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dvbl
Guest
Day 1: Mt Hight, up and back from 19 Mile Brook trailhead. Enjoyed two and a half hours of blissful, unadulterated laziness on the summit....Guess I'm a peak-basker rather than a peak-bagger. Took some photos, had some snacks, took a nap (almost, I was 3/4 out), and listened a bit to the games/lessons taking place among a group of kids on a chaperoned school outing. They were learning about rocks, glacial cirques, alpine flora, and flirting on a mountaintop. Good stuff all. Saw Carter Dome and waved to it. Maybe next time. Happy where I was. Then back down. 19 Mile Brook is a cool destination in itself for a nice casual hike/picnic/off-trail jaunt.
Pizza at Mr Pizza in Gorham. In the tent (and mostly asleep) from about 10pm to 6am. Overnight temps upper 40's.
Day 2: Pinkham Notch. Sunrise from Square Ledge. Wish I had gotten there 15-30 minutes earlier, but gotta sleep sometime. Was gonna walk up Mt Carrigain, but as I was sitting on Square Ledge, Huntington Ravine was beckoning. So decided on a Huntington Ravine-summit-Tuckerman Ravine loop. I love Huntington Ravine. It's hard, it's tiring, and I love every second of it. First time at the fan (two years ago) I left the trail and just rock-hopped straight up toward the first slab. This time for kicks I followed the trail proper. Definitely prefer the straight shot up the fan, rock-hopping, hugging the left side until it comes out near the slab. Speaking of the first slab, that seems to get the most attention, and deservedly so. Rolling down from the top of that slab will definitely ruin your health record. But I find a few spots further up to be more difficult to negotiate. Not the same type of exposure, just a little trickier. Oh well, different strokes. Think I was the first one on the Hunts trail today as I enjoyed a steady, nourishing diet of cob-webs (cobbo-loading?). Topping out on the headwall and looking back down into the ravine and across the notch is 10 minutes well-wasted. At the summit as I was eating I was joined at my table by two gentlemen; one was 80, the other was 80 AND A HALF (as the 80-year-old quickly pointed out; he kept calling him "the old guy"). They had me laughing so hard I had trouble eating. The summit highlight was a woman hiker who walked past me and had the second most beautiful pair of legs I've ever seen while eating a bowl of chili on a mountaintop. Views from the Top, indeed. (I have to stress "SECOND most beautiful..." in case wife reads this). Glad she and most other women have not followed men into the stupid MTV-inspired "style" of wearing shorts that go below the knees. I hope women keep wearing real shorts. We notice, and we thank you...oh, and the boots don't hurt either. OK, where was I? Descent down the Tuckerman Ravine headwall on a clear day was gorgeous as always. You know the rest. And then the long drive home.
Both days I started sometime in the morning, and finished sometime in the afternoon, and had a good time in between. Mileage and elevation gain and elapsed time were legendary...please shower me with praise. Lucked out with two great weather days. Some pictures in case you haven't been there in Autumn.
Pizza at Mr Pizza in Gorham. In the tent (and mostly asleep) from about 10pm to 6am. Overnight temps upper 40's.
Day 2: Pinkham Notch. Sunrise from Square Ledge. Wish I had gotten there 15-30 minutes earlier, but gotta sleep sometime. Was gonna walk up Mt Carrigain, but as I was sitting on Square Ledge, Huntington Ravine was beckoning. So decided on a Huntington Ravine-summit-Tuckerman Ravine loop. I love Huntington Ravine. It's hard, it's tiring, and I love every second of it. First time at the fan (two years ago) I left the trail and just rock-hopped straight up toward the first slab. This time for kicks I followed the trail proper. Definitely prefer the straight shot up the fan, rock-hopping, hugging the left side until it comes out near the slab. Speaking of the first slab, that seems to get the most attention, and deservedly so. Rolling down from the top of that slab will definitely ruin your health record. But I find a few spots further up to be more difficult to negotiate. Not the same type of exposure, just a little trickier. Oh well, different strokes. Think I was the first one on the Hunts trail today as I enjoyed a steady, nourishing diet of cob-webs (cobbo-loading?). Topping out on the headwall and looking back down into the ravine and across the notch is 10 minutes well-wasted. At the summit as I was eating I was joined at my table by two gentlemen; one was 80, the other was 80 AND A HALF (as the 80-year-old quickly pointed out; he kept calling him "the old guy"). They had me laughing so hard I had trouble eating. The summit highlight was a woman hiker who walked past me and had the second most beautiful pair of legs I've ever seen while eating a bowl of chili on a mountaintop. Views from the Top, indeed. (I have to stress "SECOND most beautiful..." in case wife reads this). Glad she and most other women have not followed men into the stupid MTV-inspired "style" of wearing shorts that go below the knees. I hope women keep wearing real shorts. We notice, and we thank you...oh, and the boots don't hurt either. OK, where was I? Descent down the Tuckerman Ravine headwall on a clear day was gorgeous as always. You know the rest. And then the long drive home.
Both days I started sometime in the morning, and finished sometime in the afternoon, and had a good time in between. Mileage and elevation gain and elapsed time were legendary...please shower me with praise. Lucked out with two great weather days. Some pictures in case you haven't been there in Autumn.
