Trip Report: Our 10-Year Anniversary on Owl's Head Mtn.
SUMMARY:
HOLY CROW!! Teena and Mike have been married for 10 years! WOW!!! So, what should we do? What do other people do? Cruise? Nah. A night at the opera? Not likely. Dinner? Hmmm... That's an idea. I know.... How about a nice hike up an easy trail in 90-degree heat to a tiny but oh so cool mountain summit we've passed a million times on the road? Perfect! That's exactly what we did. ...And of course, we went out to dinner too!
DETAILS:
It was *ANOTHER* HOT HOT HOT melt the lead off your pencils kind of day. Even on the summit, the heat was oppressive. But, it was cooler on the summit and the hiking path than it was anywhere else, and it felt pretty darned good to be back on a peak for the second time this week.
This is the 2nd time this week that we're taking the kids out (click here for that trip report), and what a great idea it turned out to be. Through all the heat, the tree-covered trail was relatively cool, and the mountain breeze made it feel even cooler. ...Or at least as cool at 91 degrees can feel when hiking up a mountain!
The hike up the mountain was a quick 30-minute jaunt, passing several scenic overlooks. The summit sits atop a south-facing cliff of about 30' to 40'. The summit itself is partially treed, with GREAT views to the south and east. The summit was also... ...VERY HOT! The breeze had died down, and the summit was baking under the hot mid-day sun. We stuck around for 20-to-30 minutes taking pictures and exploring, before we decided to leave. The hike down was just as quick as the ascent.
When we finished our hike, we drove out to the High Peaks Information Center where Liz and Nick received their pins and patches for climbing Owl's Head. We hung around for awhile, ate some lunch, hiked around the Adirondack Loj, and then headed back to Lake Placid. At that point, we finally got out to that nice dinner at the Steak and Seafood restaurant. We both agreed... What a great way to spend our anniversary!
Click here for a link to more information on Owl's Head Mountain.
The hike up the mountain was a quick 30-minute jaunt, passing several scenic overlooks. The summit sits atop a south-facing cliff of about 30' to 40'. The summit itself is partially treed, with GREAT views to the south and east. The summit was also... ...VERY HOT! The breeze had died down, and the summit was baking under the hot mid-day sun. We stuck around for 20-to-30 minutes taking pictures and exploring, before we decided to leave. The hike down was just as quick as the ascent.
When we finished our hike, we drove out to the High Peaks Information Center where Liz and Nick received their pins and patches for climbing Owl's Head. We hung around for awhile, ate some lunch, hiked around the Adirondack Loj, and then headed back to Lake Placid. At that point, we finally got out to that nice dinner at the Steak and Seafood restaurant. We both agreed... What a great way to spend our anniversary!
Click here for a link to more information on Owl's Head Mountain.
STATS SUMMARY:
Date of Summit: 07/08/2010
Team: Mike, Teena, Liz, Nick
Location: Adirondack High Peaks (44.250179,-73.822117)
Summit Elevation: 2,120'
Vertical Ascent: ~460'
Approach: Owl's Head Road, off Rt 73, about 2-3 miles east of Lower Cascade Lake
Trailhead to Summit: ~0.6 miles
Time to summit: ~30 minutes
Weather: Sunny, and HOT enough to melt rock!!! 91 degrees!!! The heat index was over 100 degrees!!!
Trail Difficulty: Easy and FUN! A perfect starter hike for young kids.
Pictures: (24 pictures) Click on picture to see a larger version.
Liz demonstrates her gymnastic talents at the trail head.
Does Nick look just a little bored? The trail was pretty easy. Most of it was dirt path with sections of boulders and loose stone.
See all that shade? It felt pretty good out there!
Lizzard & Turbo pose with Cascade Mountain in the background (left). We'll probably come back in the autumn to take them up Cascade or Algonquin.
This is definitely a "family-friendly" trail with many forested sections.
At the summit. Pitchoff Mountain is in the background. ...And that rock is REALLY HOT!!!
Lizzard & Turbo on the summit of Owls Head Mountain. Cascade Mountain is in the background. Hey... Are those clouds coming our way????
It was a gorgeous day. Porter and Cascade Mountains are in the background.
Hopefully, there will be many more pictures like this one over the next five years than there were over the past five years!
HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY!!!
Mike is caught looking at Cascade... "I think the kids are ready to climb it!"
Turbo attempts to find shade, only to realize that 90 degrees in the shade is only slightly better than 90 degrees in the sun.
Taking a break.... Or was that... BAKING on a rock!!! (Did I mention that it was HOT!!?)
I think this is my favorite picture.
"What do you mean it's time to go?"
Our favorite stretch of highway in the world runs between Cascade and Pitchoff mountains.
The vegetation at the summit looks a little like still art. All the trees and bushes are funky and small.
Time to go. It was another day of scorching heat and sunshine, so we couldn't stay long. :-(
After the hike, we drove to the High Peaks Information Center at the Adirondak Loj to get Owls Head pins. Since it was after 2pm, we figured it was a good time to get some lunch too.
Um... Do you think Lizzard was hungry?
Turbo's looking a little gassed. 90 degree hikes will do that.
Yep... Both tykes were wiped out by the heat. Time to go back to the air-conditioned hotel room, and swim in the pool.
When we got back to our hotel room, our furry little friends were waiting there for us. Oh... And it was only 70 degrees in the room. "YESSSSS!"
"Where are we going for dinner?"
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