Sunday, October 30, 2011

Arethusa Falls,Frankenstein cliffs and Baldface loop

 I'm a bit behind in my blogging but have a couple of incredible hikes to share with you all. Two weeks ago we hiked up into Arethusa Falls in Crawford notch. Foliage is a bit drab this year but as you'll see, the mushroom/fungi crop is quite bountiful this year....some as big as a Yorkie!

 The view from the top of Frankenstein cliffs is awesome. We thank the other hikers up there for taking a family picture for us.


 Looking back up to Frankenstein cliffs. (below)
 Last weekend we decided to tackle the ridge below. Baldface loop trail. The loop summits Baldface knob and both South and North Baldface mountains.

 Oyster mushrooms....some of our favorites

 On our way up we took a short side trail into, aptly named Emeral Pool....now there's some cold water!
 We passed through a beautiful grove of birch trees as we gained elevation.


 The trail up was very steep, and recommended for expert hikers....which we are. It was near vertical at times. these little Yorkie legs are seasoned and I often have to wait for my folks to catch up to me.

 The views at the top....unsurpassed. Well worth the steep scramble to get up there. STUNNING!
 Heading up South Baldface....

 Looking back down on Bald knob.....
 and finally over to North Baldface.....
 Where we had to throw up the tent on a ledge just as the sun was going down. Not the ideal spot....but better than some.
 We were rewarded with the most awesome sunrise ever. Just beautiful
 Headed down the ridge the next day we spotted snow covered Mt Washington off in the distance.

 We stopped on another ledge and Dad cooked us a great breakfast.
 He even picked some last harvest alpine blueberries...they were delicious.
 As we were headed home we spotted another hornets nest, way, WAY up in a tree, natures way of saying."heavy snow this winter" Stay tuned, time to break out the snowshoes.

1 comment:

Vee said...

Magnificent scenery from the top. It's a view that not many will ever see, including me. I am so glad that I got to see it this way.