I have never hiked Buck Mountain before. I've hiked its neighbor, Black Mountain many times but never this one. So it was that I had the opportunity this past Wednesday. The weather turned cooler from the humid weather of earlier in the week. When I arrived at the trailhead parking it was nearly full. I had heard that this was a much more popular mountain to do than Black and I could see why - its much closer to the vacationing population.
Though Buck is a smaller peak than Black it is nearly 1200 feet of more climb and just a quater mile longer. I packed plenty of water and snacks not sure what I would come to. Just like Black, the initial walk is flat. But that doesn't last long and you start to go up. What came to me on this climb is that it is a grind. You just keep going. You hit some very small stretches of flat spots but essentially you just keep going up the whole time. Some of the stretches are solid "going ups".
This trail is much more open and easier to navigate than Black Mountain. At no time is there a sense of "hmmm". When I got to the top, I let out a big sigh of relief and a guy who had passed me was up there and he said that where I was wasn't the summit, that it was just through a small grove of trees and up some rocks. Another minute or two. The view I came to was fine for the moment. It took an hour and a half to get to where I was.
After an initial chat with this guy and his girlfried who had gotten up there earlier to paint, I went up to the summit. Again, I came unto some wonderful views of Lake George and the company of about 15 to 20 people. After soaking in the views for just under an hour, having a snack and some water, I headed back down. The going down was trickier than I thought it might be but thankfully no mishaps. It took me just as long to get down as it did to go up. I was once again thankful for the chance to hike a new mountain in the region and one that I will revisit again.
Though Buck is a smaller peak than Black it is nearly 1200 feet of more climb and just a quater mile longer. I packed plenty of water and snacks not sure what I would come to. Just like Black, the initial walk is flat. But that doesn't last long and you start to go up. What came to me on this climb is that it is a grind. You just keep going. You hit some very small stretches of flat spots but essentially you just keep going up the whole time. Some of the stretches are solid "going ups".
This trail is much more open and easier to navigate than Black Mountain. At no time is there a sense of "hmmm". When I got to the top, I let out a big sigh of relief and a guy who had passed me was up there and he said that where I was wasn't the summit, that it was just through a small grove of trees and up some rocks. Another minute or two. The view I came to was fine for the moment. It took an hour and a half to get to where I was.
After an initial chat with this guy and his girlfried who had gotten up there earlier to paint, I went up to the summit. Again, I came unto some wonderful views of Lake George and the company of about 15 to 20 people. After soaking in the views for just under an hour, having a snack and some water, I headed back down. The going down was trickier than I thought it might be but thankfully no mishaps. It took me just as long to get down as it did to go up. I was once again thankful for the chance to hike a new mountain in the region and one that I will revisit again.
