loanshark
Active member
James has been wanting to get up on the ridge for some time. We climbed Liberty in January, but were fogged in with no views. We knew we would be fighting crowds this weekend and the weather was supposed to good on Friday, so I asked James if he could take some time out of work. He told me that was a silly question and we were on our way. It was a perfect day for a ridge walk, 55 degrees, only wispy clouds and almost no wind. We decided to hike clockwise and started off on the Bridle Path. The first part of the hike serves as a nice warmup. It seemed we had just settled into a nice pace and we were at the first viewpoint. There was a temptation to linger but I told James the best was to come. All the viewspoints along Agony Ridge were great. The bright morning sun made the greens very vivid. The wet areas on the Ravine walls shined so brightly it appeared to be iced over. There were some nice flowers blooming along this part of the trail. A few Trilliums, but mostly Rhodora. The Agonies came and went and in no time we were at the hut. We stopped for a while to have a snack and drink some water,and take some pictures. The ridge was so clear we could make out some hikers who had just come off of Lafayett's Summit on their way south. After breaking out of the trees I noticed some Diapensia in bloom. These would become more common as we gained elevation. The Summit was not overly crowded. My camera started working overtime. The views seemed endless. Looking north, I noticed how close Lafayette's North Peak seemed. We decided to extend our hike and took off. It didn't take much effort. It gives you a nice view of the Twins and Garfield. The fur wave on the Twins really stood out. We retraced our steps and were on our way towards Truman and beyond. I slowed the pace down as I didn't want this hike to end. As you walk along the ridge you see the same mountains, but at different angles and with different light conditions. Finally we made the turn onto Falling Waters. Not too far down we ran into a couple of stubborn snow patches. The thing I most rember is the rough footing. Our knees were taking a beating on all the boulders. This trail has some switchbacks making things a bit more pleasant. Soon we could hear the brook and I knew things would become more enjoyable. Well the scenery was better, but along with the water came the bugs. We stoped long enough to get some nice waterfall shots, and were quickly back at the trailhead. Very enjoyable day. The Trails are in great shape. Not one blowdown, very little mud, and not many bugs till you hit the streams. All this on company time.
http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/577818662GMTORS
http://outdoors.webshots.com/slideshow/577818662GMTORS
