Alpine Ramblings

Abigail Adams 6.9.2013

I'm headed back into the mountains today, but before I hit the trail, I thought I'd put up share some of my photos from my last stint at Gray Knob.  I hope to see you on the trails in the Northern Presidentials this upcoming week! - Mac

View to the Six Husbands Trail 6.14.2013

Lowe's Path Sunset 6.9.2013

Sunset at the Quay 6.14.2013

The Perch and The Quay

Perch Path 5.26.2013 after a late-May snowstorm

"... wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure." 
— Paolo Coelho

The Quay 5.21.2013

"Our minds, as well as our bodies, have need of the out-of-doors. Our spirits, too, need simple things, elemental things, the sun and the wind and the rain, moonlight and starlight, sunrise and mist and mossy forest trails, the perfumes of dawn and the smell of fresh-turned earth and the ancient music of wind among the trees." 
— Edwin Way Teale

The Backyard

Crag Camp from Knight's Castle 5.23.2013

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn." 
— John Muir

Spur Trail looks more like a stream... 5.23.2013

"Cherish your wilderness." 
— Maxine Kumin

alpine azalea (Loiseleuria procumbens) near Star Lake 5.23.2013

"And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth,
"You owe me."
Look what happens with love like that.
It lights up the sky." 
— Rumi

Diapensia (white) and Lapland rosebay near Star Lake
with Mt. Washington in the distance 5.23.2013

“The earth laughs in flowers.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” 
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Extreme Happiness - Cheez Doodles

For those of you who were wondering what is so special about the mountains and wild places, I really hope you check out this video.  Perhaps it's not so much the destination, as it is the reward for a safe return.  For Alex Gamme after 30 days skiing to and from the South Pole, his return brings a reward that is pure, confounding bliss.

I heard this on RadioLab, and for anyone who's spent a long time in the woods or the wild lands, I hope it rings as true with you as it did with me.  When's the last time you shouted you were so happy?  Enjoy!!!


Extreme Happiness:

- Mac

Owl's Head

Lincoln Brook Trail 5.29.2013

Franconia Brook 5.30.2013

I took a hike over to Owl's Head in the Pemigewasset Wilderness on Wednesday and Thursday of last week.  The flat Lincoln Woods, Franconia Brook, and Lincoln Brook Trails to the Owl's Head Herd Path were easy enough, although the water was running high at the river crossings along Lincoln Brook.  The steep ascent up the Herd Path brought beautiful displays of rhodora, with its pink flowers a highlight on a rather washed-out day.  The Owl's Head ridge was easily navigated to the summit, although many paths weave in and out around blowdowns. The evening was spent camping at 13 Falls Tentsite after a push through wet brush and puddles along the Lincoln Brook Trail. The following day a puddle-filled trek down the Franconia Brook and Lincoln Woods Trails, with a pleasant, pack-less detour to Black Pond, where West Bond and Bondcliff were in the clear under blue skies, rounded out the foray to one of the least-visited places in the Whites.  

Lincoln Brook Trail 5.30.2013

Although not RMC territory, I always enjoy exploring different areas in the White Mountains, and my hike to Owl's Head helped me remember the beauty and ease of a stroll along the Pemigewasset River, the ever-present sound of Franconia Brook while staying at 13 Falls, and the amazing diversity of terrain the Whites have to offer.  Of course, the Northern Presidentials are hard to beat... I look forward to my time back in the high peaks, amidst the sea of rocks.      -Mac

Painted Trillium by 13 Falls 5.30.2013