Warm Day on Moosilauke, 2/21/2018

Do you want to make sure you are doing the best you can to help the environment?  Read about the top ten clean, fuel-efficient cars and trucks of 2018 by checking out Union of Concerned Scientists' blog post.  Please donate to their organization and subscribe!

Moosilauke

2/21/2018

Glencliff Trail, Carriage Road

7.8 miles round-trip

3,300 feet of elevation gain

Photo by Trish Herr

We knew the temperature was going to be higher than normal on Wednesday, but we did not anticipate the weather to feel so warm.  Mom and I delayered after about 15 minutes of hiking; the sun had not yet come up and we had taken off our jackets.  We were so hot that we took off our snowpants as well.  As we hiked, we experienced warm air pockets here and there that felt like we were taking a stroll inside.  It was quite odd -- especially for February.

Photo by Trish Herr

As the sky lightened, I noticed pink and orange clouds in the sky:

Photo by Trish Herr

When we reached the intersection with Carriage Road, the signs had clearly been painted recently, for there was orange paint in the snow.  

The signs just keep getting brighter and brighter shades of orange!

At the intersection, Mom and I put our snowshoes on (the snow got pretty mushy from here to the summit).

The ridgewalk was beautiful and pleasant.  Since the level of the snowpack was unusually low, we were blocked from the wind, but we were not so low that we could not see views.

Photo by Trish Herr

Photo by Trish Herr

Later, we came out of the trees and saw gorgeous views all around us.  It was so warm up there that the wind seemed to blow warm air on us!  It was a bizarre, but amazing, day.

Photo by Trish Herr

On the summit!  Photo by Trish Herr

After taking a nice break on the summit of Mt. Moosilauke and taking some fun live videos on Facebook and Instagram, we started heading back down.  As usual, the way down the mountain seemed to go quickly; before we knew it, we were back at the car. 

I will never forget this hiking day because of the abnormally warm temperatures and the spectacular views.