Mt. Jo
Mt. Jo
(Not one of the 46 high peaks)
Topographic map courtesy of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
TRAILHEAD
October 2007
Mt. Jo from the meadow that approaches the Adirondak Loj from the north. The MacIntyre range, (Wright, Algonquin, Iroquois and Marshall), are directly behind it.
We chose to ascend Mt. Jo, (212th highest, at 2876 feet), as a “family-friendly” hike. We hiked in from the Heart Lake/Adirondack Loj parking lot. The long trail is a relatively short 1.2 mile ascent, but is a more gradual approach than the shorter, steeper trail. Most people prefer taking the long trail up, and the short trail down. The climb was quite honestly tougher than expected, for such a so-called, family-friendly hike. It was strenuous, and I admit that I had underestimated it! Granted, I had a toddler in a kid-carrier on my back, which may have had an affect on my thinking. There were some tricky scrambling sections up near the top, so be aware.
The weather was cloudy with some moments of light rain. Luckily, at the top, while eating lunch, we had a break in the clouds, with some short-lived sunshine. The view from the summit is one of the best you can have in the high peaks region, for that short of a climb. The view down to Heart Lake, and to massive Algonquin peak is rewarding.
The descent was a quick 45 minutes down the short trail, with lots of rocks and boulders to step on. Round trip was about 2.5 miles.
SUMMIT
Mt. Jo as seen from the eastern shore of Heart Lake near the Adirondak Loj.
Our friends Karen and Andy, with their son Collin also came along for the hike. Mt. Marcy is to the left, Mt. Colden to the right, with the rock slides.
The view south looking towards Indian Pass, which is in the middle of Algonquin, (on the left), and Wallface Mountain and it’s sharp vertical cliffs in the middle.
The view from the summit of Mt. Jo, looking back down towards Heart Lake. Behind and to the right is the MacIntyre Range, with Algonquin dominating. Behind that and to the left are the rock slides of Mt. Colden.
Me, my wife Jen, son Alex and dog Molly. See? I told you it was a family-friendly hike!
Whale’s Tail mountain with Marcy and Colden behind. Faintly in front of Marcy on the left is TR mountain.
Jen, Karen and our friend Matt discuss the route we hiked up to the summit, with Heart Lake in the distance.
Alex and I pose in front of the MacIntyre Range and Heart Lake.