Crane Mountain Loop(edit)

Tough Ascent! Steep from the beginning. Short, but to the point. Gorgeous forest and trail ladders make this a very interesting and fun hike. View from the summit is typical of the Adirondacks, beautiful. Crane Mountain Pond is a jewel! Had it to myself, icky mud and leaf bottom in places but a perfect place to swim in solitude. Lovely stands of conifer along the shoreline. Wildflowers in bloom. While this peak isn't a 46er, I found it to be more challenging than Cascade & Porter! Relentless boulder and root choked ascent. Loved it :) One of my favorite overall hikes. Partly sunny, low winds on summit. Low 70s to upper 60s. Trail was very wet where the stream feeds into the pond. Mud and running water almost the whole way back to the junction with the red trail. Plenty of water available. No bugs.