Keith and Melissa invited me to join them for the
Adirondack Marathon at Schroon Lake, New York on September 22. After the race, we planned to spend some time relaxing and hiking at Dippikill Wilderness Retreat near Warrensburg, New York. I flew to Syracuse on Friday morning and met up with Keith and Melissa on the way to Albany. We spent Friday night at Melissa's parent's house and Saturday night at their beautiful cabin near Indian Lake. It was cold and rainy on Saturday night, but the weather cleared as we made our way to Schroon Lake on Sunday morning for the start of the race.
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| Schroon Lake |
The marathon started and ended at the town of Schroon and made a complete loop around the entire lake. The leaves were just beginning to change color and the majority of the route passed through beautiful forests with occasional views of the lake. I knew the course would be hilly, but I was a little surprised at how steep and continuous some of the hills were. My training runs up I Street in the Avenues of Salt Lake paid off. Despite being a small race, the crowd support was great as people with cabins around the lake came out to cheer. My Dad and Gram along with family friends Charlie and Sue drove up from Massachusetts to cheer me on and meet me at the finish line. It was great to have them there, along with many of Keith and Melissa's family and friends. I ran a 3:28, so no PR, but very happy considering the hills.
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| At the finish line with Keith, Deanna, and Melissa. Tim was off getting a massage. |
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| With Gram and Dad at the finish line |
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| Finished! |
After the race, we headed to the cabin that Melissa had reserved at Dippikill Wilderness Retreat. The cabin was great; it slept 8 people and had an enormous fireplace that was almost too efficient at heating the place. There was plenty of good food and beer to help us recover from the race.
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| Our cabin for the last three nights of the trip |
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| Dippikill Wilderness Retreat |
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| Fireplace in the cabin |
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| Looking down from the loft of the cabin |
On Monday, despite being stiff and sore from the race, Keith, Melissa, Tim, Lisa, and I spent the day hiking on nearby Crane Mountain. Most of the trail was heavily forested and the fall foliage was starting to show in a few spots. The views of the surrounding Adirondacks were beautiful as we reached the summit and we passed a scenic pond on our way down as we made a loop using a different trail.
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| Some brilliant foliage on Crane Mountain |
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| Beer break on the way to the summit of Crane Mountain |
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| Keith at the top of Crane Mountain |
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| Keith and Tim at the pond on Crane Mountain |
For our last day at Dippikill, Keith, Melissa and I hiked to a nearby pond to take a couple of canoes of for some relaxing paddling. Later, we lounged around outside at the cabin to enjoy the warm sunshine and solitude. Thanks so much to Keith and Melissa for planning such a great trip, and to all the family and friends who joined us for the race and our time at Dippikill!
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| Keith and Melissa on Dippikill Pond |
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| Canoeing on Dippikill Pond |
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| Beer break with Keith |
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| Keith braving the cold water of Dippikill Pond |
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Thank you, Keith and Melissa!
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