Buck Mountain (NY) 2,374'

... unparalleled views of the Adirondack Range and Lake George

Date:  August 17, 2012
Climbing Party:  Aaron Dover, Amanda Harnden, Susan Harnden
Elevation Gain: 2,253'
Distance:  6.0 miles R/T
Difficulty: Moderate


We drove from Wilton to Lake George and it took us about 35 minutes to reach the trail head, we were the second car in the lot on what seemed to be a quiet Friday morning.  We signed the register and got on our way!

We had been warned that there were a lot of rattlesnakes in this area, so our crew was on high alert for the pesky little buggers.  It was early in the morning and quite cool when we started, so thankfully we did NOT end up seeing any rattlesnakes on our hike.  What we DID see was a trail in great shape, from a lot of use.  It started gently and rolled through the NY woods.  It was great being back east and seeing familiar flora and fauna (namely brown toads and daddy long legs).  The smells in the woods were also reminiscent of NH and it just felt great to be back in that type of environment.  One curve-ball the trail threw at us were the six (6) stream crossings.  3 on the way up, and 3 on the way down.  Multiply this by the three members in our party, and there were 18 chances for said streams to get the best of us.  They were small, but they were streams nonetheless!  I am happy to report that on this expedition, we triumphed with an 18-0 victory.

Navigating streams!

The first mile was really cool, rolling up and down through the woods.  The second and third miles were where it started to get steeper, and where most of the gain takes place.  We summitted in 1:45 and caught a hazy, early morning view of Lake George and the Adirondacks.  The mountain sits right on the lake, and has a ton of polished rock where you can sit and enjoy views and delicious lunch!  Good thing for our early morning start, since as soon as we got to the top, we were joined by roughly 35 raucous junior high kids - apparently a soccer team(s)?  On the way down, one guy coming up asked us if it were true, since seeing the team logged in the register at the TH, that there was a 35 person hiking group ahead?  Is there really a hiking party of 35 people at the top?  Yessir!  Enjoy your lunch in solitude!

Usain Bolting at the summit

Susan relaxing with a view!

On top of ol' Buck!

We celebrated our hiking achievement- as well as our patience after sitting in traffic for an hour- by getting some ice cream at this place called Martha's in Lake George.  It was delicious!  For some unknown reason, I had the gall to order a medium ice cream.  Not sure what got a hold of me, but when this thing was handed to me, I knew I was in trouble.  With an ice cream cone measuring approximately 8" above the cone in 85 degree weather, there was no time to waste!