Gary’s Marcy trip report, thanks to great team work, March 8, 2011

This is Gary Koch trail’s report from climbing Marcy from the Loj immediately after the rain and snow storms. He found the trail broken all the way to Indian Falls where he caught up with a young woman who had just climbed Tabletop. She reported finding a broken path to the ridge and having to break trail “only” the last few hundred yards to the summit. The next hour she and Gary took turns breaking trail. Then a young man from Pennsylvania who had made the last minute decision to climb his very first ever High Peak on his way to visit his sister in Plattsburgh caught up with them. Even though he was wearing his grandfather’s huge tear-drop shaped aluminum snowshoe, he did wonders from then on. At the Hopkins junction as the trio was taking a well deserved break a mother and son with energy to spare arrived making the final assault possible. The summit cone itself was mostly crusty snow therefore easily climbed wearing snowshoes, however one in the group had to borrow a pair of micro spikes to feel safe. Marcy was reached by Gary 6.5-hours after leaving the Loj, Phelps Brook had to be crossed via the High Water Bridge but, even though you could see that water had run over the snow, Marcy Brook at Indian Falls was not a problem. As the trail was still not perfect it made for slow going and it took almost 3 hours to get back.

Christine,

Pls tell Gary I said 'Hi'.
How many rounds of the 46 has Gary now completed?

Alan

Alan, Gary Koch has completed his 46 by 46 quest last November and is only short of few peaks for his 9th winter round and a few more for 10 his very last list!

At this point for sure he did not "need" Marcy, just went out there because it was such a beautiful day!

Almost unimaginable, the ADK46 x 46. Gary's another one of my idols....