Mount Jo, Trail #77, High Peaks Region, Adirondack Mountains
October 12, 2006 – The day before.
October 13, 2006 I was staying at the campground maintained by ADK at the base of the trail and overnight the winds howled as the storm front which ‘surprised’ Buffalo, NY with a few feet of snow and knocked out power for 250,000 people passed rapidly through the Adirondacks. After a night of howling winds I awoke early (I didn’t sleep too much that night), shook the ice off the tent and climbed to the summit again. Only a bit of freezing rain and some granular snow had fallen where I was, so the climb in daylight, although slippery, was quite pleasant. This series of photos reflects the blue sky conditions and the beautiful views from the summit of Mt. Jo. Well worth the second climb.
The overnight high winds and rain certainly cleared the trees of their autumn leaves. 
A light coating of ice in a few spots required a bit of extra caution through some sections of the trail 
Spruce boughs and some of the light granular snow. Pretty insignificant compared to the 2 feet of snow that the passing cold front dropped on Buffalo before reaching the Adirondacks. 
A bit tricky but lots of easy handholds . 
Only the last short part of the trail required any tricky manoeuvring and even that would have been simple were it not for the photo equipment that I was carrying with me. 
What a difference a blue sky makes. The puddle was well frozen but the rising sun would soon change that. 
With all of this climbing and worry about howling winds toppling trees onto my tent, I was now just a shadow of my former self (grin). 
More Adirondack mountains beckon in the distance. Something to think about over the winter. 
Heart Lake under a blue sky. 
It was certainly cool at the summit and the puddles from the overnight rain were well frozen. 
In the limited visibility of the rain, fog and drizzle of the night before,I had hiked past this outcropping without even realizing it was there. In the fresh morning air everything looked different so although I was hiking the same trail twice in a 12 hour period, it felt like I was hiking two completely different trails. 
A granite slab along the trail. 
Adirondack Loj – Located on the North Shore of Heart Lake, this lodge is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK). The original builder was Melvil Dewey who was a champion of ‘simplified spelling’ thus the spelling “Loj” rather than the more familiar “lodge”. (Info: ADK Adirondack LOJ at Heart Lake)
Later the same morning I climbed Cascade Mountain.
