Hiked Mt Marcy with Makenna S. on a Wednesday. This was my third time up Mt. Marcy, but it had been 26 years since the last one, and it was Makenna's first time. I let her lead to set the pace. Left Adirondak Loj/Heart Lake at 08:00. Conditions at trailhead were 50's, calm and partly overcast. Made a couple water stops on the way up, and a couple stops to admire the views at Marcy Dam and Phelps Brook. Stopped for a snack at Indian Falls Overlook, which had a nice view of Wright Peak and Algonquin, though the peak of Algonquin was shrouded in clouds. Continued on, hitting clouds around the start of the alpine vegetation zone, and the wind started picking up. From that point on, there wasn't much visibility except for brief breaks in the cloud cover. The lack of visibility made it hard to judge how much remained. Reached the summit at 13:55 with zero visibility past the summit. Peak Steward said he measured the wind at 53mph. Temp was in the low 40s - good thing we brought jackets for the top.
Ate lunch at the summit then headed back down the trail we came on. It started raining within about 30 minutes after leaving the summit, then rained most of the way back down until almost Marcy Dam. It ranged from misting to rain, with mostly drizzle. Made brief stops on the way down. Couldn't see much from Indian Falls Overlook this time. Reached the trailhead at 19:45. Trail was pretty well maintained, with some remaining mud. Much of the hike past Marcy Dam was very rocky - lots of boulder fields with solid rock requiring a bit of scrambling near the peak. The trail wasn't too steep in most places, but the rocks made it feel like it took a long time to get anywhere. It was a long, but enjoyable day hike. We saw less than 20 people all day. It would have been rated better if we could see anything from the summit.