October 3, 1998
So six hardy souls adventure into the mountains one October, Saturday morning. Joining Joe on this trip were Mike & Teena and their friend Scott, Jersey-Boy Alan and Doc Sherry. But there really isn't much of a story to tell. It was a gorgeous day and there was plenty of time and apples for Teena.
The day started overcast and was a might chilly but great for hiking. Most of the group wanted to add Marcy to their list but Sherry had been there and done that. So she somehow convinced Joe to separate at the last trail junction before Marcy's summit and head for Haystack. The group decided to meet at the junction after lunch. Yeah, right.
Sherry and Joe started on their extra 2 miles while the rest of the group navigated the icy 0.6 mile trail to Marcy's summit. About a half-mile down the trail to Haystack, Joe manages to find a perfectly flat, dry rock to slip on. As he was lying on the ground trying to catch his breath and do a parts inventory, Sherry, being the ever-helpful ER doc, says, "Move each limb one at a time and see if it hurts." Joe can't help but think, "So this is what they teach in med school?" Although hurt mostly in pride, his back side stung for 2 months every time he tried to stand up.
While the rest of the group had a leisurely hike, Joe and Sherry were downing Power Bars and moving quickly in order to catch up with them. They made Haystack's summit, downed lunch, and headed back. On the return climb up Marcy, Joe nearly fell on the same rock.
Of course, when they arrived at the trail junction, the group had moved on. Not wasting any time, they walked and snacked non-stop the whole way back to the Loj parking lot. There they met the rest of the group. They had returned 15 minutes before them. Wish we could tell you more about their portion of the trip but all they said was it was a great hike.
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Sherry, Alan, Mike, Teena and Scott at Marcy Dam early in the hike. Nobody hurts yet. Why is Alan leaning to his left?
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Scott, Teena and Mike on the approach to Marcy. The trail is starting to get a little icy. The group got jealous of Scott's minimalistic hiking style.
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Alan and Sherry nearing Marcy's summit. Why is Alan still listing to his left? And what is Sherry nervous about?
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Mike, Teena, Joe, Sherry, Alan and Scott about a mile from Marcy's summit (in the background). Now Alan has the whole group listing to the right. Yes, that's snow and ice.
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Haystack's summit.
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Sherry on Haystack with Marcy in the background.
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Joe on Haystack. Yes, it was a bit chilly. No one knows why his head swelled up like that though. |