"Almost There"
This is the view from Hadley Mountain just below the summit. After a couple miles of hiking the trail breaks out of the woods and the Sacandaga Lake vista lifts the spirits of the weary hiker. Even though I've been climbing Hadley for most of my life this view always makes me stop in awe. Sometimes the Lake seems to glow in the sunshine. I also know at this point the steep climbing is done and all I have to do is enjoy the expansive view. There is a fire tower on top of Hadley which has been lovingly restored and still stands as a tribute to all the fire observers. My great-grandfather was the first man to take this lonely post on Hadley. For a while he gave the job to his son, a veteran of World War I. He knew that some time in the forest watching God's creations from the tower would heal any wounds from the war, mental or physical. For me, the view from a mountaintop always seems to make any thoughts of the problems of the real world retreat from my mind.
