It was a mostly sunny day, and relatively humid. The hike started off so easy (and with a barely noticeable incline for a good stretch), that I was rather disappointed. But as it went on, the steady increase in the degree of incline began to affect me. The worst thing about the climb though was the surface. There was barely any rock for footing! It was mostly spongy moss and grass overgrowing loose stones. I felt like I was climbing a hill of wet sand most of the time, and traction was frequently treacherous. Plus it was muddy. However, the air smelled fantastic, which always puts me in a great mood. The evergreens were giving off that Christmas wreath scent, and the damp leaves, ever-present moss, and running streams & small ponds added their bouquets to the air as well. It felt great to be outdoors, and it was another fortunate climb where there were no other humans in sight all day.I hiked steadily to the top of the ski area, and then pushed on for another
quarter mile to the top of the mountain (1835 feet above sea level, and just over two miles traveled in each direction), but there was no scenic vista (nor was there a marker at the top) once I achieved the summit. What a disappointment! No view, no official confirmation of conquest - what a ripoff! Oh well, it was still an amazing hike, a great way to get exercise, the drives there and back were full of New England autumn foliage, and hey, it was 72 degrees on October 26th. So all complaining aside, it was a worthy way to spend a few hours.
On the way down I ate my traditional apple, and listened to Joy Zipper's "American Whip" album on my iPod. They sound like a cross between Lush and early Pale Saints. A nice dreamy accompaniment to an arduous trek. Toward the bottom of the mountain there were a ton of blue jays - they were an amusing burst of color and noise to signal the end of today's adventure. Next up: Yosemite National Park!
No comments:
Post a Comment