Playtime is the Best Time: August 2009

Monday, August 31, 2009

Vermont

Vermont. The good old Green Mountain state. Vermont sure lived up to the name. It was just layers and layers of greens. Mixed hardwoods, coniferous forests with layers of moss upon moss all on top of each other. With the occasional splashes of flowers. All mixed in with the stickiest mud overflowing shin deep with moose poop.

I hiked most of VT with Hungry. Here she is waiting on the sunset in the firetower just north of Bennington.

It rained pretty much 90% of the time I spent in VT. The other 10% was between storms.

If you didn't know already you can click on these pictures to see them in full resolution.

I don't remember there being this many flowers in VT, but I guess there was plenty because thats what most of my VT pictures are.

Dude and Hungry making themselves at home in the Bromley warming hut during a storm after we spent all day in Manchester Center hangin in town.

I had good weather up on Whiterocks, and it looks like I missed the wet weather just by a few hours. Clouds closing around the peak.

I don't know what hardly any of these flowers are. If you do feel free to comment and help a guy out.

Vermont was the start of all the amazing beaver ponds that are everywhere up in the northeast. I never did see any beaver though.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

White Mtns of New Hampshire

So... the whites. Whats to say? The White Mountains of New Hampshire were responsible for me wanting to thru-hike. They were my biggest goal and driving force early on. It was totally worth it. Some of the best (and conversely some of the most challenging) weather I encountered all happened here.

I'm not going to post all the pictures I took. I didn't even really pick out the best of the best. Just some random ones.

This is a perfect example of most of the trail in the Whites. All alpine zone trail following rock cairns and scree walls. So exposed above tree line and makes you pray all day for decent weather and the weather can change drastically at any point. There are some hikers in this picture if you can find 'em.

I yelled at Dude for feeding the Gray Jays and I think it bummed him out.

I hiked with Dude the entire time through the Whites. It was pretty much just me and him for the most part. It was cool because I got a chance to know him outside of the group.

We caught the sunset from West Bond which is quite a bit off the trail. The sun went down right between LaFayette (on the left) and Garfield (on the right).

Several locals found out Dude and I were doing extra 4000 footers and all insisted that we hit Bond Cliff. We didn't, but we did Bond and West Bond. Here is the famous Bond Cliff from West Bond. Being on the Bonds was amazing. It was so clear I swear you could see the Atlantic from Bond. It was nice because you could see forever and not spot one road, town or building. Nothing but mountains, ponds, trees and trails.

Me up on Mount Bond. I can't actually see this picture because my sister's computer monitor is messed up. For all I know all this pictures are effed up.

Dude up on South Twin. We met some rad older guy up here that gave us the scoop on lots of local knowledge. Good info. I think the guy was Dude's hero.

Up on South Twin as well. Off the the left you can see the trail north to the appropriately named North Twin.

South Twin again. We spent a lot of time up there.

Outloud, Topo, Dude, and I think Downhill is hiding. Trying their best to stay outta the wind up on Moosilauke.

I think all in all Dude and I bagged around half of the 4000 footers so now I have to go back to NH one day...