Darren's Kayak Chronicles

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you want to experience Lake George from the air without getting into an airplane, hike to the summit of Black Mountain. The summit looms 2300 feet above the lake. There is a tower on the summit, however it is closed to the public. The views are spectacular even without access to the tower. This is a wonderful hike with beautiful highlights throughout the walk. You will want to return again and again to this beautiful area.

Martin Podskoch in his book Adirondack Fire Towers , Their History And Lore researched how Black Mountain got its name. He quotes Thomas Lord in “Stories Of Lake George: Fact and Fancy”. In summary, there was large forest fire in the 1600`s which burnt all the timber on the mountain and surrounding acreage. As the mountain trees recovered from the fire over time, spruce, fir and other evergreens dominated. These conifers retain their dark green appearance year round. In the late nineteenth century Princeton University professor J. Geugot named the mountain Black Mountain because of its black appearance due to the predominance of the conifers.

A wonderful aspect of the Black Mountain area is that the summit and surrounding areas have many approaches and loop options. The steepest approach is from the lake itself in which you start the trail at Black Mountain Point and climb 2300 feet in 2.8 miles. If you are not fortunate to have boat access then you can start your hike from the trailhead on Pike Brook Road in Clemons. By hiking from land instead of from the lake you save yourself quite a bit of vertical ascent, specifically 1250 feet of climbing. The ascent from the Pike Brook Road trailhead is only 1046 feet. The Pike Brook Road approach has the advantage of offering a loop option in which the hiker can experience many of the glories of hiking the Lake George region. This loop option is considered one of the more interesting hikes in the area and it is featured in Fifty Hikes In The Adirondacks by Barbara McMartin and An Adirondack Sampler: Day Hikes For All Seasons by Bruce Wadsworth.

At the summit of Black Mountain you are at 2646 feet above sea level standing on the highest point above the Lake George shoreline. The Tongue Mountain Range is across the lake. Looking north on a clear day you can see many of the high peaks. Looking west, Gore and Crane mountains are visible. The summit is a great spot for a picnic lunch and for gazing. Please be aware that although the views are elegant Lake George wilderness the actual summit might have a bit more civilization than most hikers are comfortable with. In place of a climbable fire tower, there is a secure barbed wire topped fenced in area (no trespassing allowed) that houses a 39 foot communications antenna, solar panels and a wind generator windmill system. There is a large DEC sign on the fence stating, “This facility provides emergency radio communications for search and rescue and other agencies. It could save your life. The Black Mountain site relies on solar energy for most of its needs. As technology increases, this facility will be removed and replaced with satellite communications.”

Black Mountain does have a history of having a fire tower. In May 1911, a 35 foot high log tower was inaugurated. New York State replaced the log structure in 1918 with a similar sized steel tower. This tower was manned until 1988. Look around the summit area and you will also see the now deserted observer's cabin where the observer would set up house, sleep and eat when not manning the tower. According to author Podskoch the Black Mountain tower was the only one that had a light attached to its cab. It was powered by acetylene gas and warned pilots flying from Glens Falls to Montreal of the Black Mountain summit, similar to the way a lighthouse in the ocean warns ships of getting too close to shore.

I slept very well at the campsite on the night before our hike. The temperature although just a bit warm, was still very comfortable for sleeping in a tent. I awoke on Monday morning at about 7:30 am and walked down to the communal area of our campsite. It looked like it was going to be a nice day however the NOAA weather forecast on the VHF radio was predicting scattered thunderstorms with the possibility of some severe lightning. When I arrived down at the group area, Amy was reading a magazine on a rock overlooking the lake while Maureen and Dene were getting ready to launch and head over to the ranger's station island to get some fresh coffee and to check the weather radar. Amy and I quickly got ready and joined Maureen and Dene in their paddle to the ranger's station. The radar weather at the ranger's station did not show any storms in our area so it appeared it was going to be a safe day to hike. As the summit of the tallest mountain in the area would not be a wise place to be during a thunder and lightening storm, I was relieved to hear the radar for our area was clear. I was looking forward to hiking up to the summit of Black Mountain.

After we paddled back to our island from the rangers station, we alerted the rest of the campers as to our plan for the day. Keith and Charlene decided they were leaving at some point during the day and were heading back to land to get a motel. After bidding farewells, the rest of us got our gear, food and water prepared for the paddle to the Black Mountain Trailhead and for the hike up to the summit. We launched into Lake George at about 11:15. As we paddled northward up the Lake we could see the peak of Black Mountain in the distance. It was exciting to think that in a few hours, if all went well, we would be up on that peak. At noon, after paddling about 2.8 miles we landed at small park area, at the foot of Black Mountain. The landing had a nice bathing beach, a dock area, pavilion and picnic tables and grills. It was there that we loaded up our gear, water, and food and put on our hiking shoes.

We all huffed as we made our ascent. At one point on the trail, we heard a rattlesnake giving us a signal that it was in the area, however we were unable to see it. I was ok with that, as was the rest of the group. We didn't go looking, but rather just kept hiking forward and upward. We did see many small newts along the way. Although these little newts were called Red Efts, they actually were bright orange. When we approached them, they did not move, so we simply hiked over them, being careful not to step on them. The last mile of the hike became more strenuous. The trail ascended more steeply and the path narrowed. There were less flat areas to catch a breath so my pace slowed significantly at this point. I moved like an old man, with my walking stick, focusing on each step as I got higher up the mountain. I huffed and panted a bit and when I knew my heart rate was too high, I stopped, sipped more water and wiped the sweat from my face. At one point, I chewed a few small electrolyte gels which seemed to give me a good boost of energy to continue. Although I was moving very slowly up the mountain, I never doubted I was going to make it to the summit and never once thought, "are we there yet". I just continued to focus on each forward step, however small and slow they became. Peace Is Every Step. At one point, we reached an open vista and were treated to a beautiful view of the canyon below. This was but a tease as we still had about 400 feet to ascend in less than one mile. After a quick break at the vista, we continued on the home stretch of the ascent.

In a bit less than an hour, and after more than 2.5 hours of hiking, we finally made it to the summit of Black Mountain. When I reached the summit, I let out a sigh of relief and began to catch my breath as I admired the beautiful panoramic view. My heart rate stabilized rather quickly and we all ate our lunch on the top of the mountain. In the middle of the summit was an unsightly tower. Looking to the west we could see Lake George and many of the islands while to the east we could see Lake Champlain. We could also see a number of very small lakes residing within the mountain range and which filter water down into the the lakes below. Interestingly, someone appears to be buried on the mountain as there was a memorial sign nailed to a tree. It reads "In memoriam of Warren J. Webster Jr, 1931-2005, He lies where his heart was .. here on Black Mountain." I could clearly understand why someone would want to be buried here. It was a beautiful place and one that just made you feel connected to something very spiritual. At one point, I found a quiet spot and just sat on a rock to meditate and admire one of the most breathtaking views of God's beautiful landscape. For a few moments I sat there, absorbing the awesome view and the fresh clean mountain air. Ahhh .... this must be the Tao of Hiking.

At about 3:30 pm we started our trek back down the mountain. I ate a few more electrolyte gels before the descent. Going down was so much easier and having a hiking pole was also very helpful as it reduced the impact on the knees. Midway down, I had finished the last drop of water from my two liter Camelback. My pace was much faster going down and the heart rate not as pressured. On the descent, I was also less focused on catching my breath and actually had time to take some pictures and enjoy more of the scenery on the trail. Dene, Maureen and Amy quickly forged ahead of the group and were out of sight on the trail within 15 minutes. Tom and I took our time, while Kathleen and Anthony trailed behind us, but out of sight. At about 5:05 pm, after 1.5 hours of hiking down the mountain, Tom and I were back at the landing. Down at the landing, there was no sign of Dene, Maureen or Amy. All their kayaks were gone and there was no sign of them on the water. It appeared they had rushed off to get back to camp. Kathleen and Anthony arrived back down from the trail about 10 minutes after Tom and I. The early evening sun was still hot and to cool off, I took quick swim in the lake. After an invigorating cool down, we loaded up our kayaks and the canoe and the four of us launched into the lake for our paddle back to the campsite.

___________________________________________________________________________________

MORE LAKE GEORGE 2008 TRIP REPORTS
Paddling to the Island	Circumnavigating Dome Island	Starry Night Paddle

MORE LINKS
An Adirondack Sampler: Day Hikes For All Seasons by Bruce Wadsworth	Adirondack Fire Towers , Their History And Lore by Martin Podskoch	Fifty Hikes In The Adirondacks by Barbara McMartin
	Adirondack Mountain Club