Tag: adventures

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August Adventure Month: Day 22

Mt. Marcy summit, Adirondacks, New York

I declared August 2021 Adventure-a-Day Month (yes, I can do that)! Every day of August, I embarked on some type of adventure, 31 days, 31 adventures, some big, some small, some physical, some mental. It’s my way of making adventure part of everyday life. I write about each adventure below.

Day 22: Sunday, August 22
Climbing Mt. Marcy, NY (high point)

I love the Adirondacks. Mt. Marcy, just outside of Lake Placid, NY, is the state’s highest point at 5,300 feet, so I was able to add another to my ongoing endeavor of standing on the highest point in all 50 U.S. states. This climb is long and meandering, gradually up through woods for more than six miles before an intense rock climb for the last mile to the summit. Then the trees clear and you get this incredible view of mountains stretching in all directions. I heard the crowds swell atop Mt. Marcy, but on this day (as Hurricane Ida thrashed Connecticut and other lower regions) the crowd was minimal. Another high point climbed, this was a good one. And I couldn’t resist getting a shot of these gorgeous wildflowers near the top.

Adventure: Climbing Mt. Marcy, NY.
Distance traveled: About 16 miles hiking RT.
Challenges: Enduring a long hike, scrambling up rocks, rationing water and food because I didn’t pack enough!
Risks: Slipping and falling, turning/spraining an ankle, dehydration.
Difficulty scale 1-10: 7
Highlights: An awesome view and lovely winds atop Mt. Marcy. Great payoff for the long hike getting there.

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August Adventure Month: Day 20

I declared August 2021 Adventure-a-Day Month (yes, I can do that)! Every day of August, I embarked on some type of adventure, 31 days, 31 adventures, some big, some small, some physical, some mental. It’s my way of making adventure part of everyday life. I write about each adventure below.

Day 20: Friday, August 20
Paragliding lesson 2

Today’s lesson was slightly disappointing, though still enjoyable. Because there was so little wind, we were not able to lift off the ground with our paragliders. Rather, we practiced “kiting,” that is, lifting them off the ground and getting them to hover overhead, to get a feel for the wind and how to work it in concert with the paraglide wing. My appetite for paragliding is still whetted, but the ultra-dependence on the wind and weather in order to successfully do this activity give me some apprehension. I want to fly, but I’m uncertain if I want to invest the time and money to become adept at an activity that I can engage in only a handful of times each season. Under consideration

Adventure: Second paragliding lesson
Distance traveled: About 55 miles driving to Morningside, NH.
Challenges: Steadying a billowing paraglide wing overhead in unsteady wind.
Risks: Tripping and falling while running for launch.
Difficulty scale 1-10: 2.5
Highlights: Getting a feel for the paraglider.