Heart Lake, New York State [8 miles south of Lake Placid]
This tiny body of water sits deep in a forest at the heart of the Adirondack Mountains.
The heart-like shape of the lake is only evident from the air and from some of the summits of the Adirondacks in the High Peaks Wilderness Area. That morning, before embarking on a long mountain hike, we snuck around the campgrounds and cut through the thick of the forest to get a first glimpse at the lake from ground level. The water was calm, and the fall foliage among bare white tree trunks, with evergreens lined up in front, looked marvellous.
Above is a shot looking down at of one of the "trails" to the peak of Phelps Mountain at 4,161 feet. It was mid-October but as we gained altitude, the season seemed to begin transitioning to winter...
Just above us the moss was frosty and white flakes were floating between the trees; the tiny waterfalls coming off the large rocks above us were forming icicles; and the summit was engulfed in a total blizzard. Below us on the other hand, it was still fall - fuzzy green moss, mud, bare rocks, and colourful leaves. Closer to sea level the scenery was more like the photo below, taken within a couple miles of the campgrounds and Heart Lake.
Continued in a future post...