Mount Marcy
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Mount Marcy is the highest point in the
Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...
and the U.S. state of New York, with an elevation of . It is located in the town of Keene in Essex County. The mountain is in the heart of the High Peaks Wilderness Area in
Adirondack Park The Adirondack Park is a park in northeastern New York (state), New York protecting the Adirondack Mountains. The park was established in 1892 for "the free use of all the people for their health and pleasure", and for watershed protection. At , ...
. Like the surrounding Adirondack Mountains, Marcy was heavily affected by large
glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s during recent
ice age An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
s, which deposited boulders on the mountain slopes and carved valleys and depressions on the mountain. One such depression is today filled by Lake Tear of the Clouds, which is often cited as the highest source of the
Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...
. The majority of the mountain is covered by hardwood and spruce-fir forests, although the highest few hundred feet are above the tree line. The peak is dominated by rocky outcrops, lichens, and alpine plants. The mountain supports a diverse number of woodland mammals and birds. Mount Marcy's stature and expansive views make it a popular destination for hikers, who crowd its summit in the summer months. Multiple approaches to the summit are available from the north and south, with the most popular route being the Van Hoevenberg Trail. The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made by a party led by
Ebenezer Emmons Ebenezer Emmons (May 16, 1799October 1, 1863), was an American geologist whose work includes the naming of the Adirondack Mountains in New York as well as a first ascent of Mount Marcy. Early life Emmons was born at Middlefield, Massachusetts, ...
on August 5, 1837, who named it after New York governor William L. Marcy. One of the mountain's most notable ascents was made in 1901, when
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
climbed it with his family, and learned during his descent that
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
was dying and he was to become President of the United States.


Name

The mountain was known as ''Wah-um-de-neg'', meaning "always white", in the Missisquoi Abenaki Tribe. Another
Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pred ...
name for it and the surrounding mountains was ''Wawobadenik'', meaning "white mountains". The contemporary name Mount Marcy was provided by
Ebenezer Emmons Ebenezer Emmons (May 16, 1799October 1, 1863), was an American geologist whose work includes the naming of the Adirondack Mountains in New York as well as a first ascent of Mount Marcy. Early life Emmons was born at Middlefield, Massachusetts, ...
following his ascent of the mountain in August 1837. The mountain is named after William L. Marcy, the 19th-century Governor of New York, who authorized the environmental survey that explored the area. In September 1837, the area was visited by poet and author Charles Fenno Hoffman, who proposed the alternative name ''Tahawus'', a Seneca term which has been translated as "cloud-splitter" or "he splits the sky". The alternative name became popular during the 19th century, and the nearby village at Lower Works was renamed Tahawus in 1847. Many New Yorkers advocated for it to become the official name. A misconception arose that this was an original indigenous name for the peak, although there is no documented use of it prior to Hoffman.


Geography

Mount Marcy is the highest point in New York, the highest peak in the
Adirondack Mountains The Adirondack Mountains ( ) are a massif of mountains in Northeastern New York which form a circular dome approximately wide and covering about . The region contains more than 100 peaks, including Mount Marcy, which is the highest point in Ne ...
, and the highest of the
Adirondack High Peaks The Adirondack High Peaks are a set of 46 mountain peaks in the Adirondack Mountains of New York (state), New York state. They have been popular hiking destinations since the late 1920s, when the list of peaks was published in Russell Carson's bo ...
, with an elevation of . The mountain is located in the High Peaks Wilderness Area, in the town of Keene in Essex County. Three shorter peaks are located on the flanks of Marcy: Gray Peak to the west, Little Marcy to the northeast, and an unnamed peak to the northwest. Lake Tear of the Clouds, at the col between Mounts Marcy and
Skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...
, is often cited as the highest source of the Hudson River. Between Mount Marcy and Mount Haystack lies Panther Gorge. A large rock slide on the southern slope of the mountain, now called the Old Slide, was incorporated into the first cut trail to the summit, which approached from Panther Gorge.


Geology

Mount Marcy is composed of
anorthosite Anorthosite () is a phaneritic, intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock characterized by its composition: mostly plagioclase feldspar (90–100%), with a minimal mafic component (0–10%). Pyroxene, ilmenite, magnetite, and olivine are the mafic ...
rock formed approximately 1.1 billion years ago. During the
Pleistocene Epoch The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
, large
glacier A glacier (; or ) is a persistent body of dense ice, a form of rock, that is constantly moving downhill under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires ...
s formed across the Adirondack Mountains, carving new valleys and depositing erratic rocks across the mountains. The last glacial retreat of the Pleistocene occurred 12,000 years ago. Numerous
cirque A (; from the Latin word ) is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by Glacier#Erosion, glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from , meaning a pot or cauldron) and ; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform a ...
s were left on the mountain slopes by water as it repeatedly froze and thawed, including a depression on the northeast slope known as the snowbowl, and another on the south slope which has now been filled by Lake Tear of the Clouds. The mountain, along with the surrounding Adirondack region, is currently rising at a rate of 2-3 millimeters per year.


History

The earliest recorded ascent of Mount Marcy was on August 5, 1837, by a large party led by state geologist Ebenezer Emmons measuring the highest peaks in the region. Interest in recreational climbs of the mountain increased after 1849, when mountain guide Orson Schofield Phelps moved to the area. Phelps would ascend the mountain over 100 times and cut the first two trails to the peak. Surveying teams led by Verplanck Colvin made several important ascents of Mount Marcy in the 1870s. Colvin's team measured the mountain's elevation by leveling in 1875, and a signal tower was erected at the summit in 1877. After observing the effects of deforestation during his travels in the Adirondacks, Colvin proposed the creation of a park in the mountains. Most of the Adirondack region, including Mount Marcy, had been sold to private landowners shortly after the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
. In 1922, the state of New York acquired the land containing the summit to add to the state forest preserve. Vice President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
was on a vacation in the Adirondacks when President
William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...
was shot by an assassin on September 6, 1901. Roosevelt rushed to Buffalo to see the president, but believed he would recover and resumed his trip. On September 13, when it became clear McKinley was dying, Roosevelt was staying at Tahawus, and spent the morning ascending Mount Marcy with his family. A messenger had to be dispatched to deliver the news and reached the party at Lake Tear of the Clouds during their descent. They hiked back to their lodge, where Roosevelt hired a stage coach to take him to the North Creek train station. There, Roosevelt was informed that McKinley had died, and the new president took the train to Buffalo to be sworn in. The route from Long Lake to North Creek has been designated as the Roosevelt-Marcy Trail. Marcy's popularity as a hiking destination has steadily increased in recent decades, conflicting with the goal of keeping the mountain and the surrounding area as
wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plurale tantum, plural) are Earth, Earth's natural environments that have not been significantly modified by human impact on the environment, human activity, or any urbanization, nonurbanized land not u ...
. The number of registered visitors at trailheads in the High Peaks Wilderness increased from 57,016 in 1988 to 139,663 in 1998, prompting the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to formulate the High Peaks Unit Management Plan in March 1999. A 2021 study by Otak observed significant crowds on the summit of the mountain on popular summer days.


Routes

The shortest and most frequently used route up the mountain is from the northwest on the Van Hoevenberg Trail. The trail starts at the Adirondak Loj near Heart Lake and proceeds to the summit. Marcy Dam is located on the route from the trailhead along with campsites. This route involves a gain of in elevation from the trailhead to summit. Portions of the trail can be used for alpine skiing in the winter. A second ascent route approaches from the northeast, via the Phelps Trail in Johns Brook Valley, which merges with the Van Hoevenberg Trail shortly before the peak. Beginning at the Garden parking lot in Keene Valley, this route is to the summit. The Johns Brook Lodge, the closest lodging to the mountain, is located from the trailhead. This route involves a gain of in elevation. The mountain can also be ascended at the end of the Great Range Trail, which begins at the Rooster Comb trailhead in Keene Valley. This route is much more challenging and crosses the summits of the
Great Range The Great Range is a mountain range in the Adirondack Mountains, near Keene Valley, New York, United States. It rises in the heart of the High Peaks region between Ausable Lakes to the southeast and the Johns Brook Valley to the northwest. ...
before merging with the Van Hoevenberg Trail, for a total distance of one way and of cumulative elevation gain. A lengthier southern approach can be made from the Upper Works trailhead via the Calamity Brook Trail. The route passes Lake Colden and Lake Tear of the Clouds on the way to the summit, and can also be used for skiing in the winter. This approach is to the summit and there several campsites along the route. Less commonly, a southern approach can be made from the Elk Lake parking lot on the Elk Lake-Marcy Trail. This trail crosses private land and is closed during the big-game hunting season. The route is to the summit and involves a gain of of elevation. A lean-to is available for camping at Panther Gorge, located from the trailhead. The two southern routes meet at the Four Corners intersection at the col between Mounts Marcy and Skylight, from which both peaks can be accessed. On clear days, 43 of the other 45 High Peaks are visible from the peak of Marcy.
Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...
can be seen to the east, and
Mount Royal Mount Royal (, ) is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The city's name is derived from the mountain's name. The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentian M ...
in
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
can be seen to the north, away.


Climate

Mount Marcy has a
warm-summer humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(''Dfb'') as defined by the
Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
system, closely bordering on
subarctic The subarctic zone is a region in the Northern Hemisphere immediately south of the true Arctic, north of hemiboreal regions and covering much of Alaska, Canada, Iceland, the north of Fennoscandia, Northwestern Russia, Siberia, and the Cair ...
.


Ecology


Flora

The lower slopes of Mount Marcy are covered by hardwood forests containing American beech, sugar maple, and yellow birch trees. The upper slopes contain balsam fir and red spruce. Above an elevation of , only the balsam fir grows. The cold and windy climate near the summit creates a krummholz zone with short, crooked trees and large areas of exposed rock where no plants can take root, although
lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...
s will grow on the rocks. About near the summit is covered by
alpine tundra Alpine tundra is a type of natural region or biome that does not contain trees because it is at high elevation, with an associated harsh climate. As the latitude of a location approaches the poles, the threshold elevation for alpine tundra gets ...
vegetation where trees cannot grow, a remnant of the tundra ecosystem which covered the entire region at the end of the last ice age and retreated uphill as the climate warmed. This small ecosystem is primarily covered by
sphagnum moss ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store water, since ...
and is home to other alpine plants, including alpine
bilberry Bilberries () are Eurasian low-growing shrubs in the genus ''Vaccinium'' in the flowering plant family Ericaceae that bear edible, dark blue berries. They resemble but are distinct from North American blueberries. The species most often referre ...
, cottongrass, Labrador tea, Lapland rosebay, and leatherleaf. Botanist Edwin Ketchledge conducted an ecological study of the summits in the late 1960s and concluded the alpine plants were being destroyed by litter and trampling from hikers, after which habitat restoration projects were carried out in the 1970s. The Summit Steward program was established to educate hikers against wandering off the trails and to mark the trails to the summit with
cairn A cairn is a human-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehistory, t ...
s. A long term study between 1957 and 1981 found that away from the hiking trails and direct human impact, the alpine ecosystem was stable over long periods of time.


Fauna

A variety of birds can be found in the spruce-fir forests of the upper slopes, including black-backed woodpeckers, golden-crowned kinglets, and white-winged crossbills, as well as mammals such as
pine marten The European pine marten (''Martes martes''), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red Lis ...
s,
porcupine Porcupines are large rodents with coats of sharp Spine (zoology), spines, or quills, that protect them against predation. The term covers two Family (biology), families of animals: the Old World porcupines of the family Hystricidae, and the New ...
s, and red squirrels. Despite the harsh climate, the summit of Marcy is still home to many animals. Birds that frequent the alpine zone of the High Peaks include
common raven The common raven or northern raven (''Corvus corax'') is a large all-black passerine bird. It is the most widely distributed of all Corvidae, corvids, found across the Northern Hemisphere. There are 11 accepted subspecies with little variatio ...
s, dark-eyed juncos, white-throated sparrows, winter wrens, and several species of warbler. Mammals that live in the alpine zone include American ermines, long-tailed shrews, and
snowshoe hare The snowshoe hare (''Lepus americanus''), also called the varying hare or snowshoe rabbit, is a species of hare found in North America. It has the name "snowshoe" because of the large size of its hind feet. The animal's feet prevent it from sink ...
s. The alpine meadows support pollinating insects, and bees,
butterflies Butterflies are winged insects from the lepidopteran superfamily Papilionoidea, characterized by large, often brightly coloured wings that often fold together when at rest, and a conspicuous, fluttering flight. The oldest butterfly fossi ...
,
flies Flies are insects of the Order (biology), order Diptera, the name being derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwin ...
, and
wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder ...
s can be found in the summer. Several species of
leafhopper Leafhopper is the common name for any species from the family (biology), family Cicadellidae: based on the type genus ''Cicadella''. These minute insects, colloquially known as hoppers, are plant feeders that suck plant sap from grass, shrubs, or ...
have been identified, some of which are endemic to alpine environments.


Gallery

Image:Adirondacks Mount Marcy From Mount Haystack.JPG, Mount Marcy seen from Mount Haystack, looking across Panther Gorge Image:Mt Marcy summit seen from near Little Marcy NY.jpg, Summit of Mount Marcy seen from near Mount Skylight Image:Mt Marcy Adirondacks.jpg, Mount Marcy summit Image:2016-09-04 12 38 34 Historical plaque on the summmit of Mount Marcy in Keene, Essex County, New York.jpg, A historical plaque at the peak


See also

* List of mountain peaks of North America **
List of mountain peaks of the United States This article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of the United States of America. The summit of a mountain or hill may be measured in three main ways: #The topographic elevation of a summit measures the height of the tip o ...
***
List of U.S. states by elevation A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links


Backcountry information for Adirondack Park
at ''dec.ny.gov''
Mount Marcy hiking guide
at ''lakeplacid.com''
Mount Marcy geography
at ''peakbagger.com''
Mount Marcy description
at ''summitpost.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Marcy, Mount Mountains of Essex County, New York Hudson River Adirondack High Peaks Highest points of U.S. states Mountains of New York (state) One-thousanders of the United States