Tabletop

 

Tabletop

4,427 feet  |  ranked 19/46 in height  |  13th peak climbed

I hiked this one with my sister Erin; our Dad, Bruce; and our stepmom, Debbie.  Hurricane Irene had derailed plans for a hike the previous Labor Day, and as a group, our most recent climb was in 2009.  Collectively we'd been through a lot of health traumas in that time: recurrent cancer, broken ribs and a punctured lung, a severely broken leg, a broken hand/thumb, and preeclampsia resulting in unplanned c-section.  To make matters worse, each of those incidents were separate and unrelated issues, some resolved but others still active/ongoing.  We'd rented in a cabin in Jay, and wanted to challenge ourselves to a high peak.  For the simple reason that it was the most accessible of those peaks that none of us had yet climbed, we selected Tabletop.

It was the first time any of us had seen Marcy Dam since Irene. 

I'll miss crossing at the dam, but it will be fascinating to see the natural succession here. 

The herd path started out reasonably firm under foot...

But quickly got wetter

And then downright muddy.

The forested summit.

The summit is completely treed. There are partially screened views just past the summit, but that area was occupied by another party, so after taking a quick look, we returned to the summit proper to take pictures and eat our lunches.

At the summit

More mud on the way back down.

Narrow trail

Gorgeous views of Colden and the Macs on the way back down.

Almost back to the Van Ho

A quick detour to take in the view from Indian Falls

At Indian Falls

I had an amazing time on this hike and knew I wouldn't be letting another three years pass before getting back out!  Maybe it was because I was so desperate for the mountains, so grateful to be there... maybe because we had such a spectacular day, but I walked away from this hike feeling like Tabletop is seriously underrated.  It has no bald summit, true, so views are more limited: more encapsulated.  However, if you like the woods and can see past a little mud, Tabletop is replete with its own mossy splendor.