Autumn Foliage Report for Table Mtn Area + Crawford Notch (24-Sep-2009)

[1HappyHiker]

Gheez! How I love autumn! I wanted to be everywhere in the Whites today, instantly, and all at once, to check out the foliage. However, it wasn’t long before reality set in, and so I had to settle for just doing a quick check of a few locations (Table Mtn off Bear Notch Rd; Crawford Notch; Rocky Gorge area off the Kanc).

The bottom-line to today’s adventures is that “peak foliage” hasn’t arrived yet in these particular locations, but it’s getting there!

Below are 3 snapshots taken from Table Mountain.

Looking Southeasterly Down the Swift River Valley

Looking South Toward Chocorua, Paugus, etc

Looking Northwesterly Toward Bartlett Haystack, Tremont, Carrigain, etc
(A short bushwhack is required to get this particular view from Table Mtn.)

After finishing up Table Mountain, I took a short drive down to the Kanc to check out the foliage in the vicinity of Rocky Gorge.
Here I got my most colorful view of the day!

And, on my way back home, I did a bushwhack off the Dry River Trail up to a ledge that overlooks a portion of the Crawford Notch in the general vicinity of Mts. Crawford and Bemis. It appears that it will be awhile before “peak foliage” hits here.

1HappyHiker

 

[Mattl]

Very nice!

 

[Cymbidium]

The Rocky Gorge photo is stunning. What a glorious time of the year!
The early morning and afternoon light just makes everything glow!

 

[grouseking]

Excellent! I'm coming up to NH and hopefully hiking on 10/4, so it looks like the foliage is right on schedule, and will probably be almost ready to peak when I get there. Is it me, or does the foliage look slightly muted as compared to last year? Maybe it is because I didn't see too many reds yet.

Thanks for the report!

grouseking

 

[1HappyHiker]

Mattl and Cymbidium: Thanks for your nice words.

Grousking: Happy to hear that you found the report useful. Regarding your comment about the foliage looking “slightly muted as compared to last year”, just as with real estate, I think the major determining factor is “location, location, location”. For example, the colors around the Rocky Gorge area were brilliant as compared to what I saw on Table Mtn and the Crawford Notch.

Also, lots of other factors come into play, like the person taking the photo and the camera being used. I merely use a “point & shoot”. Others who use a better camera could probably capture the colors much better than I can.

And, not to prolong this, but in my very amateurish opinion, I think the colors in photos are generally more muted the higher up you are. Many of the best autumn photos I’ve seen have been taken at low elevations, or at ground level.

 

[NeoAkela]

Great report on the foliage, John. You are so right - no matter where you are, just around the corner the conditions are different. I saw the best color display so far this year on the side of a parking lot. Too bad those maple trees don't grow higher up on the peaks!

 

[DougPaul]

Also, lots of other factors come into play, like the person taking the photo and the camera being used. I merely use a “point & shoot”. Others who use a better camera could probably capture the colors much better than I can.

Your pictures look fine to me.

Using a P&S vs a DSLR is probably not a factor. The color saturation can vary between camera models and can also be changed in many cameras (both P&S and DSLR).

There are many good P&Ses available which can take perfectly fine daylight landscape photos. The human behind the camera is usually a bigger factor than the camera. There is even a just released photographic art book in which all pictures are taken with a cell phone... http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321684788


Approximate quote reputed to be from the Baron von Richthofen (WWI fighter pilot ace): "It's not the crate, but the man in the crate."

Doug

 

[forestgnome]

Great stuff! Thanks for posting these nice pictures...it's a great look at the progress of the foliage for we leaf peepers

happy trails

 

[kltilton]

I was on Table Mt. yesterday with a crew doing trail work and I found the colors pretty brilliant. The photos I took didn't do it justice though. Table Mt. is definitely a neat view in the fall.

 

[1HappyHiker]

Doug: Thank you for your reply, and especially thanks for the link to the book “The Best Camera Is The One That's With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis”. Guess I’d never thought of it in that way, i.e. the best camera is the one that’s with you! No camera, no photo!

Forestgnome: Thanks Patrick for your kind words. Don’t know if you happen to recall it, but it was on Table Mtn where you & I first met. When I arrived, you were patiently waiting for a cloud to pass by so that the lighting would be better over Bear Mtn.

Kltilton: First of all “thank you” for your trail work on the Attitash Trail. That is such a magnificent trail from the trailhead on Bear Notch Rd up to Table Mtn. I’ve never taken the trail beyond Table Mtn. Do you maintain the trail beyond Table Mtn as well?

I was on Table Mt. yesterday with a crew doing trail work and I found the colors pretty brilliant. The photos I took didn't do it justice though.

I know exactly what you mean! I think that’s why I was a bit self-deprecating about the photos I posted. They just didn’t seem to capture what I was seeing. Guess there’s no substitute for actually being there!

 

[kltilton]

We (the White Mountain Milers running club) adopted the section from Table Mt. to Big Attitash. We covered about 1/2 a mile from Table to Big Attitash yesterday. A few members of our group were able to clear some trail near the summit of Big Attitash before losing the trail. It's a neat trail, seldom used because of the lack of views and maintenance, but we're hoping to keep it open. We cleared a few of the blowdowns on our way down Table yesterday.

Before clearing...

After clearing

 

[DougPaul]

Doug: Thank you for your reply, and especially thanks for the link to the book “The Best Camera Is The One That's With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis”. Guess I’d never thought of it in that way, i.e. the best camera is the one that’s with you! No camera, no photo!

Don't have the book myself, but it illustrates that there is no need for camera envy. Many owners of fancier cameras carry P&Ses on the trail because they are small, light, and quick to use.

I was on Table Mt. yesterday with a crew doing trail work and I found the colors pretty brilliant. The photos I took didn't do it justice though. Table Mt. is definitely a neat view in the fall.

I know exactly what you mean! I think that’s why I was a bit self-deprecating about the photos I posted. They just didn’t seem to capture what I was seeing. Guess there’s no substitute for actually being there!

The color space that you can see with your eyes is larger than the colorspace of the sRGB space commonly used in digital digital cameras. Some bright reds are among the missing. And, of course, human memories aren't 100% accurate either...

If you don't understand the details, just stick to sRGB. This is the default on most (all?, almost all?) consumer cameras.

Color can be complicated stuff, a few refs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorspace
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/colour_theory.shtml
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/adobe-rgb.htm

Doug