Recent content by takeahike46er

If you decide to take a trail, I would recommend the Wedge Brook trail. It is in great shape and travels through some of the most beautiful, wide open forests-- a rarity in the high peaks region. Otherwise, I would ascend the Bennies Brook slide because it provides lots of views.

I also recommend Chimney Bluffs State Park as it features some really interesting formations carved by the wind and lake out of the surrounding drumlins. I have some photos of the Chimneys here: http://community.webshots.com/album/476082748KbZPno Letchworth would be my other suggestion. It...

I attempted Giant on Saturday (2/18) via the Ridge trail. I underestimated how little snow and how much ice there would be on this route. Without crampons this hike was too dangerous for my liking. My group made it beyond the trail junction for the nubble until we reached a steep pitch that...

I could easily tell the difference when I flipped between them in tabs. I still prefer the color. The soft orange hues in the lighter areas glow next to the blues in the shadows. The reason? They are complementary colors. The third version is an improvement over the other b&w, but it still...

Based on aesthetic alone, I prefer the color. The contrast between the light and shadows is more rich. The b&w looks a bit more flat and lifeless, IMO. It focuses attention on the texture of the landscape, rather than the soft light of the snow and clouds. I guess it depends on what you wish...

Bigger fish to fry. I trust that compromises have been made to ensure that it won't be very noticeable. Opposition to the tower seems based on what the tower signifies (encroaching technology) rather than rational concerns relating to environmental impact and aesthetics. Complaining about...

The talus "caves" found in the northeast are just as legitimate as solutional or erosional caves. Most tend to be small and hardly noteworthy, but there are some larger complexes if you know where to look.

Chimney Mountain in the adks has some fairly large caves, namely the eagle cave. The rooms aren't expansive like those found in areas with sedimentary rock; however, the eagle cave is very long. It is much more than a boulder cave. In fact, it formed as a result of the mountain fracturing and...

It took me less than 3 1/2 hours to get from the Loj to the summit. I probably spent about an hour on the slide. I was much more fortunate than Pete because the slide was dry overall. The rock was grippy and there were plenty of ledges and cracks to aid in the zig zag up the steep sections...

I had a wonderful time hiking up Colden on Saturday. The slide varies immensely. It starts off as a series of terraces before funneling into a narrow section complete with a waterfall. The slide opens back up and gradually gets steeper until the final series of slabs. The herdpath at the top...

That is exactly how I came upon Devil's Washdish years ago. I was scanning some topographic maps of the region when I came across it. It occured to me that it must be an interesting place if it warranted a name despite having no trail to it. It turned out to be a beautiful spot. I did not...

I have been interested in this route ever since I saw the eastern face of dix from Route 9 (heading south from Elizabethtown). I'm going to check it out in a few weeks, as long as there isn't any significant accumulation of ice on the slide. I happened to find some pics on webshots that show a...

I was at Gore this past Saturday. Conditions were very nice and the weather was great. If it were me I would go to Gore. It tends to hold up better, particularly in low snow years like this winter. Plus, the summit chair was being repaired at WF last I heard.

... The pictures in question are on the southern summit ridge of Gothics (towards Armstrong)-- are they not? The three times I have climbed Gothics in the winter it has looked like that. Traveling on the windward side would have been fine. Never heard of any problems with that section of trail.

I would also recommend climbing Gothics via the Weld trail and descend via the Beaver Meadow trail. One word of caution about this loop. A large portion of the Beaver Meadow trail traverses across a very steep mountain face. Snow eventually buries any level ground in this section and conforms...