mt. jo and heart lake

It's easy to get caught up in climbing only the mountains that are going to earn me my 46er patch and miss the other good stuff that also lies within the the park. Mt. Jo is situated right behind Heart Lake and the Adirondack Loj. It is described as a good starter mountain for kids, but also should be considered for the fact that the views of the surrounding high peaks are breathtaking. For a little over an hour long hike, you can show friends/family a little glimpse of why climbing the 46 has a firm grasp on you. The trail starts out nice and soft and shortly turns into the typical rock filled adirondack trail. The short trail is pretty vertical and then near the summit the bare rock scrambling that is often required on the big mountains is experienced. From the summit of Mt. Jo you can clearly see Wright and Algonquin rising above heart lake. To the left is Colden and Marcy. Cascade is all the way to the left and Wallface cliffs are all the way to the right in this awesome panarama. Through the trees we were able to catch a glimpse of Whiteface, which is normally hiding in the clouds and fog. This was an absolutely clear, blue sky, warm and wonderful October day in nature. This time not only did I have my father, but also my sister, my mother and our cousin. We took plenty of group shots at the top, one of which will remain my most favorite family picture for a long while! Unfortunately, our cousin turned her ankle a bit coming off the summit of Mt. Jo, so she and my mother made their way back to the car while my father, my sister and I took a quick side trip to Rocky Falls on the Indian Pass trail. We have been curious about this trail and this was as good a day as any to check it out. It was a gentle up and down trail for about a mile from the end of the rock garden trail off of mt. jo. The falls were pretty, but not very tall. Nonetheless, it was worth the extra distance. We saw the lean to, which is situated with the open front facing the brook and only about 50 feet from the edge of the water. The designated camping sites were in good shape, roomy and also close to the water source. Again, when one is not concerned about always hiking a mountain, this would be a relaxing place to camp. Perhaps on a trip all the way through from the loj to tahawus, which is on our to do list. Heading out of Lake Placid, we stopped for coffee and continued on home, enjoying the leaves a little to the south of keene, which still appeared to be at peak. I was excited to see that my friends were hiking Dix Mountain as we passed their vehicle parked at the route 73 trailhead. I am glad that none of us missed this awesome day for hiking!