Utica, NY (USA)

[up at 0600 - ate breakfast at hotel with Eileen - left around 0830 - took (what we thought was) I-790 but ended up on NY-49 - in Rome, saw Fort Stanwix - decided to double back to NY-635 - that worked and we found NY-28 - continued into Adirondack State Park and drove to Old Forge - worked on a crossword puzzle together (fun!) - got gas in Thendara at 0815 - saw lots of snowmobiles driving along the roads and on trails in the woods - continued east toward Inlet and parked at trailhead for Black Bear Mountain (near Eagle Bay on Fourth Lake) - got started around 0900 - hiked in 4-6 inch snow up the "blue trail" - it was steep and slippery and I almost lost my step several times - Eileen was a jackrabbit and didn't seem to be having any trouble (old hat for her) - eventually, we came to a place on the trail that was so steep and icy that I could not find a way up (despite Eileen already making it up there) - I was not sure what to do but, luckily, I got some unexpected help from three snow shoe friends who came up right behind us - Eileen scouted out the trail from above and they doggedly walked around the narrow ledge until we all made it up the hill - I was very relieved - the top was well worth the climb! - we found a peak (around 2600 feet) with great views of all the lakes around (for miles) - Eileen pointed out all the portages and places she'd paddled through the years in the annual 90-Miler race - I was glad to be up there with her (it was a happy day)... - took lots of pictures - we proceeded down the hill via the "yellow trail" - it was a lot less steep and we didn't see any other people - talked a lot more on the way down and made good time - probably got around six miles in (round trip) and finished at around 1300 - decided to go back into Eagle Bay for lunch - shared a meal again (that has been fun on this trip) at the Hard Times Cafe - it was getting overcast when we finished but we didn't want give up on hiking - so we drove back east along the lakes (NY-28) and turned west on South Shore Road - found another place to hike: Fern Park (1500) - it was actually a cross country skiing trail park - we spent around two hours there, probably finishing another two miles on the well-packed trails - it was much easier than it had been earlier and we talked a lot more - eventually, we ran out of trail and time (plus, the weather was turning wetter) - we actually sat in the car and talked for another hour or so - when it started to rain, we headed east again on NY-28 - Eileen pointed out the same 90-Miler portages we'd seen from Black Bear Mountain (from ground level) - it got darker and wetter as we drove east but we continued on NY-28 through Blue Mountain Lake and then took NY-30 to Tupper Lake - ate dinner at Little Italy restaurant (cash only) there until 2000 - it started to snow while we were eating - as we walked to the car, Eileen saw one of her friends drive by... - headed north again (via NY-3 and NY-56) - it was a scary snowstorm all the way to Canton - I remembered some trips like this with Eileen from long ago (glad we made it safely again...) - icy at SLU but got Eileen to her car OK - she showed me where the Best Western University Inn was in Canton - said goodbye to her and checked into a room at 2115 - bed around 2230 (exhausted)]