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- Apr 20, 2013
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Took a little walk up and over Mt. Major here in NH along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee. Stoopid nice day out; hiked in shorts and a T-shirt the whole way. The only uncomfortable part was at the summit; it was blowing 30-40 kts. and made my plans of firing up the JetBoil for lunch totally moot. Used the 12 for taking photos, LOL. Also along for the ride were a my custom 11, a LightMyFire Mora, a couple folders and my Spartan Difensa. Really, I just took all that steel for the weight training. My winter pack is kinda set up and ready to go, so all in all it was about 40 lbs. This trip made me realize more than ever that I need a pair of MicroSpikes. Too thin and variable for the crampons I had with me, too damn slippery to go without some traction. Really had to concentrate on picking my line, and I still took a couple of diggers. Still, it was a seriously nice day - made me glad to be alive and outdoors on this big spaceship we call home.
heading out:
My travelling companion:
The trail was mostly icy, but coverage was thin:
Evidence of the area's glacial past and one of the many leaverites (as in "leave 'er right" there) on the Boulder Loop:
The view back down; it gets pretty vertical nearing the 1 mile mark.
The lake in the background:
The way forward:
A little squeeze:
Starting the steep part; hard sometimes to see where the trail is....and I think "ummm, that doesn't look too safe"...
A quick look in the other direction confirms I'm NOT going that way....
Finally up to the plateau that leads to the peak. Found a large patch of wintergreen; picked some in hope of making some tea....
The "Granite State" earns it's nickname!
The lake is mostly ice-free....surprising, and bad news for the ice fisherman who, if this weather persists, will be removing their bobhouses earlier than ever this year, lest they sink into the lake.
Summit; there's a partial stone foundation leftover from a hut that was there some decades ago. It offers a tiny bit of protection from the wind, but I just took a pic and boogied since I didn't want to start adding layers I was just going to have to take off.
On the way down I stopped for a moment and noticed these wood chips surrounding this tree....
Looked up to see the work of a pileated woodpecker (one of the "woody woodpecker" variety....they are like avian jackhammers):
Then I walked the rest of the way to the parking lot and didn't take any more photos. The last half mile was extremely difficult to navigate; a jeep trail packed with ice. I bushwhacked a fair bit just to have some traction.
Hope you enjoyed the photos, and may you all get a chance to get out into the "church of the open sky" soon.
heading out:
My travelling companion:
The trail was mostly icy, but coverage was thin:
Evidence of the area's glacial past and one of the many leaverites (as in "leave 'er right" there) on the Boulder Loop:
The view back down; it gets pretty vertical nearing the 1 mile mark.
The lake in the background:
The way forward:
A little squeeze:
Starting the steep part; hard sometimes to see where the trail is....and I think "ummm, that doesn't look too safe"...
A quick look in the other direction confirms I'm NOT going that way....
Finally up to the plateau that leads to the peak. Found a large patch of wintergreen; picked some in hope of making some tea....
The "Granite State" earns it's nickname!
The lake is mostly ice-free....surprising, and bad news for the ice fisherman who, if this weather persists, will be removing their bobhouses earlier than ever this year, lest they sink into the lake.
Summit; there's a partial stone foundation leftover from a hut that was there some decades ago. It offers a tiny bit of protection from the wind, but I just took a pic and boogied since I didn't want to start adding layers I was just going to have to take off.
On the way down I stopped for a moment and noticed these wood chips surrounding this tree....
Looked up to see the work of a pileated woodpecker (one of the "woody woodpecker" variety....they are like avian jackhammers):
Then I walked the rest of the way to the parking lot and didn't take any more photos. The last half mile was extremely difficult to navigate; a jeep trail packed with ice. I bushwhacked a fair bit just to have some traction.
Hope you enjoyed the photos, and may you all get a chance to get out into the "church of the open sky" soon.
