Lyons, Sodus men ski Mt. Marcy
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Wayne County residents Mark De Cracker, of Lyons, and Steve Bartleson, of Sodus, skied to the Top of Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks just days ago. Mt. Marcy is the highest Mountain in New York State, at 5344 feet above sea level. The trip took over 10 hours and involved skiing over 14 miles of mountain terrain.

Both Mark and Steve have climbed all 46 peaks above 4000 feet in the Adirondacks. When Steve and Mark took on the task of skiing to the top of Mt. Marcy, they started up the trail at 6:30 in the morning. The trail had frozen the night before and was icy. Just before Indian Falls, they had to put skins on the bottom of their skis because the pitch of the mountain was so steep.

The closer they got to the top, the more incredible the view. But as the top became closer, the winds became more fierce. The skiiers encountered sustained winds of 50 mph, with gusts over 65 mph. A difficult challenge, but once to the top, they stayed an hour and a half - what they called an "experience of a life time."

When it came time to go down, Mark admits it was scary, at times - steep pitches with narrow skiing areas. At times, he and Steve had to do safety falls just to make sure they didn't come face to face with a tree. But by 3:30 p.m., they reached the parking lot - all in one piece.

Mark later said that the 10-hour trip was something he would never forget, and that he would do it again "in heart beat!"

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