Adirondack Mountains - Lake George Wild Forest - The Lake George 12ster Challenge

Adirondack Mountains - Lake George Wild Forest - The Lake George 12ster Challenge

The Lake George 12ster Challenge Website: http://www.lakegeorge12ster.com

Boasting almost 50 miles of hiking and close to 11,000' of elevation gain, this is the Lake George 12ster, designed to get people exploring the areas surrounding Lake George. It consists of 12 mountains that you can climb in any way you like. Go at your own pace or go for the Ultra which is all 12 in less than 24 hours. There are even Winter variants for the arctic-loving people among us. It gets cold up there!

I've watched these mountains over the years from a boat, dreaming of one day coming to the area to hike instead of vacation. The Tongue Range in particular has always drawn me in as to what I imagined a Lake George hiking experience to be. I wasn't wrong.

Over the course of 6 weeks I took on this challenge. From crowded peaks to quiet ponds, dim forest paths to bright vistas, I got to experience it all! Ending the journey at the height of the Fall foliage season was the best decision I ever made, it was incredible.

With those distances and elevation, the sometimes rushed timelines, and lack of sleep (most of the time) my body took its punishment right up until the last summit. One misstep on a patch of acorns coming up First Peak twisted my knee up pretty good. In the end, after putting almost 7 miles on it, I was gifted a much needed ride from Clay Meadow trailhead back up to the lot I started in. This is the portion I was planning on road-walking but there was a slim chance I would have made it by dark and it is a very twisty road (55mph at times).

Hands-down this was the most incredible hiking experience I've every had and if you get a chance to take on the challenge, you owe it to yourself to do it! You can expect more trips coming out of this area from me, there is a lot more to explore.

Safe travels my friends, thanks for watching!
-Caps (Joe)


Equipment
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Backpack: Kelty Redwing 32
Black Diamond Spot Headlamp
MSR Pocket Rocket Stove / JetBoil Fuel
GSI Minimalist Cup

Shoes: Vasque Breeze 3.0 & Grand Traverse/ Darn Tough socks
Pants: Columbia Silver Ridge Convertible
Shirts: Mountain Hardwear, OR, and North Face T-shirts / Merino Wool long-sleeved shirts & Base Layers
Jacket: REI something-or-other, but warm as heck!
Caps and more caps, I wore a lot of headgear in this one
I wore my mask when needed, and sometimes when I didn't...it was warm

Main camera: CANON EOS Rebel SL2 200D / 18-55mm | 75-300mm
Hiking camera: SONY HDR AS-300 w/AKA-MCP1 Lens Protector
Vanguard Tripod with a Pergear TH3 Fluid Head
No drone this time...combination of winds and NYS laws


Music
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Music provided by: https://www.epidemicsound.com/

The Disappearance of the Unmoved Mover - So Vea
Ancient Discoveries - Gabriel Lewis
Not Yet The End - August Wilhelmsson
You Have Done Well - They Dream By Day
Mountain Spring High - Gabriel Lewis
Circular Again - Alan Ellis
Memories of Old - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Hope Whispers - Joannes Bornlof
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Midsommar by Scott Buckley   / scottbuckley  
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream: http://bit.ly/al-midsommar
Music promoted by Audio Library    • Midsommar – Scott Buckley (No Copyrig...  
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