A Week in Lake Placid

We just recently got back from a fabulous week in beautiful Lake Placid, NY.

This year, instead of driving all the way there for 4 days of pre and post-Ironman frenzy, we went down from Wednesday - Wednesday and actually had a vacation.  It was wonderful!

This year I got do something new - go hiking up Cascade Mountain.  When I heard 'hike', I mistakenly assumed it would involve a trail... the 'trail' consisted of boulders up the side of the mountain... the 'hike' was climbing the boulders from the base to the top, where there was a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside and Ausable River.

What a beautiful place! 

Sadly, I didn't manage to make it all the way up to the top (this injury rehabilitation is very slow and painful but I'm grateful that I was able to accomplish something) but only got half-way up.  Next year, I will have to hoof it up to the top in order to enjoy the view.  Our friends made it to the top.  It was a nice way to spend 3 hours with friends during a hot and humid afternoon :)

A week of biking in the gorgeous countryside, swimming in Mirror Lake... and walking about town... it was glorious!  This year, I wasn't able to bike 75km like I did last year, much less complete the entire 1 loop of the bike course that I had anticipated before my injury.  I went for 45-minute bike rides on 'flats' and didn't get very far ;)

It wasn't until I drove the rest of the bike course before and after my ride that I realized just how much I actually was able to do last summer.  Wow.  I am looking forward to going back again next year and hopefully will be injury-free and able to ride the entire loop!

Mirror Lake was as fabulous as I remembered it... fresh-tasting and warm but cool enough that you didn't overheat (unless you were racing... but that's for another post) for a lovely, long swim.  I love that lake.  It feels very familiar to me.  I swam the loop twice (once was only 'almost' - I couldn't figure out how much farther the turnaround point was so called it  - and found out later it was only another 100m... duh!!!) and paddled around for some short swims on the other days.  I think I got in the lake nearly every day I was there.  Loved it!!

We had a lot of friends down there during our time in LP, which was a lot of fun.  Always someone to run into at the grocery store, in town, at the beach... and made some new friends too!

We are alll booked for next year, when we will be staying about a 5-minute walk to the lake.  That should be great!

Sadly, thanks to the uncooperative weather of Lake Placid, once again I was not able to go up Whiteface Mountain to shoot pictures - the 2 days I was able to get away, it was cloudy and overcast which resulted in zero visibility at the summit.  BOO!!!    Next year I plan to get up there the first sunny day we have!  I also heard that the ferry over to Burlington, VT is a must-do day trip.  Again, it was rained out.  Next year...  ;)