Your Top Ten Photos of 2012!

[Driver8]

Lots of nice photos - this is a fun thread.

Neil: It was worth the effort to add yours - they're both gorgeous.

Jake: I like the swamp/pond and the guys on top of the shelter, plus the one of you and Video. Nice stuff.

WardsGirl: I like your last two from Acadia a lot - nice composition.

Vegematic: Really like the gray jay shot and the waterfall in Baxter. Very pretty stuff!

Pudgy: Thanks for the feedback. I've been eyeing the Canon Rebel T series for a while. Hope to snap one up before too long, even though I'm sure it will take a while to internalize all the bells and whistles.

Unstrung: You have many beautiful shots - I'm really fond of the Tumbledown, Franconia and Death Canyon pics. That last bespeaks an astoundingly beautiful place. I'd be reliving that every day in my mind, too, were I you.

 

[brobichaud]

Great shots everyone!

Here's my top 10 for the year. It's been a very good year of hiking for me, and I'm looking forward to making 2013 even better.

Northern Presidentials from Carter-Moriah Trail descending into Carter Notch, 5/11/12

Alpine grasses on the Tableland of Katahdin, 7/13/12

Thunderheads from Spur Trail on Mt. Adams, 8/2/12

Mt. Willey from Mt. Webster, 9/7/12

Gnarly birch grove at the base of the Fan, Huntington Ravine, 9/22/12

Carrigain Notch from Zeacliff, 9/25/12

Ice on the AT near Crocker Cirque, 11/7/12

Striations on Saddleback, The Horn, 11/16/12

Osceolas from the Tripyramid North Slide, 11/23/12

Early morning light on Caps Ridge Trail, 12/12/12

All images taken with a Panasonic G-1, fitted with an adapter, sporting a Leica Summaron 35mm (c. 1952).

 

[Sunshine Chris]

Great photo everyone. I am really enjoying this thread. My camera is Nikon Coolpix 5820 with a 14X wide optical zoom/ 4.5-63.0 mm/ 13.3-5.9 (whatever that all means ) an Full HD movie. It is simple to use and I bring along an extra charged battery for it just in case I need it and have a 16 gig memory card.

 

[Tim Seaver]

Beautiful shots by all!

To narrow it down a bit, these would be what I would call my most meaningful local shots of 2012, images that I can immediately associate with a beautiful hike or special event in the Northeast.

Supermoon from Calais, Vermont

Buddies on Lafayette

Hikers Departing Baxter Summit

Burgundy Muffins With White Frosting

Lightning and Moonlight on Spruce Mountain

Hiker Leaving South Peak for Baxter Summit

Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge

Presidential Range Moonrise

A Perfectly Presidential Day

South Twin on a Fine July Day

 

[JacobH]

Nice lightning shot Tim! (the others are great too) And great pictures so far from everyone.

 

[NeoAkela]

Hard to pick only ten from what was an incredibly fun year of exploration for me. Spent many days wandering around the far north country, re-discovering several landmarks that I had read about in old history books. Clicked off about 20 more "lost" waterfalls during the spring season, and found references to at least that many more to seek out next spring. Many hikes in and out via headlamp. Here are the first ten that jumped out at me from the pile - I'm sure I'll look back later and think of ten others.

After an incredible March all-day undercast, we sat on the side of Mount Clay and watched the sun set. Of course, I forgot the tripod and had to prop the camera up on a cairn.

Coming home from a springtime adventure in the Second Grant, I stopped in the 13 Mile Woods to catch the sunset glow over the river. Very interesting clouds that day seemed to line up perfectly with a gap in the foliage.

An early summer walk along the Canadian border to stand on the Maine/NH/Canadian corner post. Caught a great sunset over lonely Boundary Pond before the day was over.

Finally got the "Watcher" shot I wanted after several attempts over the years. Sky and foreground came together nicely that day.

In an Autumn rainstorm deep in the wilderness of Dix Grant, long-lost Dixie Falls thundered under a deep yellow canopy. A surreal scene in a place I'd only seen in an old photo from the logging years.

The gorgeous new "Little Hellgate" trail in Pittsburg goes through a Tolkienesque forest. In the fall, the contrasts of greens to yellows are striking.

The Balsams may be closed, but the beauty of Dixville Notch in the Autumn is, in my opinion, unsurpassed. This old archway caught my eye as it bowed beneath the colorful canopy.

First Autumn snowfall on the tall peaks and I was off to Cherry Pond to catch the sunset. While the fading sun's colors were magnificent, the "blue hour" effects afterward created a pastel watercolor beauty.

November 6th.... after casting my vote, headed up the Gale River trail for some maintenance. The tops of the Twins were a brilliant white, so South Twin became a last-minute destination. Through the frosted trees, the rising peak of Garfield from the heights was an awesome sight.

A late December day after two days of rain created some amazing ice creations along the Falling Waters Trail.

 

[John in NH]

Thanks to everyone for sharing! One of the best things about hiking year round and doing all the 67 in one year was seeing familiar places in unique perspectives or new places. So I mostly tried to pick unique shots:

1. Undercast in Presi's from Pierce March 17, 2012

2. Sunbeams on Crawford Path, March 17 2012 Same hike as first picture, this happened as a hit the top of those clouds. I usually get a few of these shots per year.

3. Washington in Winter from Upper Ammo Trail, March 18, 2012 Yes, it still counts if the weather is nice!

4. New England's Only Slot Canyon? May 26, 2012 Decided to add the Cliff Trail onto my Mansfield hike and found this 100 yard long canyon with 200 foot high walls and narrowed to about 3 feet (see blue blaze). Some holes in the floor would not be good to get wedged in. The rest of the trail had about 20 PUDs that were slick rock class 3 scrambles up and down and hundreds of yards of trail completely covered in unavoidable moose poop. What a place!

5. Moose Family at Lonesome Lake, Sept 11, 2012 An hour before sunset I got to watch these 3 for an hour and a bull moose who came crashing in. I saw 9 total moose this year, 2 bears, and of course, lots of coyotes!

6. Detail on Arethusa Falls, Sep 22, 2012 This falls was so big, I realized some of the more interesting shots were in the details after spending an hour with it.

7. Washington and Clay Poking above Undercast at first minute of fall, Sep 22, 2012 Same day as the falls hike above. Love the way clouds change things in the Presi's

8. Hiker heading up Cathedral Trail, Mt. Katahdin, July 12, 2012 The Knife Edge gets all the attention, but the Cathedral Trail is really fun if you want lots of continuous class 3 scrambling on the grandest mountain in the East!

9. Fall on Edmands Path, Oct 2, 2012 Picked this because it reminded me how special hiking in fall is, when mundane sections of trails become something new around every corner!

The preceding 9 shots were taken with my trusty Canon T1i DSLR. The final shot was taken with a complete piece of crap and I was kicking myself for not having brought my good camera.

10. The sunrise I've driven past a dozen times, July 20, 2012 I like to hike early and I drive by this pond but never stop. That day I did and only dream of what I could have got with a tripod and DSLR.

 

[Maddy]

Some really outstanding pics. Thanks for sharing.

 

[w7xman]

What incredible shots in this thread!

I didn't end up hiking as much in 2012 as I have in past years, and many of the hikes I did go on turned out not to be too photogenic. Early in the year, I made three sunset ascents of Cherry Mountain/Owls Head, looking for light, and never getting intense alpenglow. I spent some time in the Southern Presis in June, but it was a poor year for the cushion flowers. My autumn hikes were nice, but my better shots were roadside. Hiking photos are therefore poorly represented.

I did find some great scenes to photograph this year on other outings, and am proud of the shots I got at some New England landmarks. I hope you enjoy my top ten, presented in chronological order!


Mist Below the Bridge... by Jim Salge, on Flickr
The covered bridge in Conway, NH, cloaked in the mist on a ten below morning...



Owl's Head After Sunset... by Jim Salge, on Flickr
The light this evening from Owl's Head wasn't what I had hoped for, but I loved the colors after sunset!



Blue Hour, Mount Washington Hotel... by Jim Salge, on Flickr
A long exposure of the Mount Washington Hotel during the blue hour...



Pile of Tired Kits... by Jim Salge, on Flickr
A friend tipped me off to a friendly fox den in Western New Hampshire, and I spent a whole day watching 'Fox Snooze.'



First Stretch by Jim Salge, on Flickr
In June and July, I spent a lot of time kayaking this year, and enjoyed my time with this loon family!



Summer Glow at Portland Head Lighthouse by Jim Salge, on Flickr
Best light show I've seen at Portland Head!



Into The Northern Light by Jim Salge, on Flickr
A car drives on Rt. 16 under a midnight aurora over Chocorua Lake!



Sugarloaf Reflection by Jim Salge, on Flickr
A perfect sunrise at Wildlife Pond with a great view to the Sugarloafs



Iron Mountain Autumn Pano by Jim Salge, on Flickr
A fall frosting on the Carters from my favorite trailhead in the Whites...



Christmas in New Hampshire by Jim Salge, on Flickr
Stark, NH in a snowstorm this past week! Been wanting this shot for a while and am thrilled it all came together!



Here's to great hiking, and great light in 2013!

 

[NeoAkela]

Great to relive all these moments with everyone. Tim, Burgundy Muffins With White Frosting are my favorite - thanks for sharing! John in NH - love those undercast shots! My photo was from 2 days before yours... quite a special week up in the high peaks. Jim - I love those foxes! Great moments captured wonderfully by everyone posting here so far - keep them coming!

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

2012!

As always there are a pile of spectacular and meaningful shots in this year's edition! Congrats to all for "Being out there." which, of course gives us the opportunity to capture these great moments. Whether it's a breath-taking scene, or a summit shot at the end of a long journey, they are all great and hold meaning for us all as we share them in this wonderful medium. I love photography because we can capture that unique split second in time that although may be repeated, will never be exactly duplicated. I love it too because we can share the memory with others who were not with us as well. Over the years I have recorded our mountain hikes with thousands of photos and since retiring in '09 I have expanded the photo taking to almost all aspects of my life. There are some in this collection which weren't taken in the mountains, but still will have interest on this page. They are, after all my favorite photos of the year, right?

Our sometimes dog Blue (Senator Blutarsky) on the Ammonoosuc Ravine Trail 1-7-12

Sunset over the Southern Presidentials from "Goofers Point" on the summit of Mount Washington. I took this during a weeklong shift as Volunteer at the Mount Washington Observatory. 1-21-12

Some night photography from the summit of Mount Washington, also during my Volunteer shift at the Observatory The green is a faint aurora, the rest is light pollution. There is a meteor streak over the tower.

Approaching Bondcliff on my 53rd birthday. Never thought when I started winter hiking I would ever get the NH48 all in winter. This left me with Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison to finish. 2-4-12

On a beautiful, bluebird Prezzie day Emma, Judy and I were able to join Tim L and Justin F on a loop up Ammo/Crawford to Washington and since it was such a nice day, on over to Jefferson. Tim and Justin bagged Monroe while Emma, Jude and I carbed up in "The Dungeon" for the trip to Washington and Jefferson. Tim finished his single season Winter 48 on Jefferson that day! 3-12-12

The classic Franconia Ridge from Lonesome Lake shot. Will always be a favorite! 3-31-12

As a photographer you hear about things that might be photo worthy and often you will venture out to see what you might see. These immature Great Horned Owls were in a cemetery in Andover, Massachusetts. 5-2-12

Tragedy struck on Mount Adams at the start of my W48 completion. Emma pulled up lame and she and Jude turned around with some great friends willing to forego the hike to make sure they got out OK. Well, after surgery and a long rehab we were able to get Emma back out on the trails. We returned to the site of her first "mountain" hike, Mounts Battie and Megunticook in Camden, Maine. 6-17-12

For this one I rolled out of bed, wiped my eyes, pulled on some clothes, picked up my camera and stumbled out to my backyard. Powow Pond Kingston, NH. 7-20-12

Loon on Mooselookmeguntic, Rangeley, Maine. I paddled along in a group of five surrounding me. I guess they realized I am a loon as well. 8-4-12

This guy likes to fish near my house. I have watched him since he appeared with his parents five years ago. He has matured and now has his complete adult plumage. I hope he finds a mate and makes the Powow his forever home!

This is just a handsome young fellow we met near Crawford Notch one day.

Oops, that's a dozen! Well, it was hard to choose, I had a lot more favorites! If you are so inclined you can look at more of my work HERE:

KDT

 

[sdways01]

Here are mine in order that they happened this year. I shoot with a Nikon D80. The lens I normally have on is an 18-135 F3.5-5.6G. I will also sometimes use a 28mm F2.8D and my new 80-200mm F2.8D.
I fully admit by the time I was done making my list, I had 12 pics. I had already narrowed it down to that and wasn't sure what to eliminate, so I cheated and put in two extra.

2-4-12
Signal Ridge - Mt. Carrigain

3-18-12
Honeymoon in Dominica. Mt. Diablotin, my first foreign 4K and the high point of the eastern caribbean. Much of the upper trail was like this... nothing like at home

3-22-12
Honeymoon in Dominica. Victoria Falls. The picture doesn't give the sense of scale. This waterfall is 175 feet high

4-29-12
Mt. Washington from Mt. Isolation

6-17-12
Sunset at Madison Spring Hut on the first night of my presi traverse

6-18-12
The Great Gulf on my presi traverse. The combination of the long steep drop next to the trail and the sheer size gave me a new appreciation for this place

6-30-12
View from Mt. Guyot on my hike of Zealand and the Bonds to finish out my NH 4Ks

8-7-12
A quick after work hike to watch the sunset on Mt. Monadnock. Growing up nearby, this is one of my favorite places (69 summits of the mountain so far)

8-12-12
A trip to Swans Island, Maine. Shortly after getting on the island, my wife asked what there was for wildlife. We turned the next corner to find mom and these twins.

9-22-12
Waterfall on Webster branch of Webster-Jackson Trail. Above Silver Cascade

10-6-12
Caterpillar on Mt. Monadnock. Don't forget to look at the small things too

10-9-12
Mt. Lafayette on a Franconia Ridge traverse. First winter like conditions of the season. I experienced fall, winter, and spring all on this one hike

 

[Driver8]

More amazing photos, so many of them professional quality. Both inspiring to a budding amateur, and a bit daunting. Since some of you "cheated" and threw in a few extra, I will follow suit with some I wanted to throw in. Call them bonuses.

One from a Christmas Eve hike of St. John's Ledges on the Appalachian Trail in Kent, CT, just after I posted my Top 10, looking up from the base:

I liked the light and the greens in the forest on this one from 3000' or so on the Osseo, 12/9:

Southward from Flume, same day:

From below the cliffs of Talcott Mountain, Simsbury, CT, on Thanksgiving Day:

On the way up I-91 to the Garfield hike, 11/23, Moosilauke from the Bradford Rest Area in pre-dawn light past undercast in the CT River Valley:

One more, of the southern Presidentials from a part of the Jewell/Gulfside intersection area with a passel of quartz-laden boulders, which was a treat to my eyes on the Father's Day Washington trek:

Anyhow, I'm up to Sweet 16, which is more than enough. Hoping this coaxes some more awesome pics from the true talents here.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

"Enough?" There is no "enough"! Posting more than 10 photos = proof that breaking rules can be a good thing. Everyone's pics are awesome...

 

[Sunshine Chris]

Driver 8- nice pic of St. John's ledges
Sdways- I like the waterfall, Great Gulf photo, Mt. Washington from Isolation and the caterpillar
Kevin- I like the owls big time and the loon and eagle and the night shot on Mt. Washington
great photos all- thanks for sharing

 

[Sabra]

As a photographer you hear about things that might be photo worthy and often you will venture out to see what you might see. These immature Great Horned Owls were in a cemetery in Andover, Massachusetts. 5-2-12

Kevin - may I ask where in Andover this picture was taken? is this the West Parish cemetery (Rt. 133)? Also, do you know by any chance if these owls reside in this grove or they were just passing through the area? I live in Andover and will certainly give the place a visit for the slightest chance of seeing these beautiful creatures.

Thanks for this picture and the others. Fantastic!

 

[Driver8]

"Enough?" There is no "enough"! Posting more than 10 photos = proof that breaking rules can be a good thing. Everyone's pics are awesome...

I like the way you think, Harp.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Kevin - may I ask where in Andover this picture was taken? is this the West Parish cemetery (Rt. 133)? Also, do you know by any chance if these owls reside in this grove or they were just passing through the area? I live in Andover and will certainly give the place a visit for the slightest chance of seeing these beautiful creatures.

Thanks for this picture and the others. Fantastic!

They hatched and fledged in Spring Grove last May. Not sure of the chance of them returning this spring...

KDT

 

[nartreb]

Very hard to choose 10, but #1 is pretty clear:




It was a long trek from January...


to December


This year there were more waterfalls than peaks along the way:


That's four so far... I'll pick six more later

 

[JustJoe]

Christmas Tree on the Black Snout Trial:

Bluebird Presi's Day:

Sunrise Lenticulars over The Moats:

Sunset & Sunrise over The First Connecticut:

Always have one of these:

Franconia Notch from secret spot:

First foliage:

My favorite view on the Baldfaces:

George the day after Christmas: