Rami Quest Blog: [Hiking] Hadley Mountain

There are many trails to hike in/near the Adirondacks. It was overwhelming looking through the internet for a trail so J and I went to get a book. Now that the choices narrowed down, it was between a few trails but we chose Hadley Mountain since it was the closest.

Book: Best Easy Day Hikes Adirondacks by Lisa Densmore*

This book was accurate for us to arrive to the trail except for one turn at the end which we followed the GPS instead. The map and the description of the trail was good to know how far along we were.

GPS: Google Maps App* (arrival), Waze* (departure)

We had no trouble getting to the mountain but we did have trouble leaving. We had no signal to have our phones plot a route back. We relied on our memory to get back to the highway and it did not work. Eventually, my phone (we never use my phone) got a signal about 40 minutes later and we were on our way back. From now on, we are going to have to write directions down, get a map or get a GPS.

* = not affiliated

Our Bag

We packed quite a few things, even things we didn't use but it's better to be prepared.

Food (3 sandwiches, grapes, granola bars, crackers)
Bug Spray, itch cream, band aids
Sunscreen (we didn't use it since it wasn't very sunny)
Book (the one listed above)
Jacket
Water (we took 3 bottles, which was enough for us)
Tissues (Should have probably brought wet wipes instead)

The Hike

Hadley Mountain is a bit steep with a lot of rocks. Going up the mountain was a bit difficult for someone out of shape. We saw quite a few woodpeckers and chipmunks on our way up. Sadly, the zoom on our camera was not good enough to get a good picture. We took a few breaks to catch our breath and it took a little over 1.5 hours to reach the summit. There were a few people and dogs up at the summit. We found a spot and ate our lunch (we were famished at this point). The view was nice and relaxing however, it was cold and windy. Good thing we brought a jacket along.

The fire tower was interesting. I never seen one up close and I am amazed it held up. It was very windy up there. There was a closed hatch but we got some nice views from looking up there.

I would like to say going down was easier than going up but it was not the case. I fell and tripped more times going down than I did going up. My shoe was falling apart before we went hiking and I super glued the sole back but I should get new shoes before I try another hike. I could feel those rocks digging into my feet. I was using running sneakers.

I wouldn't recommend it for a first trail to hike due to the rocks and steepness. It was wet in a few places, so slipping is a possibility (as I slipped a lot). There were a lot of walking sticks near the beginning and I recommend using one or using trekking poles. It helps. I was slightly sore the next day but that was expected.

Completion Time: ~ 4 hours

EDIT: The time on the pictures are off by an hour. Need to add an hour to it.

Below are the pictures of our venture. (Click to enlarge)