 (Home) |
Hike of Mt. MonadnockJaffrey, NHTuesday October 13th, 2009 |
Climbing Mt. Monadnock was quite often a 4-legged operation, including portions of the Cliff walk trail (below) and Fairy Spring Trail (right). The ladder was a rare luxury; scrambling up and over rocky ledges was much more typical of our route to the summit. |
click photos to view full size (in new window) 
|
|
|
We ascended on a roundabout route, passing Pt. Surprise, Fairy Spring, and Monte Rosa on our way to the summit. Below, Therese and Beverlie pause to enjoy the gorgeous surroundings at Fairy Spring, while a well camouflaged trail sign just ahead pointed us in the right direction. 
|
| The morning rain ended just before our hike, but it left plenty of clouds in its wake. We met them halfway up the mountain. With his head in the clouds, David seems to be right at home. |
|
|
We reached Monte Rosa (a peak on the southwest slope below the summit) and were greeted by a blustery cold wind and thickening clouds blowing
all around us. Jeremy, David, Liz, Therese, Beverlie and Sean stand beneath Monte Rosa's landmark weathervane, a replica of the original one
which had been put there as a wind indicator visible from the old Halfway House. |
Sean stands atop some rocks at Monte Rosa as we attempt to get our bearings.
|
Nearing the summit from the west, the blustery winds intensified.
|
The mountaintop was even more blustery and cold. We braved it for as long as we dared, and then began our descent along the white dot trail. |
All of us, down from the summit a stretch but still up in the clouds. |
|
As we continued our descent, the landscape beneath the dark cloud layer began to reappear. 
|
Liz and David on the White Dot trial. Back down on planet Earth, things were looking a little brighter.
|
Beverlie, Jeremy and Sean climb down through a rocky pass as David waits patiently below.
|
With visibility improving toward the end of our hike, the bright fall foliage gave us quite a display! |
|
|