Coe, South Brother, North Brother - July 26, 09

[The Unstrung Harp]

Not only did I get to hike up the crazy Coe slide, plus the Brothers of Doom, but I got to meet Adventurous and 7Summits!

Full report is here: http://trekforpeace.blogspot.com/2009/07/soon-north-brother-etc.html

And a few teasers...

 

[Jay H]

Great report and pictures UH, N. Bro seems to be always windy, it was pretty windy the two times I've been there (Summer and winter). That pond on the marston trail was kind of overflowing it's banks when Zero-G and I passed by it about a month ago.

Jay

 

[una_dogger]

Great pics! I love the second one in your "teaser" series --- really sums up the whole trail between the peaks.

No Fort?? Now you have to go back, its a really nice summit.


BTW, I am pretty sure the shrub you were trying to identify is Lapland Rosebay; ( Rhodedendron llapponicum). Its a heath type shrub that flowers in the alpine zones, and from what I understand its rare in Maine -- we saw TONS of it on Puzzle Mntn and Sunday River Whitecap -- and I even saw a few clumps here and there on Franconia Ridge last saturday. Its been a wonderful year for alpine plants!

If this plant has a different name, perhaps someone will come along and identify it.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Thanks guys!

Una, looked like a pine tree in stature. Bigger than a typical shrub. Then again, how big does a shrub have to be before it is a tree? *approaches confusion* Whatever it is, it's wicked cool-looking!

 

[una_dogger]

Oh, we may be referring to different pics -- I did see your question about the conifer with bendy needles, I was commenting on the flowering alpine shrub with the pink blossoms....so many beautiful and unusual plants out there! Especially on cloudy days, I find my eye focuses on the little things along the trail.

your pic, I think this is Lapland Rosebay.....will the experts agree????:

 

[Adventurous]

Great trip report and pictures!!! We saw one car at the trailhead when we arrived and had no idea it was you. Pretty cool that we ran into you on the way up North Brother. We were the only three people on that range for the day. Glad we could accompany you on the remainder of your hike.

 

[the_swede]

Nice trip report! That tree in the first picture is a tamarack (larch) I believe. It's a coniferous tree that loses its needles in the winter.

 

[the_swede]

Those pink flowers just look like mountain laurel blooms? It's kind of tough to tell cause it's blurry. But it looks like they're growing on a bush rather than growing close to the ground like "Lapland Rosebay" does.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Una.... Ooops, I forgot I'd posted that one! D'oh. Yep, I google-imaged Lapland Rosebay and that does look like it. Thank you.

Adventurous, I was wicked glad to run into you and 7Summits. I was running out of cool anti-moose songs by that point in the day and was having to recycle the lame ones. I can't believe we were the only three out there that day. I was fully expecting that others would be around! W00t VFTT.

 

[HuiYeng]

Hey Unstrung, it was very nice to meet you too. great pictures and love your macro shots too:

NICE!

Bummer you didn't make it to Bearly Live. Hope to hike with you again soon!

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Aw, thanks! That shot totally didn't come out how I thought it would, but it seemed kind of interesting so I had to include it. :>

I was sorry to miss the event too. I had 4 gigs with two different bands and then I did an overnight on Bold Coast Trail in Cutler, ME. Pics and report 99% done!

 

[Jazzbo]

Tamarack or larch

Loved your TR! Here's a picture I took of Tamarack (deciduous conifer) growing on summit of South Resolution last fall. It grows in boggy places mostly, but I found it on this open ledge at approx. 3000'. You can see the needles turned yellow and many of them have fallen by the time I took this picture. I've also seen it along trail in more typical beaver ponds habitat to Zealand Notch.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Thanks Jazzbo. Cooool pic. Are you into jazz, or does the name come from something else?

 

[Jazzbo]

Origin of Jazzbeaux

Thanks Jazzbo. Cooool pic. Are you into jazz, or does the name come from something else?

My name is been borrowed from a quirky radio personality Al "Jazzbo" Collins from NYC and Bay Area who played jazz. That's his picture in avatar - not mine. Read all about him here:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/jazzbeaux/

Yes I do like jazz music genre, but jazz has many dimensions. Some I don't like, but a lot I do. I like lots of other genres. I just happened to join VFTT right around the same time I came across a radio essay about Jazzbeaux on WICN one time on way back from winter ascent. So I borrowed his handle.