Lake Tear of the Clouds

Lake Tear of the Clouds, a small pond on the slopes of Mount Marcy, the highest peak in the state, is usually cited as the headwaters of the Hudson River, though there are higher sources for the streams that feed the river, and the named Hudson River actually begins miles downslope. Nonetheless, the romantically named pond (the tear in its name refers to the drop of liquid coming from an eye, not the tear that is suggested by Mount Marcy’s nickname: cloudsplitter) is certainly one of the sources of the river. Within a short distance after leaving the pond, its waters enter a network of diverted streams, engineered in the 19th century, to propel an early mining operation, known as the McIntyre Iron Works. Even at its roots, near the top of the state, the Hudson River emerges as a constructed artifact of an industrial culture.