August 23, 2008 - Cascade & Porter Mountains

On a beautiful, clear August day, Rich and Jack attempted our first high peak climb accompanied by our neighbors, AJ and Kate. We got an early start from home so that we could avoid any parking problems at the trail head, and we picked Cascade because we had read that it was the easiest of the 46 high peaks and, being relatively inexperienced, we didn't want any problems.
We had a fantastic hike to the summit of Cascade, and thoroughly enjoyed the clear views when we got to the top. The trail was very crowded; likely due to the great weather following a long stretch of rain. At the summit, Jack and Kate found a plastic letterbox tucked under a rock ledge. Each left a note on the pad, and re-hid it for the next group to find.

After spending 30 minutes admiring the views, we all headed in the direction of Porter mountain. Along the trail to Porter, both Kate and Jack enjoyed the interesting moss varieties we found hanging from the trees. At the summit of Porter, we met a man who was very experienced in hiking in the park who was able to identify almost all the mountains that we could see from the summit. After having a snack, we started our descent back to the car.

The total trip was a little over six (6) miles, and it took us about 5.5 hours. On the way home we stopped in Lake George to celebrate our first high peak climb with a beer and some mozzarella sticks. Two (2) down; 44 to go.