Spring Photo Thread 2015 (traffic, northern, snow, warm)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Cambium

The Rhodos may be dead. Usually by now they are back to life. Gees. North Facing side really took a hit.

Cold Hardy Holly Trees burnt. They should recover but last year took till July. Wonder about this year. Notice at the bottom it's still dark green. (long duration snowpack)

I lost a lot of landscape due to cold, snow and wildlife this year.

Look close and you'll see a Robin on the lawn.

I lost the top part of a holly bush as well. It's all brown and the bottom portion (more protected by snow) is still very green.

The only winter damage I can see so far.

[nei]

Originally Posted by Cambium

AWESOME! Did you feel rejuvenated after that? Or at least during the breaks maybe?

Eh. Happy but tired. I hadn't slept well the night before, I didn't feel the best, especially the final part of the climb.

Favorite photos are those but you took some nice shots!

Seems you like the woods in deep snow the best.

Yeah, Idling vehicles in a city is like..UGH! Idling vehicles on a mountain is like WTF!

I was getting annoyed, too. But at least it was for a good cause... weather observation.

Cigarettes on trails or summits another peeve of mine. Come on!

I was impressed with her stamina.

What do you mean "climbed the building". Was there no other way around?? That's like the movie Day After Tomorrow when they were walking over Malls and Libraries. LOL

No, I climbed it for fun. It's not normally climbable, it look fun to stand over a building. A few others did the same thing. Same building from the trail in summer:

Spoiler

That unsure frozen Lake without the clear trail, that's when you stop and say hmmm, I don't want to lose time by choosing the wrong trail but I can't waste time thinking too much. I guess they don't have any markers anywhere? I thought you been there already but I guess maybe not in the snow or just hard to remember every trail you been on.

Above treeline there are rock cairns, but there was a bit of a gap in the cairns. I could see where I was supposed to go, but the exact path wasn't clear. Just followed the marks of other hikers, there was always at least faint prints a number of people had been out earlier than me.

Looks like you got to parking lot in time as it was snowing on the mountain. Wonder if you had known or maybe conditions just happened.

Forecast said there was a chance of intermittent snow showers in the late afternoon, and snow would start being steady around 8 pm. I could see the snow coming in [commented on it in one photo], I was watching the mountains to the west in the distance. Franconia Ridge (hiked last month) is the only other extended above treeline spot in the Whites. It was in view while I was hiking. I knew if it got covered, it would reach where I was sooner or later. I saw it was snowing there, and then the clouds left it.

No snow tires, it wasn't sticking much at the parking lot elevation, drive was fine with a few icy spots though the pavement quality of the trail access road was terrible. Just went slow and BUMP!

How long did it take to summit and back? Love the storylines and the temp, weather, elevation updates but no timing except morning start and the parking lot finish.. I wonder if you had snow tires.

Time? Just over eight hours. For the first 1.4 miles to that pool with the squirrel was just under an hour, then 20 minute break, that extremely steep one-mile section took maybe one hour and ten minutes. Stopped for a while and went up that small side peak. So from that snow covered building to the top of Mt. Washington took another hour. Left the summit around 3:30, with lots of photo breaks, descent was just under three hours. Once back under the trees, it was fast going down — snow made it eaiser to go fast downhill, but the trail wasn't super steep so I didn't have tory about controlling my speed. The trail I went up would have required caution going down. For some reason every winter trip report I found online did the hike in the reverse direction. Maybe they didn't mean a steep trail descent and wanted to avoid a steep ascent? Trail I went down could be difficult to find into the trees without snowshoe prints. Met a few hikers who did the reverse direction, and plenty though plenty had gone up the trail I went up.

That's a hell of a drop there at Great Gulf edge!. Yikes.

Yea, those two skiers I met at the summit who were mountain guides, warned to watch for that edge. It's not an issue in the summer.

Awesome Summer comparison, definitely looks better with snow except the Clouds and shadow hitting the peak in the summer looked cool.

There's a simple elegance to the mountains with snow, but I find the summer landscapes more attractive. Vegetation makes it more interesting (I like alpine and subalpine plants), green is nice, and easier to get a good foreground for photos. The nicest part of the trail I went up is small waterfalls on the way up to break up the tedium of the steep climb; but there were barely any flowing water — and if there was it could be hazardously icy. I like the scenes with waterfall and small alpine plants and the mountain in the background.

Yea, I had better light that summer trip, though I think the photo just before the snowstorm with the mountains behind a darken sky had good lighting.

I was wondering if your hands were cold from taking pics, you mentioned it.

Yea, they got uncomfortablely cold above treelike, nothing too bad. Having thick mittens to put back helps. If it were colder or had more typical wind conditions, it would have been much harder to take photos comfortably or even safely.

Lastly.. How the heck did you catch that squirrel with your apple???? You said 5 minutes later so I assume you were still breaking there? That was pretty quick for the squirrel to find it. Must of been watching you eat and licking its tongue. LOL Nice capture on that!!! Hope it left the seed for an Apple Tree to grow! LOL

Yea that was really random. It must have watched me throw the apple core. Probably was the same squirrel that I took a photo of walking across the snow. Doubt an apple tree could grow at that elevation (3450 feet) First time I hiked that trail, a squirrel almost tried to steal my food when I looked away at the same spot. Here's a photo I took of it:



there was a Dutch couple there who were hiking the trail because Lonely Planet had in its top list of things to do in New England. They decided to turn around after a short taste upcoming steep staircase-like trail, I tried to convince them to keep going but they had no interest.

========================

Here's why you wear snowshoes. You might sink into the trail otherwise:



note the trail is at shrub height.

[NorthStarDelight]

Great pics, Nei. I'd love to do a snow hike on Mt Washington...lol.

Have you ever ridden that cog railway? When we visited NH back in '94, we asked the locals if it was better to take that or the auto road, and they made no bones that the cog railway was NOT a good idea...lol. When we got to the top of the mountain and saw that thing arrive at the upper terminal, I knew they were absolutely right - you couldn't pay me enough to go on that thing...lol.

Another question - how much time do you get off from work to do these weekday excursions? Or do you, ahem, just call in sick a lot?

[nei]

Some more spring photos from hiking the next day (April 9). Fresh snow that morning, I was staying at 800 feet, but a couple of inches had stuck to my car, higher up must have had more. Last time wiping snow off my car. Hiking since 1819:



Pushed my ski poles as deep as I could to gauge the snow depth. Maybe three feet?



Fresh snow hid previous hikers' prints:



Looking narrow:



Most of the snow is packed, but it looks all fresh:



summer trail after heavy rains:

Spoiler

Trees opened up. No view, though I should have expected that:



No else hiking today, probably for good reason. Breezy up here, oddly the trailhead was almost as windy but the hike wasn't. Exposed bottom of the valley a wind funnel? Mt. Washington was only reading 11 mph, was calmer there. Local topography creating wind, but little pressure gradient at the 800 hPa level? Another day of a flat temperature profile, probably common in saturated conditions with precipiation:

Spoiler

I had planned to continue hiking along the spine of the ridge:



same spot in summer:

Spoiler

But there were clearly no views, I had done plenty of hiking yesterday, with the lack of prints in fogged over and maybe white out conditions if it started snowing could be a dangerous situation: might get easy to get lost as there weren't many cairns. Weather wasn't the most pleasant with wind though still tolerable (wind chills in the teens?). Opted to hike the small peak (Mt. Pierce) 0.1 mile away but nothing more. Anyway, I didn't see any point in bothering but I hovered at a bit below hoping it would clear and the view improve. Got teased by a glimpse of the sun and a patch of blue sky on the way down. Should have realized the further down the mountain, the better the weather would get. I was in a local cloud magnet. Summit of Mt. Pierce is somewhere up in those trees. Went up, eventually lost the trail but didn't see any clearly higher piece of land, so I think I made it. Did I care if I hadn't? No. Didn't want to get lost up here. There's a summit marker but obviously buried in snow.



I think this what this photo I took last summer was of the summit. Think I walked past a big cairn:

Spoiler

Here's what the trail towards the summit looked like:



Some snowy tree photos in the area:

Spoiler

Looks like a leaning person:

Looking back the landscape is kinda cool, I was more frustrated at the lack of views. Snow up to a sign:



Neat shapes:





Back to the bottom of the valley. Cloud level appears to be maybe 3700 feet.



Maybe if I take a short hike to a lower elevation viewpoint I'd see something? No such luck:



Got to meet this guy on the way:

Spoiler

This spot melted out:



Cloud level had lowered 1000 feet on my hike — I had bad timing.



On the drive out I could see the mountains I was up on yesterday:



Stopped at a town just out of the mountains. Some snow left:

[NorthStarDelight]

Here's a couple pics I snapped this morning on the way to the gym, plus a few from my excursion the weekend before last up to one of my very fave places - the Pisgah Inn.

















The last two pics were taken from Waterrock Knob, at about 6000 feet. Mt Pisgah is at 5000 feet - it was in the 60's on the first day, but turned much colder (and very windy) the next morning. So odd to go from winter bare to the lushness of spring on the way back to Atlanta - it's like being able to zip back and forth through time.

P.S. In the last pic, if you use the zoom function, you can spot the Cherokee Indian (Eastern Band) Casino - we went there after coming down the mountain, and man that place was like Las Vegas...lol.

[nei]

That's 6000 feet?! Your mountains look close to our current landscape. And our mountains look zipping back in time to winter.

[NorthStarDelight]

Originally Posted by nei

That's 6000 feet?! Your mountains look close to our current landscape. And our mountains look zipping back in time to winter.

Oh yeah In North Carolina, we have three mighty mountain ranges - the Black Mountain Range (Mt Mitchell, 6683 feet) - the Balsam Mountain Range, where Pisgah and Waterrock Knob are (6300 feet), and then the Smokies, which maxes out at 6644 on Clingman's Dome (actually in TN). We skipped that this time, figuring we could save it for next time.

Oh yeah, we don't bother climbing these mountains from the base, since we have the convenience of the Blue Ridge Parkway. You'll have to excuse my laziness...lol.

[Rozenn]

Originally Posted by Rozenn

Not sure, I haven't paid enough attention. The other day I saw what looked like a flowering bougainvillea in a garden and thought "it can't be, if mar89 was here he could tell me what it is". Don't remember where it was.

Ok I checked, no flowering bougainvillea to be found around here.

Originally Posted by nei

Looks like a leaning person:

Those trees are heroes.

[dexter2]

ŁÃ³dź, Poland:



http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=991999&page=360

[Cambium]

Nei, Too many photos to comment on but here's a couple from both amazing posts..... Thanks for replying to all my questions.

Seems you like the woods in deep snow the best.

Yup, like that one!

a squirrel almost tried to steal my food when I looked away at the same spot. Here's a photo I took of it:

What in the world??? That is some friendly (or desperate) squirrel! I didn't see one wildlife animal 8 hours in the Adirondacks when I went and you get squirrels to hug your backpack and stay there as you took a picture. Something I didn't think about... the wildlife had a hard time here, I cannot imagine there. And that's probably why they are stalking humans that are eating. Hard for them to get food lately.

Here's why you wear snowshoes. You might sink into the trail otherwise: Note the trail is at shrub height.

Wow! I know its deceiving when your on it sometimes and even with pictures but this tells the tale.

Hiking since 1819:

Interesting!

Pushed my ski poles as deep as I could to gauge the snow depth. Maybe three feet?

Wow! I'm sure you saw my post that there's still 77" of snow on ground at 3900 feet in Vermont.

Most of the snow is packed, but it looks all fresh:

This was my favorite shot there. It's like you don't want to touch the snow but you want to stare at the beauty of it. So soft, fresh, white and smooth! I just want to sleep right in it.

Looks like a leaning person:

Looks like an atomic blast happened with snow. You got some good eyes on the trails.