Dated 10/21/23
The hike had been calling. I had wanted to explore the Adirondacks for some time. Finally we dedicated out annual fall hike trip to Lake Placid region in Keene Valley New York. The destination was Indian Orchard and Rainbow falls loop.
Trail Head Customary Parking lot Picture
The spectacular Indian Head overlooks the Lower Ausable Lake in the Adirondack Mountains which is shaped like a European Fjord. But there are more remarkable landmarks within the Adirondack Mountain Reserve which are only minutes away including several waterfalls.
Rainbow Falls NY is a gem of the Adirondacks High Peaks. This extraordinary waterfall is a 150 cascading waterfall set in a mystical gorge filled with lush greenery, mosh, and misty rocks. The waterfall gets its name from the occasional rainbow that appears against the glistening waters as the sun hits the rocks.
The hike was planned in advance to hit peak fall foliage. Some of our regulars decided not to go due to predicted rain but few decided to brave it included myself. Some one missing was Shaukat, the prodigal Ustad who was nursing some back issues.
On a wet Friday, I picked up Atif Bhai from his home and along with Taha, my brother from Seattle who was used to the rain, made our way to Zubair Bhai’s home nestled in the hills in Mount Holyoke range. Sitting in his front porch, on some of the arm chairs, the view is breathtaking. This is what I and Atif did as we waited for him to come home. We loaded our stuff in my new Honda Ridgeline truck and started on our journey. We wanted to make it for our dinner reservations and stopped only once for coffee. The way was full of discussions as we benefited from our intellectual philosopher, Zubair Kareem. He schooled us on diverse topics like Dementia and memory dysfunction to Islamic finance and everything in between. Of course, we also solved the problems of Pakistan and the muslim world .
Forty Six: Keene Valley, Awesome Bison Meatloaf
We made it to our reservation at the forty six in time. The name looks like a sports bar but the restaurant offered fine dining with a rustic cabin like feel typical of New England. The food was fresh and amazing, from bison meatloaf to pumpkin Ravioli and Chicken Tikka Masala which we all shared. Lighthearted jokes added to the fun and we made our way to Hampton Inn at Lake Placid.
Hampton Inn. Lake Placid
We woke up early to meet for breakfast where we met Atiq the newest member of group. An outdoorsman who frequently does small hikes with the family, he was ready to go. We picked up sandwiches at old mountain café in Keene Valley and made our way to the trail head.
This hike is on land some of which is private and managed by AMC (Appalachian Mountain Club). We needed a permit to park. We started hiking at 9 am up the lake road. The initial part of the hike is gentle on paved road. There is a golf course on one side and beautiful fall foliage greeted us as we stopped to take pictures.
9 AM : Wet and Wild Keene Valley: Taha and Zubair Kareem
Fall Colors
As we made our way up, the hike quickly became muddy and slippery which added to the fun. We hiked along a stream and there were many small waterfalls that we encountered on the way.
The Outdoors man: Atiq
As we made our way up, we occasionally met some hikers but it was smooth sailing most of the way as we had the whole trail to ourselves. There was gradual ascent till the last part of the climb where we did some quick climbing to make our way to the top. The Indian head top is breathtaking. You have the view of the valley with the lake in the center dividing the mountain into two halves. It was cloudy yet clear and we could see the misty smoke going up the mountain as if the valley was exhaling after taking a deep breath on a cold morning.
We rested on top enjoying our sandwiches and hot coco. Nothing beats the effort to me with a hot beverage in hand looking down from the summit taking it all in. The descent was challenging as the rain had picked up making the path muddy and slippery. We were careful but came down at a decent pace as we made our way to Rainbow falls.
Rainbow falls and Beaver Meadows Falls
The falls are majestic with decent amount of water hurtling down at pace hitting the rocks and creating a misty hue which is good to take in especially if you are close to it. I navigated the slippery rocks and made my way close to the fall. As I gazed into the mouth of the water fall, it reminded me of the flow of time relentlessly moving forward coming crashing down irreversible and majestic.
The way back from the falls was challenging as we started getting tired. Continuing to soak in the views, we made it way past the check in hut, glad that we made it back safely. We quickly changed in the parking lot to drier clothes and threw the wet stuff in the ample space in the truck. The way back was again full of insightful discussions. As we got home, we said a prayer for completing a memorable hike.
We will be back😊
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