Kailee and I set out to nab her fifth Saranac Lake 6er on a chilly September afternoon.
Ampersand is one of my favorite mountains & I was pretty confident that she would love it too.
We only saw a few other hikers (some of them quite unprepared for the chill).
Unlike my first time here, I felt great the entire hike. A full Summer of High Peak hiking had both of us ready for Amp's incline.
As we neared the summit, I noticed some flagging & what looks to be some new trail work (Ampersand is set to have a full trail re-route in the future).
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| Looking towards the Sewards & Ampersand Lake from the Summit. |
We arrived at the summit and had it to ourselves... Not the norm for a busy peak!
However, we were joined by a family & a few stragglers about ten minutes later.
No worries, there is plenty of room on Ampersand to explore & enjoy the views!
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| Five down for Kailee! |
Kailee really enjoyed the 360 degree vista and Ampersand's pretty rock formations. I showed Kailee where the Old Firetower used to stand & the plaque dedicated to it's long tenured observer Walter Channing Rice.
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| The Plaque dedicated to Walter Channing Rice. |
We snacked and pointed out familiar peaks for a good while before packing up and making our descent.
We moved briskly on our way down. Kailee & I made a quick stop at the old observer cabin's stone remains and peeked at some of the artifacts that still lay there.... I hope that the planned re-route passes by this spot.
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| Cabin Remains. |
We made it back to the car in good time.
We were still feeling fresh and joked that if we had started earlier in the day we could have went to Saint Regis Mountain and gone for her 6er finish.
Alas, St. Regis would have to wait another week for Kailee. We stopped by McDonald's in Saranac Lake & munched on burgers before heading home.
Ampersand is a special place & I'm glad that Kailee really loved her penultimate SL 6er peak!
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| Kids always have to play with water! |
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