Storm King towers over Lake Crescent Lodge from the southeast, and for that reason it’s tough to get a sense of its scale when hanging out near the hotel and its minor trails. Several years ago, my partner and I took a boat tour and saw the mountain from the water for the first time — and holy shit, was it something else. We set a goal to hike it someday once we had it in us fitness-wise, and just the other week we checked it off our list. 2000-some feet of gain across a mile and a half of treacherous switchbacks and rock slopes and zero regrets.
Storm King over Lake Crescent, spring 2019.