Basking in Blue in Hamilton County

It was as if the Gods of the Adirondacks unfurled a plush white carpet stretching from the top of the mountain all the way to the parking lot for us to follow. A carpet of packed powder snow that wrapped around frozen streams, exposed rock and low-lying evergreens. Chandeliers of tiny icicles clinging to birch branches jingled and chimed like music to our ears.

Blue Mountain in Hamilton County, complete with a requisite fire tower for heart-swallowing views, proved the perfect climb for Mutti, Nola and many more. It should be noted that I purchased a pair of snowshoes (finally) and wore them proudly. However, I was the only one. The 2-mile trail proved so perfect that climbers swapped their snowshoes for boots saving copious amounts of energy.

The fire tower is surprisingly open in the dead of winter but be careful – the steps are coated with a thick layer of ice. From the top, facing west, you can see surrounding Adirondacks stitched together by a chain of lakes: Blue Mountain Lake, Minnow Pond, Mud Pond, South Pond, Long Lake and Lake Eaton.

In keeping with the spiritual moment, Mutti enjoyed a conversation in her own language with a gal with similar German ancestry. A peace-loving people from the Hudson Valley Bruderhof Community easily ascended the heavenly climb arriving just as elated with the conditions as we were.