"asturnut's new Adirondack Page" Adirondack by asturnut

<center><font size=4>Mount Algonquin</font></center>

This page is actually about the Adirondack mountains of New York, not the town of Adirondack.

My freshman year in college, the honor students went on a one week camping trip together in the Adirondack mountains. This trip was one of the difining moments in my life. I wasn't prepared for the rugged hike to the peak of Algonquin Mountain. I had no idea what a strenous trek it would be, or how it would force me to push the boundries of what I thought I was capable of.

I'm an intellectual person, and I love the outdoors, but I am NOT an athlete and the day hike up the mountain was much more strenous than anything I had imagined. No one warned me about altitude sickeness... I was one of two people on the trip who got it. And I was giddy and lightheaded and almost blacked out once. Thankfully the astronomy professor (Dr. Bradshaw) caught me or I may have ended up taking a serious spill. But I preserved, the altitude sickeness passed, and I did make it to the top of the mountain.

The view from Algonquin Mountain (which is the second highest peak in the Adirondack Mountain Range with an alitutude of 5114 feet) is the best of all the peaks (so I am told). But the stunning view, couldn't console my weary legs and exhausted body. I just wanted to get down! Little did I know that the hike down is 20 times harder than the hike up. Go figure. By then your legs are like lead and each step is painful. And of course, you don't have the promise of the view from the summit to drive you on. I was encouraged that the birch forest several miles below was worth seeing, and so I forged ahead (besides, what choice did I have?) The birch forest was nice, I have to admit, but by then all I could think about was collapsing into my sleeping bag.

Obviously I made it; I didn't die on the mountain, although it seemed a possiblity while I was there. I would suggest that if you don't have good stamina, this might not be the best choice for you your first few time out of the gate. But I'm glad I did it, I learned a lot about myself this day, and I will never forget the experience.

I enjoyed the rest of my trip to New York more than the climb itself. We camped in the wilderness and it was simply divine. The pristine water, the absolute silence of the woods and the amazing black of night in the wilderness is indescribable. I couldn't believe how many stars you can see when there is no background light from cities to obscure their view. It was wonderful to canoe and see beavers building dams in their natural, undisturbed habitat. The mountains of New York are a wonderful place to enjoy an authentic camping experience and commune with nature.