soggy and very humid day hike from last weekend.

[JV3]

a few feet in and i spotted this little newt out in the open.

...and another one a few feet away.

spyderco military for size reference.

this little guy was watching me from a distance while i was photographing the newts.

this is one of my favorite trails. i wanted to overnight here during the winter but due to the freak october storm last year there was some road damage (according to the park's official website) and cars were off-limits until recently.

unfortunately that's not a nice, cold early morning mist...it's more like a hot, sticky haze!

lightning damage? it's been there since i started hiking two years ago.

i spot something watching me on top of one of those dead trees in the distance.

turkey vulture?

...i see you.

with all the heavy rain in the past few days and the ground still soaked, i was expecting to see a lot of mushrooms but this was the only one i saw that day.

one tree had several of these bubbly things - i'm betting some kind of eggs.

leaving the exposed rocks behind and going deeper into the woods.

slick rocks and a big camera around my neck off-setting my balance made for a hairy hike.

i almost bit the dust on this slick boulder holding a camera in one hand.

buns of steel! heh, it's another start of a several stories climb.

wild strawberries?

golf-ball rock.

it was already 80° f at 9 am! what the pic doesn't show is it was already upwards of 90% humidity too...ugh. give me below-freezing temps anyday!

 

[JV3]

spider web catching some dew...the pic doesn't show the rainbow look to it.

more climbing, at least it was dry and very grippy.

i spot the shelter.

there were people in tents near the shelter so i didn't stick around for long, giving them the privacy.

i went past the shelter and started looking for the nearby stream indicated on the map to see how strong it is...i wouldn't want to hike in the water for an overnighter all the way up here if i don't have to.

very few flat spots in this area. the ones that are flat have a constant reminder not to camp there due to possible lightning risk.

i found the stream but it wasn't as strong as i'd like...hopefully it'll still be there at the height of summer.

pretzel tree.

i wish i can sleep in a hammock.

heading back...what comes down must come back up!

with the potentially slick terrain, this place should be empty come winter time.

the haze is almost gone and there's actually a nice breeze going on.

i watched this little guy rappel down starting from my head height branch right down to the ground.

by now these crickets were all over the place, making a huge racket...only one i saw brave enough to be out in the open though.

a 360-view of the highest point i hiked.

i was wandering around and accidentally stumbled onto this marker.

i decided to take a lunch break right there.

...caught this hitch-hiker.

just before the parking lot, i spotted this ambitious one shooting for the sky...not happy to be just like everyone else!

 

[JV3]

i still had time so i decided to continue on to my usual spot.

rotting tree supporting the next generation.

not sure what this is but i'm guessing another insect growing in there.

couldn't get a better angle but it looked like a dragonfly with really long legs...never seen one like that before!

a late day thunderstorm was in the forecast so decided to bring my new lightweight tarp to break it in.

not sure if that semi-transparent material will provide enough shade in a direct sunlight though...hopefully, it won't act like a greenhouse.

blends in decently enough.

a multicam tarp will disappear completely in this terrain but this gray isn't as bad as i thought.

i switched to the titanium emberlit recently...first burn time!

i was swimming in sweat but just had to play with fire!

i must be sick, there's no spam again!

 

[Myker]

That certainly looks like a hot nasty day, and you just happen to have that orange Millie with you when you saw those newts, great picture.

Great stuff as always man, please, keep it coming.

 

[Mikel_24]

Looking good. Scenery is great and your pictures are amazing.

Mikel

 

[baldtaco-II]

Cuckoo spit [froghopper]

 

[WILLIAM.M]

Great Photos

I'm jealous of your area!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to post

 

[Hawkeye5]

Great pic's I like the orange lizard. Do you like this tarp better than the one you had for sale?

 

[Mistwalker]

Awesome photos man, thanks for sharing the hike! Some really beautiful scenery there, and that does look like a great place to camp, I'd have to check that out in the autumn. Glad to see I'm not the only one who gets into checking out the small creatures of the wild, really nice shots of that newt as well as the millipede and the others. We have those geodetc markers in the mountains here too. If these shots were taken with an iphone I want one just to carry around as a smaller camera Thanks man, really enjoyed looking over the thread, I ate up so much time looking that it took me two days to reply to it...

 

[HikingMano]

[...]

not sure if that semi-transparent material will provide enough shade in a direct sunlight though...hopefully, it won't act like a greenhouse.
[...]

I have an older siltarp2, and while it doesn't shade as well as a more opaque poly tarp or similar, it does the job well enough in direct sunlight. I haven't noticed much of a greenhouse effect with mine (of course, I pitch loftily to take advantage of air movement and head space, unless I need a wind block as well as a sun shade).

I'm liking the look of the newer reinforced ID Siltarps.

 

[JV3]

That certainly looks like a hot nasty day, and you just happen to have that orange Millie with you when you saw those newts, great picture.

Great stuff as always man, please, keep it coming.

thanks! perfect timing with the military indeed since i usually leave it at home if i know i'm not doing any food prep.

Cuckoo spit [froghopper]

thanks!

Great Photos

I'm jealous of your area!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to post

thanks dr. bill!

Great pic's I like the orange lizard. Do you like this tarp better than the one you had for sale?

thanks! i don't like the 5'x7' in general now - a tad too short in rain unless it's coming straight down only which is rarely the case in my area. i still have my multicam 10'x10' though (the one i sold is the multicam 5'x7') but it is almost 3 lbs compared to the siltarp2's 13 oz! it has it's advantages so i'm not sure if i'll get rid of it just yet.

Awesome photos man, thanks for sharing the hike! Some really beautiful scenery there, and that does look like a great place to camp, I'd have to check that out in the autumn. Glad to see I'm not the only one who gets into checking out the small creatures of the wild, really nice shots of that newt as well as the millipede and the others. We have those geodetc markers in the mountains here too. If these shots were taken with an iphone I want one just to carry around as a smaller camera Thanks man, really enjoyed looking over the thread, I ate up so much time looking that it took me two days to reply to it...

thanks, man! reuben's and your threads finally convinced me to try hucking a dslr out into the woods. ofcourse i instantly regret that decision while hucking the extra weight but i forget it just as quickly as soon as i see the pics compared to what would've been if i used a cell phone camera...i left the iphone in my pocket and used a nikon d90 body with a tamron 18-270mm di ii vcd pzd lens this time

I have an older siltarp2, and while it doesn't shade as well as a more opaque poly tarp or similar, it does the job well enough in direct sunlight. I haven't noticed much of a greenhouse effect with mine (of course, I pitch loftily to take advantage of air movement and head space, unless I need a wind block as well as a sun shade).

I'm liking the look of the newer reinforced ID Siltarps.

that's good to know, thanks!

 

[Mistwalker]

thanks, man! reuben's and your threads finally convinced me to try hucking a dslr out into the woods. ofcourse i instantly regret that decision while hucking the extra weight but i forget it just as quickly as soon as i see the pics compared to what would've been if i used a cell phone camera...i left the iphone in my pocket and used a nikon d90 body with a tamron 18-270mm di ii vcd pzd lens this time

It can really be worth the weight of carry, but sometimes on long hikes I just take a point and shoot because of the weight...unless I'm working then I'm stuck with the slr anyway. I like those shots, and I'll definitelt have to look into that lens. I've bveen looking hard at the Nikor 18-200 because I can be on top of something, as in an inch away and still be in 200 milimeter but I also wanted more magnification for distance shots. How close can you be to an object and still focus using the 18-270? The 55-200 I have needs like 3 1/2 to 4 feet of distance.

 

[Thomas Linton]

Thank you for the very enjoyable pictures.

 

[JV3]

Thank you for the very enjoyable pictures.

you're welcome!

It can really be worth the weight of carry, but sometimes on long hikes I just take a point and shoot because of the weight...unless I'm working then I'm stuck with the slr anyway. I like those shots, and I'll definitelt have to look into that lens. I've bveen looking hard at the Nikor 18-200 because I can be on top of something, as in an inch away and still be in 200 milimeter but I also wanted more magnification for distance shots. How close can you be to an object and still focus using the 18-270? The 55-200 I have needs like 3 1/2 to 4 feet of distance.

the spec sheet states minimum focus distance is 19.3" but the minimum focus i tested just now is 10.5" when i took a pic of the lens' box (both camera and box are on the kitchen table and i moved the box closer and closer until the camera won't focus anymore):

i'm clueless when it comes to cameras by the way (this thing is only a little over a month old and it's the first dslr i ever used) so i may not be understanding/answering your question correctly. my dad's friend was the one who recommended this lens...i'm just the monkey who's pressing the button i ordered it from here by the way, there's currently a $100 rebate too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/747931-REG/Tamron_AFB008N700_AF18_270mm_f_3_5_6_3_Di_II.html

 

[Joezilla]

That little guy is the eastern newt. Also known as the red spotted new, or red eft. That little guy is the terrestrial larvae. They are a little toxic.

 

[Mistwalker]

the spec sheet states minimum focus distance is 19.3" but the minimum focus i tested just now is 10.5" when i took a pic of the lens' box (both camera and box are on the kitchen table and i moved the box closer and closer until the camera won't focus anymore):

i'm clueless when it comes to cameras by the way (this thing is only a little over a month old and it's the first dslr i ever used) so i may not be understanding/answering your question correctly. my dad's friend was the one who recommended this lens...i'm just the monkey who's pressing the button i ordered it from here by the way, there's currently a $100 rebate too: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/747931-REG/Tamron_AFB008N700_AF18_270mm_f_3_5_6_3_Di_II.html

Thanks man, you answered my question perfectly. and thanks again, you may have just saved me some money and gave me a great lead. I'm going to research it a little, but I'm really liking the results I'm seeing in your photos.

 

[lambertiana]

I especially like this picture. I often wonder how far those glacial erratics are from their original source.

This must be in northern Jersey, I don't think the glaciers reached southern Jersey.

 

[coaldigger]

Awsome pics 'Ol Bud !

 

[JV3]

That little guy is the eastern newt. Also known as the red spotted new, or red eft. That little guy is the terrestrial larvae. They are a little toxic.

thanks for the info!

Thanks man, you answered my question perfectly. and thanks again, you may have just saved me some money and gave me a great lead. I'm going to research it a little, but I'm really liking the results I'm seeing in your photos.

anytime, man. i went on a group road ride last weekend and shot a couple more pics using that lens, this time in an urban setting...look in the esee forum's adventure/hiking section in a day or two for the new thread.

I especially like this picture. I often wonder how far those glacial erratics are from their original source.

This must be in northern Jersey, I don't think the glaciers reached southern Jersey.

thanks! that was in ny just across the border from northern nj.

Awsome pics 'Ol Bud !

thanks, man!

 

[pitdog]

Amazing pics buddy, those Newts are very cool !