Hiking Blue Mountain

Both my husband and I had previously climbed Blue Mountain on multiple occasions, with our first ascents on family hikes as kids. I last climbed the mountain in June of 1997 with a college class on environmental interpretation. Although there are interpretive stops along the trail, we didn't think to grab a brochure at the start (and discovered there were none on the way out).

The trail is 4.6 miles round trip and is extremely popular. As such, the trail is worn and suffers from this heavy travel. Many parts of the trail are wet and eroded. To avoid the mud and water, hikers walk on the edges of the trail, which damages the vegetation and continually widens the trail. There are also many spots where new side trails are being carved by the many footsteps of people who are afraid of a little dirt. This is an issue I feel quite strongly about, and one that takes so little effort on the part of hikers. For more information on common trail etiquette please check out this opinion piece in The Adirondack Almanack.

It always seems to rain when we go camping, and this trip was no exception. Although we didn't have to deal with precipitation on the hike, we were still thoroughly socked in with clouds. The summit offers amazing panoramic views, including the High Peaks, but unfortunately all we could see was white.

We did see lovely flowers, lush moss, and a single red eft on the trail. It was a great hike, although one that I enjoyed much more than my husband. I'm afraid that it may be the last time he willingly climbs a mountain with me.

You can read about the campground we stayed at on this trip here.