Setting the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for the Ultimate Mt. Marcy Adirondacks Picnic Experience
- dennisvink8
- Dec 29, 2023
- 4 min read
A picnic is a relatively new concept first popularized by the famous Grand Teton Picnic which was first completed in 2012. Ever since there's been a boom in the picnic self proclaimed sufferfest. It is essentially a mountain triathlon in the order of: bike, swim, and then run. And once you do it one way, you do it all in reverse. Having been fascinated by the picnic boom and the ability to make oneself question their life choices, we set out to create our own.
Hailing from the East Coast and always overshadowed by the vastness of the West we crafted a picnic in on if our favorite areas on the east coast: the Adirondacks of New York state. Setting the route to "picnic" at the top of the tallest point in New York, Mt. Marcy. We crafted a course that takes you through a classic experience of what the Adirondacks have to offer.
First, bike from the town of Saranac Lake, in front of Hotel Saranac and across from the Saranc Lake 6er bell, all the way to ADK Heart Loj (17 miles)
Swim directly across the Heart Lake getting out at the other end and slight bushwack to the trail (0.3 miles or around 650 yards)
Begin your run to the summit of Mt. Marcy, follow the trail to Marcy Dam and then continue up the direct route to the summit of Mt. Marcy (7.5 miles)
Reach halfway at the top of New York State and reverse it.
Run back to Heart Lake (7.5 miles)
Enter the water where you exited and swim back across Heart Lake (0.3 miles)
Get on your bike and bike back to Saranac Lake (17 miles)
You're officially a East Coast Picnicker!!!!
Total Distance: 50 miles and 6000 ft of gain
FKT Website Link: https://fastestknowntime.com/route/mt-marcy-adirondacks-picnic
This route begins in Saranac Lake, New York. Right outside the Hotel Saranac on Berkeley Green is the Saranac Lake 6er bell. Begin your ride at that point and follow the route all the way to the ADK Heart Loj which sits right next to Heart Lake. From the Loj you can see the water go straight down the path to the waters edge where a little beach greets you. Swim directly across the lake and get out the other side where a little trail puts you back on the main trail. Follow the main trail around the lake and all the way to Marcy Dam. After Marcy Dam take the trail directly to the summit of Mt. Marcy. Have your picnic up on the summit turn around and reverse everything.
Our Experience
We honestly had no idea what to expect. Knowing how the trails are in the Adirondacks we know 15 miles on trail can be very deceiving. However, the whole experience went quite well and we ended up finishing in a total of about 11 hours.
We started off at just around 7 am and followed the route pretty easily. Once we got to the Heart Lake we stashed our bikes in the woods near the lake and got set up.
Using dry bags we put our sneakers, clothes, and any other gear inside. We then attached the dry bags to ourselves using rope and swam across the lake. We completed the challenge in early September and the water was a perfect temperature. Doing this in October may warrant a wet suit but the distance isn't so bad that you're in the water for a while. Use your own discretion though and make sure you have a lifejacket attached to yourself or in our case our dry bag that you can grab!!!!
(You're dry bag will obviously float but you don't want to rely on that if you have an emergency and need something to keep you afloat)
Super important if you get caught out there to have some safety device.
Getting out of the water we changed and stashed our bags in the woods as well. We got into a good rythm and walked the ups and ran the flats.
The top was beautiful and we were met with lots of people day hiking Mt. Marcy. Of course we had to have our picnic which wouldn't be complete without our obligatory Subway sandwich #pleasesponsorus
After a 20 minute break we turned around and reversed the whole route. Coming back down the trail we got into a pretty great flow state as it was all down hill and anybody thats hiked Mt. Marcy knows, you're jumping from rock to rock on the way down.
Finally back at the lake we swam across and biked back to Saranac Lake. Definitely feeling it in our legs but crossed back into town and completed the challenge.
After the challenge we had to indulge in some deep fried calorie dense American grub. We had dinner at the Pickled Pig in Lake Placid
Definitely recommend it if you're hungry. Portions are massive and we probably ended up eating 5 lbs of food including a burger called the Crack Burger and a large plate of fries called the Cardiac Arrest
Yes those are the Cardiac Arrest fries being shoved down Ben's throat.
We really hope that this can spur some more picnic challenges especially on the East Coast. As college students and East Coasters on a strict monetary budget and a time constraint, we want to show others you can complete some pretty cool challenges in your own backyard. Feel free to email us with questions and hope to see others complete this challenge!
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