DOUBLE THE PLEASURE UP WHITEFACE MOUNTAIN

My friend Lorraine asked if I could get Friday off to do some hiking.  Gladly I accepted and was able to go with her.  It was a bit windy and we knew the potential of rain but only after 4pm which allowed us to hike up the south side of Whiteface Mountain which is at the north end of Lake Placid.  We parked at Connery Pond and headed in towards Whiteface Landing which brought us to the northend of Lake Placid.  There, we looked around and decided we would swim after the hike on the way back to the car.  It was a hot summery day and the path was easy.  Only nearing the summit was there lots of boulders and slides that  were tricky and needed careful footing and good hand holds.  The last 100 feet was straight up and over boudlers with views that were astounding.  Mother Nature cleared a view for us to see into Vermont and Canada, a slight haze but still excellent visibility.  We relaxed and ate our lunch at the summit and admired the natural beauty of the area, while listening to the nearby tourists who happened to come up the paved highway to the summit in a motorcycle convoy.  It started to spit rain a bit so we decided to head down but then it stopped and out came the sun in all its heat and by the time we were back at Whiteface Landing, we were ready for that swim in the cold water.  I jumped into the waves with delight and was refreshed.  The wind increased over time and the waves were quite choppy.  We knew a storm was coming but had no idea of the hail that was happening in Cornwall and along the way towards Lake Placid.  We headed home and about half way nearing Malone, we saw snow which in fact was large hail stones that melted together on people's property.  It was amazing and in Akwesasne, the road sides were covered with hail.  Yet the only storm we encountered was a short downpour as we drove through St.Regis Falls area.  Another bonus to our day was getting through customs without a lineup.  In Cornwall, we could tell from all the leaves on the ground and snow and dinted cars that powerful hail had made its way through Cornwall.  The next day, I went with other friends back to Whiterface to hike up the north end, near Wilmington, at the Reservoir with sun, heat and visibility, no storm in sight and a slight breeze at the summit.  It was a wonderful weekend of hiking, trying a new trail and the bonus of remembering an old gem.  The surprise to this day was deciding to help two others hike up Esther Mountain, adjoining Whiteface about 1.2 miles off the Whiteface trail, to help them bag another 46r peak in reaching for their goal to complete the 46rs!  They had only started yet fell in love with the mountains as I  had.  The weather was perfect and the timing even better than before.  It was a great weekend!