Exhausted and Elated

       The title says it all. I've just come home from my 46 peaks trip, the Santanoni Range (3 mountains in all). It was undoubtedly one of the most difficult things I've ever done as well as the most rewarding. Hiking more popular high peaks had not prepared me for the unmarked and unmaintained trails of this range. We ended up getting lost a comical amount of times, actually hiking 3 miles in the wrong direction at one point (which we could laugh at on the car ride home, but not so much on the trek back from the wrong turn). Thanks to the kindness of fellow hikers, we managed to get on the right track.
      The most difficult decision of the day came around 2:00, as we sat on the bald summit of Panther Peak and marveled at the field of mountains before us. We could see our third peak, Couchsachraga (Couch for short) in the distance. Summiting it would add another 3 hours of hard hiking to a trip that was already behind schedule. We had almost decided to call it quits when we heard, via email, that Couch was the last of the 46 peaks to be climbed. And then the decision became a no-brainer. We got home at 11:30, much later than expected and incredibly elated to have done our part of the 46 peaks trip goal. The ride home was a bit bumpy (I was severely dehydrated and so couldn't manage to eat the breakfast sandwich I so craved from Stewarts) but we made it home safe and sound. I even collected some Adirondack soil samples for the tasting pleasure of my classmates tomorrow!
         There's nothing like hiking in the park to remind you of the Adirondack's immensity. From the mountains' summits, one could see only a forest of beautifully colored trees and clear ponds, not a human-made structure in sight. This area of the high peaks wilderness is one of the least traveled areas and so we only encountered a few fellow travelers. Hiking through the dense foliage and looking over the mountains' expanse, I found it easy to be naive. How could humans ever hope to conquer such a place, especially where much of the land was protected? And truly, I haven't been quite able to let go of this optimism, despite our drive home through various Adirondack towns, each one a reminder of our species' impact upon the nature. This wilderness is vast and will heal itself, given the chance.

                                                           View from Santanoni Peak