6/20/15

Parking: The Loj
Group: Mom, Shawn, Stephanie, & Emily

This was our first trip out of the season, and it was a tough one!  We hiked in past Lake Arnold, and visited Gray first.  Then over to Four Corners, went up to Skylight, came back down and went up and over the other side of Marcy.  Below are the step by step instructions for this direction of the loop!

• Take the Van Hoevenberg trail
  • 3 miles to Marcy Dam (45 mins)
• From Marcy Dam, follow the Avalanche Pass for 1.1 miles to the Lake Arnold trail
  • It’s a turn, up and left – some climbing starts here
  • There will be a trail heading left to Indian Falls – ignore it and keep going to Lake
• Arrive at Lake Arnold about 1 hr 35 mins after leaving Marcy Dam
  • Follow trail beyond the lake (keep going PAST the lake downhill, NOT towards Colden which is through the other side of Lake Arnold)
  • Cross the Opalescent River
  • Continue to where Feldspar Brook meets the river
  • This is 3.5 miles?
• Pick up Lake Tear of the Clouds trail and follow this section for 1.1 miles to the Lake
  • 2 hours 15 mins after Lake Arnold
  • This is the highest pond source/starting point to the Hudson River (4346 ft)
  • You can see Marcy aka “Cloud Splitter” which is the English translation of Tahaus, the Native American name given to Marcy
  • When Teddy Roosevelt was the Vice President, he had just finished hiking Marcy and was in this spot that he was notified that President McKinley had been shot
• The herd path up Gray, the tallest unmarked peak in the Park, is marked by a cairn right before you reach the Lake – TRICKY TO FIND (possibly a stream?)
  • It’s to the LEFT
  • Not too difficult a climb (.3 miles, 30 mins)
  • 4,826 ft
  • Looking behind you on the way up you can catch a view of Skylight (also just before the summit on the right)
  • A short distance ahead is a lookout to Colden, the McIntyre range, and Whiteface
  • From the summit marker you can see Marcy
  • Head back down (35 mins to Lake Tear)
• Continue on to Four Corners (.3 miles – 10 mins) by going around the lake
  • From here you can go up Skylight, Marcy, or Panther Gorge
• Skylight is .5 miles to summit
  • 25 min climb
  • 4,925 ft
  • All rock top, GOREGOUS 360 degree views
  • Head back to Four Corners (25 mins)
• Marcy
  • 30-45 mins from the junction – 5,344 ft high
  • Descend the other side to the JBL/Adirondack Loj junction
• Head to Von Hoevenberg Trail Junction
  • Follows a dried up river bed (almost all rocks)
  • Head left (Not towards the col between Marcy and Haystack)
  • Ignore the Hopkins trail that heads right from this
  • Instead continue on VH Trail towards Marcy Dam
    • 3 hours 15 mins from top of Marcy
    • ADK Loj 45 mins from Dam