Mt. Israel (NH) for a Quasi-Sunset, 01/22/09
Now that the afternoon light (not to be confused with Afternoon Delight) is getting longer, my after work hiking options are expanding. Though a bit bittersweet, as I'm now consistently missing Oprah (perpahs I need one of those Tivo things), it's nice to be hiking later in the afternoon in light.
I was still a bit on the fence as to whether or not I'd try to try Israel for a sunset today, that is until I saw the conditions report posted by Silverfox, reporting that his group had broken out the trail.
to you!
As the Bradys once sang, "Sha na na na na na na na na, sha na na na na...autumn turns to winter..."
As the Bradys once sang, "I just can't stay inside all day, I gotta get out, get me some of those rays. Everybody's smilin', sunshine day, everybody's laughin', sunshine day, everybody seems so happy today, it's a sunshine day:"
As the Bradys once sang, "it's time to change." The sun was giving way to clouds:
As the Bradys once sang, "Keep on singin' and dancin' all through the night" - a brief glimpse at the setting sun was a nice sight from the false summit:
As the Bradys once sang, "we're gonna keep on, keep on, keep on movin'" - I did just that, continuing to the summit. I had some nice colors in front of me:
As the Bradys once sang, "it's not just for the seasons you know, it goes for everything" - soon I was at the summit, bare even with multiple feet of snow on the ground:
The Sandwich Range was stuck in a snow storm, so the views weren't particularly stunning to the north.
The real reason I wrote this trip report wasn't to increase Brady Bunch album sales; this report was written to describe a lesser known view ledge near the summit of Mt. Israel that provides dramatic views.
Threatened by the Sandwich Mafia, the AMC White Mountain Guide Editor was somewhat vague in writing about a somewhat hidden ledge:
"Some cairns mark a lightly beaten path that leads about 100 yd. northeast from the summit to ledges with more views to the north and east."
This path isn't particularly noticable - in fact, I didn't even venture on it until my 5th time on Mt. Israel. While there are a few cairns near the actual ledge it leads to, the path itself isn't particularly obvious. To get there, face north at the summit cairn, head downhill a few feet, bear right, then drop down a short ledge under a spruce tree slightly to the left, and head straight to the, then obvious, ledge. Another smaller (but better for southern views) ledge is located a bit to the right of the main ledge.
Not surprisingly, today the faint herd path was not broken out. In my opinion, the ledges this path leads to provide some of the best views in the Lakes Region. Here's what the entrance to the path looks like when standing at the summit cairn:
Normally the views from these ledges feature nearly the entire Sandwich Range. Today, things were like a 1972 Pink Floyd album - Obscured by Clouds:
The Ossipees, Lake Winnipesaukee, the Belknaps, and Red Hill were seen with slightly more ease:
Perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of sunset hiking is the post-sunset colors that drape the horizon for the descent:
Now that the afternoon light (not to be confused with Afternoon Delight) is getting longer, my after work hiking options are expanding. Though a bit bittersweet, as I'm now consistently missing Oprah (perpahs I need one of those Tivo things), it's nice to be hiking later in the afternoon in light.
I was still a bit on the fence as to whether or not I'd try to try Israel for a sunset today, that is until I saw the conditions report posted by Silverfox, reporting that his group had broken out the trail.
As the Bradys once sang, "Sha na na na na na na na na, sha na na na na...autumn turns to winter..."
As the Bradys once sang, "I just can't stay inside all day, I gotta get out, get me some of those rays. Everybody's smilin', sunshine day, everybody's laughin', sunshine day, everybody seems so happy today, it's a sunshine day:"
As the Bradys once sang, "it's time to change." The sun was giving way to clouds:
As the Bradys once sang, "Keep on singin' and dancin' all through the night" - a brief glimpse at the setting sun was a nice sight from the false summit:
As the Bradys once sang, "we're gonna keep on, keep on, keep on movin'" - I did just that, continuing to the summit. I had some nice colors in front of me:
As the Bradys once sang, "it's not just for the seasons you know, it goes for everything" - soon I was at the summit, bare even with multiple feet of snow on the ground:
The Sandwich Range was stuck in a snow storm, so the views weren't particularly stunning to the north.
The real reason I wrote this trip report wasn't to increase Brady Bunch album sales; this report was written to describe a lesser known view ledge near the summit of Mt. Israel that provides dramatic views.
Threatened by the Sandwich Mafia, the AMC White Mountain Guide Editor was somewhat vague in writing about a somewhat hidden ledge:
"Some cairns mark a lightly beaten path that leads about 100 yd. northeast from the summit to ledges with more views to the north and east."
This path isn't particularly noticable - in fact, I didn't even venture on it until my 5th time on Mt. Israel. While there are a few cairns near the actual ledge it leads to, the path itself isn't particularly obvious. To get there, face north at the summit cairn, head downhill a few feet, bear right, then drop down a short ledge under a spruce tree slightly to the left, and head straight to the, then obvious, ledge. Another smaller (but better for southern views) ledge is located a bit to the right of the main ledge.
Not surprisingly, today the faint herd path was not broken out. In my opinion, the ledges this path leads to provide some of the best views in the Lakes Region. Here's what the entrance to the path looks like when standing at the summit cairn:
Normally the views from these ledges feature nearly the entire Sandwich Range. Today, things were like a 1972 Pink Floyd album - Obscured by Clouds:
The Ossipees, Lake Winnipesaukee, the Belknaps, and Red Hill were seen with slightly more ease:
Perhaps one of the most underrated aspects of sunset hiking is the post-sunset colors that drape the horizon for the descent:
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