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Myself and 3 buddies did the single day Presidential Traverse this weekend. It's 20 miles, 8,500+ feet of elevation gain, hiking over the highest mountains in the northeast...we did 9 peaks including Washington.
We started off in Gorham around 6:00 am and finished just out Bartlett close to 7:30.
Weather was looking iffy but we gave it a go. Mostly foggy but on the last mile on Washington we had thunderstorms over head (the last place you EVER want to be in that is above tree line). We booked it as fast as possible to the summit and were stormed in for over 2 hours on the summit.
We eventually got a break in the weather and headed out to some amazing views from Washington..and rainbows. We had some more rain in and out but it was a great hike all things considered. One very very very very looooong day.
I'd post pics of all the summits but they were almost entirely whiteouts with no views.
Here's an idea of how foggy it was...this was at the Madison Spring hut at the base of Mount Madison.
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs099.snc1/4985_1165027279758_1050157030_30498262_7429336_n.j pg (broken link)
Up Adams.
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs119.snc1/4985_1165027359760_1050157030_30498264_8257235_n.j pg (broken link)
still some snow up there...quite a bit in the ravines actually.
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs119.snc1/4985_1165027679768_1050157030_30498272_4611152_n.j pg (broken link)
view from the summit of Jefferson looking out at Washington and Clay
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs099.snc1/4985_1165027759770_1050157030_30498274_4550077_n.j pg (broken link)
Washington finally exposed...for a couple minutes
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs099.snc1/4985_1165027999776_1050157030_30498280_4055458_n.j pg (broken link)
at the base of Clay
http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs099.snc1/4985_1165028079778_1050157030_30498282_5704792_n.j pg (broken link)
Clearing on Washington
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs119.snc1/4985_1165028279783_1050157030_30498287_7073860_n.j pg (broken link)
Decending Washington towards Monroe and Lake of the Clouds.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs119.snc1/4985_1165028519789_1050157030_30498293_5169324_n.j pg (broken link)
Might not be able to see this depending on your monitor settings
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs082.snc1/4882_1165275525964_1050157030_30499086_7412900_n.j pg (broken link)
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs082.snc1/4882_1165275565965_1050157030_30499087_5530422_n.j pg (broken link)
Yup...it only took 2.5 years and countless trips north but I FINALLY saw one (in NH).
Funny thing is we actually went looking for them the night before the hike, driving up and down the Kanc at sunset and never saw any. We were a few minutes too late at one spot (tons of cars pulled over).
After over 2 hours we finally gave up and went and got some dinner. I called the hotel and women said to watch for moose on the drive up.....at the time it felt like she was rubbing salt in the wound.
Sure enough though, on 16 near Pinkham notch we saw one...then another a few miles farther up. While we were pulled at the second moose my buddies passed by and saw a cow and calf on the road another mile up. I can't believe it took that long....they were everywhere!
have at it. I wish they came out as vivid as they were in person. That rainbow lasted for about 45 minutes in the same spot, and we hiked probably 2 miles around it. At one point it was the most vivid rainbow I've ever seen.
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