Prospect Mountain

"Because it's there."

-George Mallory, when asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest



Every hike is a personal challenge.  How far can I push my body, what are my physical limits?  It's about focus, persistence, and determination; never take your eye off the prize - the summit.  Hikers have a certain "never-say-die" attitude.  Because of this, we run into problems sometimes in knowing when to turn back.  That kind of discipline takes some hikers years to develop, and others never do.

Yesterday, I attempted a climb of Prospect Mountain in Lake George.  Just over the park boundary, this marked my first foray into the Adirondacks this year.  Prospect is very popular amongst families due to the relative ease and short distance of the trail, the presence of the Prospect Mountain Veterans Memorial Highway, and the services available at the summit, including restrooms and potable water.

I cannot tell a lie, however: I did not make the summit. 

Scattered showers had been moving through the area throughout the day, so I didn't hit the trail until about 4 pm.  This should have been plenty of time, since we now have daylight until 8.  The trailhead starts on a little known dead end street called Smith Street, as far back on the backroads down Montcalm Street as you can go.  You park along the shoulder, then head up a 104-step staircase, which leads to a bridge over the Northway (I-87).

After crossing the bridge, you reach the trail proper.  The majority of the trail follows the bed of an old cog railway that carried passengers to the summit between the years of 1895 and 1903 before it failed financially. 

The trail climbs surely, but gradually.  Your ankles and knees will feel the stress at the end of the day as every step requires you to balance on the boulder-strewn path.  As expected, the trail was also quite wet, but this horse thrives in the muck ;-)  After 10-15 minutes, the trail makes a quick and steep climb before crossing the Memorial Highway. 

This is where the trouble started...

The trail becomes almost indiscernible past the road.  There are countless herd paths made me people like me that had no idea where the trail led.

I realized I was lost when the trail markers changed:



After assessing my situation and options, I lucked upon a hiker couple from Albany.  They told me they had done the hike at least seven times.  Can't go wrong following them, right?  

Wrong.

They did nothing but get me more lost.  In fact, I'm fairly certain we walked around Prospect and hiked a wooded hill just to the north of it.

When the couple decided the best way to get unlost was to continue hiking on this trail that noone quite knew where it led, I made a choice to cut my losses and head back the way I came.  So, bidding good luck to them, we went our separate ways. 

 I headed back to the road and walked along it until I came to a pulloff at "Overlook #1: The Narrows".  Why is this called "The Narrows"?  It doesn't look out over the narrows of Lake George, which is a group of islands just north of Bolton Landing.  In fact, it looks out over the Long Island group...so I have no idea why it has that title.

At the end of the pullout for Overlook #1 is an inconspicious trail sign.

The trail leads to an unnamed overlook that surveys the vast Adirondack forest.

 

I then walked approximately another 2,000 feet up the road before reaching "Overlook #2: Lake George Panorama".

The hike down was a flash; it took maybe 20 minutes from Overlook #2.  Lake George is the most beautiful lake in the world.  Take Thomas Jefferson's word for it.  From Buck to Prospect, French and Sleeping Beauty, Black, Fifth, and more, the mountains around this 32-mile long glacial lake provide numerous angles to view this beauty, each lookout providing a unique perspective.

You may have won this time, Prospect, but I will be back.  And next time, like every excursion into the Adirondacks, will be a whole new story...