Mt. Jo from Adirondak Loj, Lake Placid, NY

I spent a couple of days at the Adirondak Loj (yes, it's spelled that way) last week stopping there as I drove down from Montreal where I visited my son and daughter-in-law in their new apartment. Never having been at the Loj before and being alone, I hiked the shorter trails nearby. I walked around Heart Lake in the rain the afternoon I arrived; climbed up Mt. Jo and walked to Rocky Falls the following day. The next morning, I checked out and drove a mile or so up the road to the trailhead for Mt. Van Hoevenberg.

Mt. Jo is a short climb up to a wonderful view of the surrounding high peaks and Heart Lake immediately below. The trail is well worn and eroded. They say that 14,000 people climb it every year! However, I started at 8:30am and met only a few people and was alone at the top. It's a wonderful, wonderful summit for such a short climb, about an hour.

The dock at Heart Lake near the Adirondak Loj.

The Short Trail up to Mt. Jo was steep, rocky, eroded and certainly well used.

Loved the boulders!

Near the top as the trees thinned.

Spruce trees covered the area around the summit ledges. 

The views were spectacular especially for the short climb.

Heart Lake in the near distance where the Adirondak Loj is located.

I had the summit all to myself and enjoyed a second breakfast!

Large area of smooth ledge at the top.

On the way down, I took the less-used Rock Garden Trail
and was rewarded with outstanding micro-views.

Maybe it should have been called the Garden of Rocks Trail!

Or perhaps the Garden on the Rocks Trail!

Beautiful moss on this trunk/root of the tree growing up improbably
out of the side of the rocks.

The trail went between these two large outcroppings or perhaps they were really huge boulders.

Large patch of rock tripe lichen on this huge rock that was taller than me.

Although the trunk on the left was dead, you can see
how the roots of the two trees intertwined.

Cute little mushrooms peeking up from inside this rotted tree trunk!

That afternoon, I walked another 2 miles to get to Rocky Fall
with amazingly clear cold water.