John in NH
Member
Despite my romance with the coyotes of Belknap county and having come face to face with a massive bear at 30 foot distance a week ago on the 3 ponds loop, I put aside my fears of things that go howl and growl in the night, and headed up the pitch black Mount Major Trail at 5:40 am yesterday. I have been up Major at least 40 times, as it is part of a regular trail running routine for me, but had never done it in the dark. It was cool how I had individual rocks and trees memorized, even in the headlamp tunnel vision.
I got to the top just as first deep magenta light developed in the Eastern sky. I was the only one around, except the guy who climbs major every day (don't know if he wants to be named). A routine and often crowded place became a completely different, special, and powerful place for me as I took photos for the next two hours.
Pre-sunrise lighting
The summit rocks were soon bathed in purple, this is no trick
Belknap Mountain had awesome fog pouring over its summit, behind the ridge of Mt. Straightback
The "regular" made it back to the summit for his second time that morning just as the sun was rising. Lost in conversation with one of the other member of the Mt. Major early morning club that has developed. Wonderful to see such community in the mountains.
It was a long wait before the Straightback slopes weren't half shadowed to get a clean shot of the peak foliage
Final look across Winnipesaukee to the Ossipees and Whites over a sea of foliage
Only downside to the morning was dropping my graduated neutral density filter and cracking it and being a few minutes late getting home to take care of my daughters so my wife could start work at 9 am on this "holiday" Monday. Oops!
