Sunday, April 29, 2018

Incredible Views on Pierce and Eisenhower, 4/22/2018

Coal is a polluting energy source; burning it is terrible for the environment.  A quarter of United States global warming emissions are produced by burning coal.  Union of Concerned Scientists states that we must stop using power plants that are old and dirty and replace them with more efficient, clean energy-producing buildings.  Learn more about coal and about strategies on reducing our use of this dirty energy source here.  Please donate to Union of Concerned Scientists and subscribe to read more of their engaging, informative blog posts.

Hi, everyone!  In case you missed it, Sage created her own blog about a month ago called Sage's White Mountain Treks.  Check out her latest post about our hike (the 18th) of the Kinsmans

Pierce and Eisenhower
4/22/2018
Crawford Path
9.6 miles round-trip
Around 3,200 feet of elevation gain

We got on trail at about 6:20.  The sun had already come up, so the first hour of hiking was more pleasant than usual; we did not need headlamps and could see everything well.



Our spirits were cheerful and our drowsiness morphed into energy, as it often does on a hiking day.


We began to head up the trail.




Light shone through the trees and revealed a pretty blue sky above shining mountains.



Snowshoe-adjusting...


I took a lot of pictures pointed up toward the sky on this hike.





Snow-covered landscape...



We happily arrived at the first intersection.



Onward and upward...




Deep blue sky...



My eyes!


I was loving the scenery and we were not even above treeline yet!


Buried...


I am a sky enthusiast. 



We finally rose above treeline and saw magnificent views...







We got to the summit of Pierce...at least we are pretty sure we tagged the official summit.  The path up to the top was not clearly distinguished.



Having a drink...


Photo by Trish Herr

You cannot easily tell by examining the photo below, but the snow was vividly sparkling from the sun. 



The wind was fierce up there; balaclava time!


Bye, Pierce...for now...


I cannot begin to describe how beautiful the scenery was up there.






Coming up Eisenhower...





Mount Washington was right in front of us.






On the summit of Eisenhower!








We stopped for a short period of time on the summit, but we took a longer break further down.  


Sage and me sitting for a moment...

Photo by Trish Herr
The views were astounding.  Here is a video I took on Eisenhower:


Coming down...


Paradise...



When we stopped to have our break, I noticed how curly Sage's hair looked.  


Gorgeous!


Slow motion...


Food photography...




Close-up:



Mom looking into the distance...


We saw many people as we hiked down.  Eventually, we got below treeline once again.



Trailhead:


I was so amazed at the views we had today!  The scenery was incredible.  Have a great week, everyone!