The dreary day that started out as drizzle, was just clear enough at the summit to take in some of the foliage views. I think that most of the 8 ladies on the hike would agree that the summit was the best part of this hike, although it is a lovely trial. It was really cold and breezy and the first snowflakes were spittin’……how fun is that?! :)
We had all kinds of weather... rain on the drive up through Pinkham Notch, humidity heading up, cool fog at the summit, breaks of sunshine at the summit of the Horn and more pleasant temps and air for the way down. The scenery is beautiful with a lot of mud along the trail. The final rock scramble to the top of the Horn is a group sport with helping hands to pull or push you up.
The foliage was noticeably more progressed from the notch north; beautiful colors coming along.
Ginger, Tracy, and Dick hiked up the Falling Waters trail (aptly named) to the top of Little Haystack. Below are Ginger and Tracy at one of several scenic waterfalls along the way.
We passed Sandy high up on the mountain, also doing the loop with friends. A short way below the top, Doug and Pam having started later, passed us. Below are the group atop Little Haystack, with Mt Lincoln behind us, further up the Franconia Ridge.
The weather was perfect for this hike - totally clear, with spectacular views in all directions. The trail is above tree line for over two miles. Below is the view eastward from atop Lafayette, looking over the Pemigewasset Wilderness, not seen from any roadway. Seen in the foreground is the long hump of Owls Head, over 1,000 feet lower and which we did last week. Beyond that and a bit to the left are the Bonds, and further out and back a bit toward the right is Carrigain.
Doug B. led the B group up Mt. Hayes out of Gorham, NH. An interesting start crossing over the river. We took a detour to the pond, then worked our way to the summit using the Mahoosuc trail. Once at the scenic overlook, we took in the views but made our way to the actual summit just a bit further.
We then decided to make the trek over to the Centennial trail junction and that was worth the trip. We met a thru hiker family, heading north to Maine. They were carrying all the usual gear, but in addition had a one and two year old with them as well. I couldn't help but have a million questions like diapers, and temper tantrums, but they were making good time and I had lunch on my mind. All in all it was another great day on the mountain.
The Turtles hiked Mt. Roberts on Sept. 14 -- an absolutely gorgeous day to enjoy the amazing views. Half of the group headed straight back down from the top, and the other half took a longer route down (High Ridge Trail to Faraway Trail to Cold Spring Trail), treating ourselves to a well-deserved ice cream after a hike of 8.7 miles.
Lea, John, Ricky, Mary, Peter, Tracy, Deb. Jorge
Photographer: Andy
Leanne and Karen set out at 8AM to summit Mount Garfield 4500’. We had a beautiful crystal- clear day, and with no bugs, it was a bonus. We ate lunch at the top and took in the spectacular views. We were down by 2:30 to enjoy the rest of this beautiful Tuesday!!!
And it doesn’t get any better than this as you can see from
the photos. Dry trail for the most part.
Tracy and Dick were awaiting a nice early fall day, with cool temperatures and dry air, for the long 16-mile Owls Head hike. Doug and Pam were along also, although they had done the hike earlier in the summer. Pictured below are all four of us on the steep, rocky slide up the side of Owls Head, then Pam, Tracy, and Doug at the wooded summit. For Tracy, it was peak #46!
Five of us took the Edmands Path up to Mt Eisenhower, in the southern Presidentials. While sunny elsewhere, the higher peaks were in the clouds. But as the morning went on, the cloud ceiling lifted somewhat and breaks developed. At the summit, we were in and out of the clouds, with those sudden and stunning views of adjacent peaks. One had to be quick with the pics, or the view was lost. Up out of the trees, the wind was quite a breeze, with temperature somewhere around 50, and we were bundled up. Below are Steve, Dick, Marie, Pat, and Ellen at the summit cairn. A moment before the picture there was a view, but...
Following a good bit of rain, and a lot of humidity, we had a lovely day for hiking. We took the Champney Falls trail up, stopping to enjoy the beautiful falls between 1.4 and 1.7 miles. The trail was plenty wet and muddy, but otherwise in good condition.
We hit the summit to Chocorua just under 3 hours and sat briefly to enjoy the views and a lunch at the top. On the way down we took the cut off trail over to Middle Sister to check out the structure and opposing views. The complete hike took us about 6 hours. The bear sighting at the end of the day was a nice treat.
Pat and Dick hiked up the Rocky Gorge Trail to the totally open 4,802 foot summit of Moosilauke on a nice hiking day. There were a number of other hikers up top, too. For the descent, they took the Carriage Road trail down to where the Glencliff trail ties in. Also at that intersection is where the short trail to the south summit begins, which they took in as a side trip, for its views. Then it was back to the Carriage Road and down to the Snapper trail, which took them back to the Rocky Gorge trail. The hike marked the completion of Dick's "over 75" round. Below is Pat at the top.
