So, I think yesterday was the first day I did not actually put up some sort of post. Â I meant to post a photo from my iPhone after we got down from the mountain while having dinner, but I was so wiped out after the hike I completely forgot. Â So, today I’m posting for yesterday (I’ll post for today later).
Yesterday my good friend Tom and I climbed Whiteface Mt. and Mt. Esther in the ADKs of Upstate New York. Â These two peaks, #5 @ 4867 ft and #28 @ 4240 ft, of the “46ers” , respectfully, are located just north of Lake Placid (the town and lake). Â We took the trail starting at Wilmington, NY, climbed Whiteface, and topped Esther on the return trip. Â From the reservoir in Wilmington, it’s a 5.2 mile trip with 3620 ft of elevation gain. Â Esther is off the main trail 1.2 miles, and adds a few hundred feet of elevation climb. Â In 9.5 hrs of hiking we hiked 12.8 miles with about 4000 ft of elevation gain. Â We did take an hour break at the summit of Whiteface for lunch, photography, and enjoying the amazing view!
The hardest part of the trail is defending the almost 2 miles of very steep and rocky trail before reaching the turn off for Esther. Â IMO its easier to go up than down, at least on the joints and feet! Â Once we were down that part, with only 1.4 miles left to reach the car, my energy level spiked! Â Almost done! Â It was a hard climb, but lots of fun, and well worth the views and experience! (I have to note that at the top there were dozens of people, but that is because there is a road that comes within 300 ft of the summit, and an elevator takes you the rest of the way. Â IMHO all the noisy people/pets/kids at the top really detracts from the serenity I normally experience at a mountain summit.)
Here is the summit the night before, as we were driving in. Â There it a weather observatory tower at the top.
53 mm, 1/200 sec, f/8.0, ISO 100 (Whiteface Summit, the Night Before)
This is a long-exposure shot of me hiking. Â This is my first submission to the long exposure photo challenge I told you about a few days ago
30 mm, 1/4 sec, f/16, ISO 100 (Hiking)
I saw this girl looking out from the summit and could not resist taking the photo. Â I edited it so the focus was more on her and what she was looking at then the beauty of the view. Â What do you think about it? Â A good edit, bad edit? Â What would you have done different?
18 mm, 1/160 sec, f/8, ISO 100 (Looking Out)
Lake Placid is seen below:
18 mm, 1/100 sec, f/13, ISO 100 (Lake Placid In View)
There are many areas in the ADKs where you come across a stand of dead trees like this, with many young trees crowding the ground.
37 mm, 1/100 sec, f/11, ISO 100 (Standing Tree)
18 mm, 1/60 sec, f/3.5, ISO 100 (Trail Marker)
18 mm, 1/100 sec, f/13, ISO 100 (The Summit)