Over the summer a West Morris Mendham High School student, Erica Niehoff, climbed Haystack Mountain. Haystack Mountain, located in Lake Placid, New York, is the third tallest mountain in the Adirondacks and has an elevation of 4,960 feet. The mountain’s height presents a big enough challenge as it is, but Erica Niehoff was tasked with climbing the mountain the day after it rained which made the task’s conditions less than desirable. 

Erica Niehoff and her family went to Lake Placid over this past summer, and her family, which is very inclined to do things outdoors, planned on hiking the mountain. When asked about whether or not this was her first hike Erica responded, “My sister dragged me into it, so I’ve definitely been on many hikes before.” 

Before the hike Erica was unsure about whether she wanted to go on the hike or not due to the weather conditions from the previous day. When asked if she had any nerves before going on the hike she said, “Definitely. If anything I was asking my sister if she should go. I knew she really wanted to go, so I was like whatever ok.” So then the hike began, and the conditions were definitely a factor; Erica explained that, “Well the trails were really rocky, and there was extreme incline. So it was really dangerous, and was pretty muddy at times.”