Mossy Marshall

Marshall

4,360 feet  |  ranked 25/46 in height  |  21st peak climbed

After a month to recover from the bug situation on Seymour, Erin and I were ready for another hike.  We'd be repeating our now-standard long day of drive-hike-drive, so had to limit our selection to something relatively easy to accommodate our slow pace.  At roughly 14 miles round trip with approximately 2,600-feet elevation gain, Marshall seemed like a good choice, and I was super excited to check out another new trailhead: Upper Works.

The hike can be broken out into sections: trailhead to Flowed Lands, around Flowed Lands, and herd path to summit.  It's almost 5 miles of gentle grades to Flowed Lands, gaining about a 1,000 feet along the way.  Adirondack flats, with the usual assortment of mud, rocks, and log bridges.  We stopped to check out Calamity Pond and the Henderson Monument.  I was exhilarated to reach Flowed Lands, a magical place with Colden's sheer mass rising behind the marshy waters.  It is perhaps another mile from there to the junction with the Herbert Brook herd path, obvious on the left just after crossing a small bridge.  

The herd path is immediately charming.  It follows Herbert Brook up the mountain, and as such, there are many small cascades and pools, and verdant moss everywhere.  The trail crosses over the stream many times, and ascends in the stream bed at times.  It made for a very pleasing ascent that never felt too steep, despite gaining around 1,500 feet in roughly 1.5 miles.  Although the hike is mostly through dense forest, a few nice views of Iroquois can be found while ascending.  At the wooded summit, another hiker volunteered to take a picture of Erin and I together, and then we explored the ledges a bit.  We found a small ledge with great views, and refueled there before heading down again. Another great hike in the books!  

Read Erin's trip report here.

Calamity Pond

at Henderson Monument

narrow-leaved gentian (Gentiana linearis)

at Flowed Lands

red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)

on the summit ledge where we ate lunch

foot repair before heading down

not a bad spot for a sandwich