Rocky Mountain is part of the Fulton Chain Trifecta, a new hiking challenge consisting of three peaks in the Old Forge area that must be climbed within a calendar year. When I told Frankie about the challenge and showed him a picture of the patch, he wanted to leave immediately and get started right away. However, since that was a random weekday afternoon, and it is a two-hour drive for us to get up there, we had to plan a little better. We decided we could accomplish the challenge with two day trips. Today was a perfect day for hiking, so we set the alarms and headed up to get started with Rocky and Bald. Frankie was excited about the prospect of hiking two mountains in one day.
Rocky Mountain is a short hike, just half a mile to the top with 450 feet elevation gain. I had never been there before and was dismayed at how wide and eroded the trail is. Too many people wearing inappropriate footwear trying to avoid the mud... so unfortunate. However, the woods are lovely; we saw lady's-slippers and Frankie found a toad. And there is a beautiful rocky summit with gorgeous lake views. I guess the trail damage is inevitable with such beautiful views so easily accessible. Easy is not always good. Nevertheless, this quick little hike is well worth the effort!
We made good time, and it was too early for lunch, but we just sat up top and enjoyed the view and the wind in our faces for more than half an hour before we started back down the trail. Next up: Bald Mountain!
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| pink lady's-slipper (Cypripedium acaule) |
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| Frankie found a toad |
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| toad (Bufo americanus) |
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