Ausable Chasm - Hidden Gem

 Hi Everyone! I know I've been a little slow with the posts this week, but I'm getting ready to head back to college ( let me know if you want college posts). Anyway, the last part of my Lake Placid trip is about the wonderful hidden gem known as Ausable Chasm.  It was about an hour away from where we were staying. They had a few package deals, and I opted for one that either included rock climbing or rappelling. The rock climb was booked out ( we decided last minute to go) and went for a 9:00 am rappelling. Rapelling is descending down a rock side, in my case I believe one was 30 feet and the other was 150 feet. I was luck to be the only person who signed up, which meant less waiting time and a one-on-one session. My tour guide was awesome and friendly, as we talked and laughed when I slipped and crashed into a rock ( within my first two steps of course). I really loved this and it was the highlight of my whole trip. Although it only took me about an hour, on average there are six people  in a tour group so 3 hours is the trip time. I felt completely safe with a back-up wire attached and a helmet as well as a passionate guide watching out for me.

 This is the reverse traverse( I think, or I like to call it). you pull yourself across the canyon to get to the next rock. It  is very similar to a hipline but horizontal instead of a diagonal.

 After my session, we explored the trails that are well mapped out. It is known as the "Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks" and truly is a sight to see. All of the rock formations are breathtaking as you stroll along the paths while whirling water greets you from below. We also went on a boat tour wit a guide down the chasm which was wonderful. There is also an option to tube down it, but we didn't bring bathing suits.  Enjoy the  pictures of the Ausable Chasm. I highly recommend a stop there  if you find yourself in upstate New York.

A Tiny Tourist Town

 I didn't quit know what to expect when my parents informed me that we were going to Lake Placid for a little getaway. I knew the Olympics had been held there, so I knew there had to be a village of some sort. However, once we got there I was surprised by the cabin-esque little neighborhood. It had tons of nooks like this Alpine Mall, which just so happens to connect to the hotel we stayed at. It was most definitely a tourist town. Store after store of USA team apparel (especially Hockey) and Lake Placid t- shirt fronts. Of course there were a few restaurants, but not a great range of options. It was cute and woodsy as an upstate town would expect. It lacked basic necessities like a pharmacy or a supermarket, so buying ingredients was never an option.

 This was my favorite store by far. The town has about six candy stores (I'm not joking around, you hit one every few steps) but only one popcorn store. They have a series of popcorn to buy with all different themes - muddy boots, s'mores, birthday cake and so much more. I liked the salted carmel and s'mores out of the ones I tried. Who doesn't love pretzels and carmel or chocolate and marshmallow!  It had an old school penny- candy vibe inside and the popcorn was delicious. I may just be munching on what I have left while I compose this....

 I didn't take a picture of the creperie, but it's across the street and half sandwich shop/crepe place. Not the best s'more crepe (I love s'more everything) but the sandwiches seemed to be really popular.

I hope you enjoyed this post!
See you soon,
Claire

Lake Placid Trip

Hello everyone!  I know I've been M.I.A. for a little bit, but I was on short family vacation in Lake Placid in upstate New York. I'll be doing about 3 posts about it, because there is one or two aspects that I really want to focus on. his first post is just an overview/ here's some cute pics. We stayed at the Golden Arrow Hotel on Mirror Lake. The Lake was Beautiful and the hotel had kayaks, standup paddle board, canoes etc that you could take out for free. The water was nice and clean, very different from the Atlantic Coast I'm used to. I loved kayaking and paddle boarding and hanging out on the tiny strip of sand that lined it. 

On the first day we arrived ( after a 5 hour car journey that began at 6 am) we went to High Falls Gorge. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL. They had a stair path lining the gorge, some stops had glass bottoms to look down. I'll just let the photos speak for themselves

The next day we went to the Ausable Chasm ( try saying it out loud, quite fun to say). I'm going to be making a separate post about that and I'll link it once it's up, so look out for it! We also decided to head up Whiteface Mountain. Let me tell you, you drive up most of the way and expect stairs to the top. No. You start out with stairs and then hit an uphill battle of rocks and railings. It was manageable  ( God bless those little kids who made the climb), but I would hate being there on a rainy day. The view at the top however, is woah. Just wow. Completely worth the rocky path of death on the way up. 

Also you'll notice a bit of a blur in the corner due to my dad turning on the date stamp on his camera (it's smaller so easier for a hike) and it bothers me so I blurred it. 

We always planned to go to the Olympic Toboggan experience, but when we went, it was closed. I was really bummed as it looked like an adrenaline rush.  I'm going to do a post about the village itself, so watch out for that as well. 

Thanks for tuning in! See you soon! 

Sincerely,

Claire