Mount Pierce Adventure…
I have a running checklist in my mind of shots in the mountains that I ‘need’ to get. The problem is that the weather in the mountains is so fickle, that even when I visit the locations, it’s rare that I get the shot I’m after. That’s one of the reasons that I began this blog, so that I can share pictures and stories that would otherwise not make it into my porfoilio, and to share the joys, struggles and techniques I use when out shooting in both ideal, and less than ideal conditions.
Yesterday’s hike to Mount Pierce was definitely much more about the hike and the experience of the outdoors, and the subtle beauty and feeling of winter (yes, still very much winter) than the photographs.
It’s amazing how much the recent storms have impacted the forest. The hike up, which is normally one of the easiest hikes to a 4000 foot peak in NH, was slowed a bit by trees that had blown across the trail, and snow so deep that we were hiking with our heads above the cleared trail ‘tunnel’. On top of that, the broken out trail turned away from the actual trail in a straight line to the summit. This lead to a few falls into ’spruce traps’ or hollow snow bridges supported by buried spruce trees. Evacuation from these holes is a challenge.
The view from Pierce is a White Mountains classic.
The View From Pierce
The first sight of the view to the north when emerging from the trees truly takes your breath away. And there was little else to take your breath yesterday, as wind was calm, allowing us to hang at the summit itself for a couple of hours.
The light on the mountains that I have seen in my dreams never came, but the sunset itself was beautiful.
Sunset From Pierce
The hike out under headlamp was easy after the first mile or so of re-raking our faces in the trees. The moon was up, and dappling the snow on the forest floor with intense blue light. I certainly will not complain about ‘having to come back’ to get my dream shot!
I’ll share more shots, and some details on the planning of this trip later in the week…
