An old John Denver song. Silver Lake was awesome and we took about 100 pictures! Chris will update with them soon (I still refuse to learn.) [Photos added. There's a whole bunch more here. -- Roon]. It's amazing how easy it is to leave everything behind when we are there and just be immersed in the beauty of the Adirondacks and the simple things in life. The kids hardly played any video games or watched TV--and they didn't even miss it! When we asked Nolan what his favorite thing was on vacation, he said playing games in the cabin and swimming in the lake. Here's what we did:
Saturday--we arrived and had the "fun" job of unpacking and settling in.
Sunday--climbed Catamount. This was the hardest and longest hike for the boys at 3 miles round trip. The top is baldface, so there was a lot of rock scrambling. They thought that was fun, but there is a large, narrow crevice (called "The Chimney") that Thomas was scared of and Chester couldn't maneuver, so they stayed while Nolan and I pressed on to the little top. We didn't have time to go on to the actual top, another 40 minutes. Still a great hike. This was Chris' favorite day because I made kick ass sandwiches for supper and he thought he died and went to heaven.
Monday--hiked the Red Dot Trail in Paul Smiths and then tooled around the Visitor's Interpretive Center. The boys were not as into hiking this day, so we went into Lake Placid and bought some games to play. Of course, we had to stop at Donnelly's on the way for the best ice cream EVER.Tuesday--Mom, Dad and Mosey came to visit. We had a nice chat by the fire. Later on we hiked the Silver Lake Bog Trail and bluffs. I wish I could tell what mountains are what by looking at them. We're also playing with the idea of trying to do all 46 peaks.
Wednesday--Drove up Whiteface and hung out at the top in shorts at 40 degrees--brr! Still worth it. It was warmer at the higher lookout than the lower castle--like we were above the weather. After descending from Whiteface we spent some time hanging out on the rocks along the Ausable River near the historic covered bridge in Upper Jay.Thursday--Tried to hike Mount Baker but forgot our lunch! So we returned to the cabin and canoed to the beach at the end of the lake. Chris has decided he likes kayaking but I still favor canoeing. The motion seems more natural. The water was warm and Thomas liked the shallow water.
Friday--Hiked Cobble Hill in Lake Placid and then shopping. Cobble Hill is a great, short hike for a beautiful view of the city, High Peaks and the ski jumps. It was a little steep at the top which freaked Nolan out a little, so this time Thomas and I plodded on to the top. Shopping in Lake Placid was probably the low point of the trip for me. It is NO FUN being in a fancy place with lots of money spenders when you don't have any to spend. But the kids got Webkinz which made them happy. We got back and the kids had a great afternoon swimming. It was 82 degrees in the shade and 76 degree water temperature--a rarity in the north country. Thomas even got brave and started jumping in! Alas--we had to start cleaning the place and packing up.
Saturday--the kids woke up at--yes--5:59am!! This is what happens when there are no curtains and loons are singing their good morning songs. So we got up, trudged everything up the hill and were on the road at 8am.It is good to be home and connected again. But I miss looking out at the lake and not having to think about, well, anything. Our biggest concern was whether the humungous spider outside the window was going to eat the next moth victim caught in it's web! We had some moments when family togetherness was--let's say--overrated! But I have NO COMPLAINTS and I'm already thinking of the fun we'll have next year. Thank you again and again to my Uncle Rush and Annie for letting us stay another wonderful year in Hawkeye.
Oh, and I forgot to mention we stacked 6 cords of wood! It made me realize why no one needed to exercise in the olden days! It is refreshing to have exercise and be productive too.
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