My adventurous and athletic friend loves to hike. We were impressed to recently learn that he goes on solo treks that are rigorous. We were fascinated and daunted to learn that he does these hikes alone! He shared his trip details with me.

What inspired you to go on this trek through the Adirondacks?

 I traveled to hike solo (I always hike solo) across the Adirondacks because I wanted to see Niagara Falls and visit my son who lives in Manhattan on my way back. I had heard how beautiful upstate New York was and I had only been to Manhattan so I had to see for myself. 

What did your trip itinerary involve?

 I left late on an afternoon and drove to Kansas City, got up early the next day and drove to Buffalo, NY where I had my first Airbnb experience (awesome). The next morning got up early and drove to Northville, NY. I parked my car, then hiked for the next 6.5 days (about 152 miles) and this included a side trip to the High Peaks where I climbed 3 separate mountains, the highest of which was Mt. Marcy (photo below) then on to Lake Placid. From there I hitchhiked back to Northville then drove to Manhattan. I ate and drank till the wee hours of the morning with my son and his girlfriend, got 4 hours sleep, got up early and drove straight back to Tulsa, stopping only for gas.

Do you recommend any particular sightseeing?

Niagara Falls was incredible. I thought it would be cheesy, but loved every minute of it. Would go again in a moment.

Also, when in Lake Placid, I got to go to the Olympic training center and rode an elevator up to the top of the ski jump and was able to watch the future Olympians training by jumping into a pool.

Describe the typical hiking meal.

Typical meal was beef sticks, candy, chips and cheese and cookies (my standard hiking fare). The hike was beautiful forest and the views from the mountains were unbelievable. It’s hard to believe I was in New York. It was unseasonably hot so I saw nobody on trail for 4 days. Buffalo had a very cool bar/restaurant area lots of beautiful, nice people.

Describe the terrain.

The terrain was very dense forest and beautiful lakes. Hiking on the mountains was on primarily large rock trails, think of a river stone, then imagine a path only of river stones the size of suitcases to cars.

People I saw on the trails were from Europe, Japan and most of the surrounding states with a few Canadians.

Were there any challenges in reaching your destination?

No challenges traveling there. There were unbelievable orchards and wineries in the Finger Lake region of upstate NY. When you have really great food in NYC it is because the food was just picked a few hours before you had it in the restaurant.

What was your workout regimen to prepare for the trek?

I lifted weights 2-3 times a week and did 7-15 mile hikes at Turkey Mountain each week.

 How did this trip enrich your life?  What did you learn about yourself from this trip?

I remembered like I always do when I do long distance hikes how much I like being alone.

 Did you have any experiences that made you grow spiritually?

I always am surprised how much I enjoy being around people once I have been alone. It is like fasting for 3 days, then having an orange.

It is always the best orange I have ever had.