Essex County

Essex County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,370. Its county seat is Elizabethtown. Along with Hamilton County, Essex is entirely within the Adirondack Park.

Essex County is in the northeastern part of New York State, just west of Vermont along the eastern boundary of the State. The eastern boundary of Essex County is Lake Champlain, which serves as the New York – Vermont border at an elevation of just under 100 feet (30.5 m). The highest natural point in New York, Mount Marcy at 5,344 feet (1,629 m), is in the Town of Keene. The Ausable River forms a partial northern boundary for the county.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essex_County,_NY

Before Dysfunction Junction – NY 73 and US 9 (1955 Topo)

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It looks like prior to the late-1950s, Dysfunction Junction was a fairly ordinary triangle-style intersection, basically a Y with a gravel and oil packed leg for the occassional traffic turning from US 9 South to NY 73 West.

Shown above is the 1955 Keene Valley Topographic Map.

Twin Mountain

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On Sunday I went for a hike a top of Twin Mountain. After getting up early on a Saturday morning, it was an interesting drive up Platte Clove Road in the morning. Everything was still wet in the woods from the previous night’s rain, it made some rather pretty god rays coming through the trees.

Fog

As you continue up the trail, there is a set of stone chairs in an old query.

Chairs

Following the Blue Trail.

Blue Marker

As you reach the the top of Pecoy’s notch there is a pretty Beaver Swamp between Twin and Sugar Loaf Mountains.

Beaver Swamp

The sign to Twin Mountain says .7 miles remaining, but it’s a steep .7 miles to reach the top.

To Twin Montain

The views climbing the mountain show TriMount in the background and Sugar Loaf in the foreground.

Sugar Loaf and TriMount

Finally you reach 3,500 feet elevation, and shortly there after the top of the western most peak of Twin Mountain.

3500 Feet Elevation Marker

The trail is certainly steep at times. You have to climb up this wet rock face, with limited handholds for about 20 feet. Scratched up my radio doing this, and somewhat took my breath/sense of fear of heights when doing it.

Right Up the Rock Face

The views of South Hunter Mountain, Platteau from the western peak of Twin are great. Also, don’t forget to continue on for another 1/2 mile down a dip and back up to the other peak of Twin Mountain.

Ashokan Reservior

Dysfunction Junction (US 9 and NY 73) outside of Keene

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The intersection was built long before the Northway, which was wasn’t completed until the late 1960s.

According to an engineering book at the time, the design is a “bulb type-T intersection” that “favors the heavier right-turn movement from the upper to the lower left leg of the intersection. Sight distances are excellent and approach speeds are approximately 40 miles per hour.”

https://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2010/09/dysfunction-junction-whats-your-function.html