November 8, 2007
Unable to settle into home life, I'm off to southwestern Virginia for one last fling before winter. Here is Chestnut Knob - after climbing through oak forests for a thousand feet, you emerge into this high meadow where old pastures are kept mown and open. Behind are expansive views of ridge and valley including Big Walker Mountain, a former route of the AT, and Mt. Rogers looming over it way off to the south.
Virginia Ridge & Valley
Is She Making it All Up?
October 17, 2007
In case you'd like evidence that I'm really doing it, here's a snap taken by hiker Dave.
Earlier in the day I had met John, who told me he got separated from his two buddies the previous night and was trying really hard to find them.
Here on Baldpate, I found Dave and Ed, the missing pair. Dave revealed that he and John are brothers (!), and Dave hinted that his brother had actually "lost" them and opted to go on ahead by himself.
The view from the top of Baldpate extends north to Lake Umbagog - a place I plan to go canoeing some day when I've had enough of the ups and downs of hiking.
High Altitude Weather
October 16, 2007
Here I am at the top of Mt. Carlo in the Mahoosucs. It's "only" at 3600 feet but just going up a couple of thousand from the valley floor, the weather is completely different. Yesterday freezing rain fell here (though not down below) and this morning as the sky clears, the frosted tips of the spruces give me a preview of winter.
Luckily the ground did not freeze yet, so the path is drying quickly.
I love these ridge-top bog habitats!
The Working Forest
October 16, 2007
A reminder that the Northern Forest is a working landscape ... On this day the first couple of miles of the Notch Trail, an access trail to the AT from the north-west, picks its way through a logging corridor. A cloudy morning is clearing, so while up ahead the ridge line is in clouds, behind me the sun shines on the valley in all its orange glory. Nearby, big trucks are working, so my hike is accompanied by the sound effects of heavy machinery all the way to the Carlo Col shelter.
Maine Fall Foliage
October 16, 2007
Aiming to catch peak fall foliage several times, - here on the Maine-New Hampshire border I'm about to tackle my last missing section of the Mahoosuc Range.
I head out Success Pond Road from Berlin, NH for the Notch Trail to stash my bike and here, maybe 12 miles up a dirt logging road from the nearest pavement, I meet this guy (waiting for a ride?). At the end of the day he's still there.
Autumn in the High Meadows
September 27, 2007
My last day in southwest Virginia, I hiked up into the Grayson Highlands near Mount Rogers and spent a few hours in this gorgeous open meadowland. The blueberry bushes and blackberries had turned a brilliant red, and ferns were going shades of rusty orange. The sun warmed these rocks while a breeze kept the air cool. It's a popular area for horseback riding, but being mid-week I had the whole place to myself. I could hardly bear to leave, but it was time to start heading north toward home.
Camping around Mt. Rogers
September 27, 2007
Here's my campsite at the Grindstone USFS Campground - here they had a separate road loop for only tents. There was some thunder rumbling so I set up a little roof to sit under during my supper, but it never did rain. I loved the hot water shower at this place - with hot water, my camp chair, and my coffee maker, it was Eden.
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