^MtnMike^
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2004
- Messages
- 212
- Reaction score
- 35
To avoid the bugs and the heat I decided to do a night hike this Tuesday. The small ledge just below Mt. Willey’s summit has always seemed like it would be a good place to watch the sunrise, so I packed up the truck and headed out at 11pm on Monday.
I reached the Ethan Pond trailhead just after 1am and as I got ready to set off I realized that I forgot my hiking poles and my tripod. Doh.
I didn’t see or hear any wildlife as I headed up the trail, just insects (moths and harvestmen were abundant.) I was also buzzed by the occasional UFO and almost stepped on a toad. At the Ethan Pond/Willey Range trail junction I took a break to pick the thick accumulation of spider webs off my face.
After a quick snack I started up the Willey Range trail. The trail was steeper than I remembered, but (thankfully) easily ascended by headlamp.
I reached the view point just below the summit at the first hint of twilight. After a breakfast of cold ramen and Gatorade I improvised a makeshift tripod using my backpack and an empty food container. It wasn’t very level, but it kept the camera steady enough for long exposures.
As sunrise approached I watched lenticular clouds form over Mt. Washington and the Northern Presidentials. The brightening sky also brought clouds of black flies
Thankfully, there were no mosquitoes, so long sleeves and a head net were sufficient to keep the bugs from biting while I waited for the sun.
At 5:15 the sun crested Montalban Ridge. My third 4k sunrise!
After snapping many pictures I headed up over the summit to get some shots of Mt. Willey’s shadow across the Pemigewasset Wilderness.
After a quick summit stop I began the descent back down the Willey Range trail. Without my hiking poles the descent was really jarring and tiring on knees. I was extremely happy to see the Ethan Pond trail junction - from there it was smooth sailing back to the trailhead.
I saw no one on the trail the entire hike. This is only the second time I’ve ever had an entire hike all to myself.
A great day!
Full album here
^MtnMike^
I reached the Ethan Pond trailhead just after 1am and as I got ready to set off I realized that I forgot my hiking poles and my tripod. Doh.
I didn’t see or hear any wildlife as I headed up the trail, just insects (moths and harvestmen were abundant.) I was also buzzed by the occasional UFO and almost stepped on a toad. At the Ethan Pond/Willey Range trail junction I took a break to pick the thick accumulation of spider webs off my face.
After a quick snack I started up the Willey Range trail. The trail was steeper than I remembered, but (thankfully) easily ascended by headlamp.
I reached the view point just below the summit at the first hint of twilight. After a breakfast of cold ramen and Gatorade I improvised a makeshift tripod using my backpack and an empty food container. It wasn’t very level, but it kept the camera steady enough for long exposures.
As sunrise approached I watched lenticular clouds form over Mt. Washington and the Northern Presidentials. The brightening sky also brought clouds of black flies
Thankfully, there were no mosquitoes, so long sleeves and a head net were sufficient to keep the bugs from biting while I waited for the sun.
At 5:15 the sun crested Montalban Ridge. My third 4k sunrise!
After snapping many pictures I headed up over the summit to get some shots of Mt. Willey’s shadow across the Pemigewasset Wilderness.
After a quick summit stop I began the descent back down the Willey Range trail. Without my hiking poles the descent was really jarring and tiring on knees. I was extremely happy to see the Ethan Pond trail junction - from there it was smooth sailing back to the trailhead.
I saw no one on the trail the entire hike. This is only the second time I’ve ever had an entire hike all to myself.
A great day!
Full album here
^MtnMike^
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