the top of this high peak!

We were still in the clouds without a view when we started to climb. Then the clouds parted and we began to have sneak peeks at the view as we continued upward!

The wind was howling and it was very cold, but we stayed and had lunch at the top and watched the views unfold before us!

On the way down we got our first view of Haystack  and little Haystack…woe!!!!!

Victory!

the trail

the top

Haystack

Susie

the trail

We stopped at the intersection at the bottom to take a break, And decide which trail we would take as there were two choices.

 We took the advice of an ADK member who said he had never done the left trail so we decided to take the right. it ended up to be a boulder choked steep downhill on a nice brook walking in water again today! We should have gone on the left trail! 

The last part of the trail was much  more level... after the boulder choked trail ...our feet hit dirt again !!! and we made up much time!! 

Reaching the shelter felt good. This little lean to was on the trail.

So we had many visitors during the evening parading through our camp!

We were ready to go to sleep when I said "We will probably have night hikers "

With in 15 minutes they came through the camp with their headlights on!

We also learned from one of the hikers we came across that this was the exact day Teddy Roosevelt was on the same trail 110 years ago when McKinley was shot and a  runner came to find him, he would now be our president! Friday the 13 of September !

1 Timothy 1:7 For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.