On top of Mt. Skylight

Dear Readers,

Back in February I had an article published on Travel with a Mate.com about why more people from a wide range of athletic abilities should get interested in mountain climbing and hiking:

http://www.travelwithamate.com/mountain-climbing-america-top-peaks

I came across this picture while looking over my adventures with Shane in Adirondack State Park in New York.

I should have included in my article on Travel with a Mate that everyone should start hiking and climbing mountains, even if the mountains are small, because upon summiting, one experiences a happy feeling like this– for a few moments you feel as if you are on top of the world… that is, until you look to your left and then look to your right and realize there are even higher mountains all around you. But the point is that even a beginner climbing up a 1,000 foot hill feels like a world class climber upon meeting that first goal.

Shane took this picture of me in the Adirondacks; I believe it was on top of Mt. Skylight (4,926 ft), but I could be mistaken, as it is relatively easy to summit many of the 46 “High Mountain Peaks” in Adirondack State Park in a small amount of time, and I cannot recall the order in which we climbed them. I appreciate the dramatic effect provided by the ear flaps of my hat lifted by the breeze.

Standing on top of a mountain, whether 1,000 feet or 5,000 feet, feels really good.