Mountain Time

 All good trips come to an end, and I had to be back in Ithaca by 2 pm Saturday.  But I did want to keep climbing.

I was pretty sure if I got up by 3:30 (again), I could make it to the top of Ampersand on my way home.  I'd climbed it once in thick fog, but it's reputed to have one of the finest views in the Adirondacks, and I wanted to see it on a clear day.  I think this qualifies for seeing the sunrise.

Since I had the summit to myself for over an hour, I tried an old clothes-drying trick that works about half the time, and doubles as a sun-worshiping pose.

One last look from afar at Algonquin, and its neighbors.

Hard to tell through the clouds, but with binoculars it was clear that I was looking down on the Saranac Lakes.

Ampersand Lake backed by Seward, Seymour and Donaldson, each over 4000'.

I don't recall the story behind it, but the forest the trail passes between Middle Saranac Lake and Ampersand Mountain is old growth.  There are truly some great trees in an area that would have been easily accessed by lumbermen.  I hope they're still standing the next time I get there.