July 13, 2002 Mt. Jo- ADK Loj

This is one of my favorite hikes. This mountain has been a very important part of my life. When I was 15 and spent days soaked and frustrated during a class trip, everyone was waiting for the busses to take us home and a few of us headed up this mountain. It's the first I can honestly remember. A future girlfriend and a future friend were in that group. That trip introduced me to hiking as I know it- the pain, the payoff, that great bittersweet feeling when you're done and you're feeling fulfilled and a little sad during the trip home.
Mt. Jo is surrounded by the high peaks. Its short little trail is intersected by the trip to Indian Pass and its summit peers down on Heart Lake and up onto the faces of some of the greatest mountains in the Adirondacks. It is a magical place.
This particular trip I was alone. Sort of.
I was huffing and puffing my way up. Just as I broke through the woods to the summit I was met by Gretchen, a cute blonde guide from Pennsylvania hired by the ADK Mountain Club to talk to tourists. Another guy was up there with her, obviously interested in a view other than the mountains. 45 people had been to the summit on this day alone! Yah! And, according to Gretchen, that is a low number for such a beautiful day. Not exactly a place one goes to find privacy.
I stayed for a bit, enjoying the view, but there were just too many people around. Luckily for me though, a few of those annoying people found my sunglasses on their way down and had left them in the trail register for me. I wandered into the camp store- an understated giftshop- and bought a patch for my pack for Mt. Jo. Hey, people who have never been up there would probably think it was some kind of feat.