My annual pilgrimage to the White Mountains

[JSFMACLJR]

How interesting, Ken! My younger son has just finished four days of hiking and camping in the Franconia Ridge area. He reports about 5 inches of snow one morning in the higher elevations, and very cold temps above the tree line.

Thanks for sharing.

[unixken]

My younger son has just finished four days of hiking and camping in the Franconia Gap area. He reports about 5 inches of snow one morning in the higher elevations, and very cold temps above the tree line.

Yes, it's been single-digits at the summits of the Presidential Range. Cool (high 40's to low 50's), with drizzle and fog, in the valleys. Hoping the rain holds out around sunset (or at least doesn't get any worse), as I'd like to do some moose-spotting along Rt 302 this evening, before dinner. If the weather breaks at all tomorrow, I'll be hunting down the various pumpkin displays around town, visiting several of the area's covered bridges, and perhaps stopping by the Lower Falls of the Swift River, along the Kancamagus Highway. If it were gauranteed to be nice, I'd be thinking the Crawford Notch train out of North Conway, and the Mt. Washington Auto Road (I was so hoping for a kilted shot at the summit!)

[cessna152towser]

Great pics, brings back happy memories of my holiday (vacation) in the White Mountains in 2010 which also included the New Hampshire Games. Here's a rather fuzzy shot from the summit of Mount Washington, taken on 16th September 2010.
On Top of the World by cessna152towser

[creagdhubh]

Wonderful photos, thanks for sharing. I have never been up to the New England area and would love to go someday, especially during the autumn months.

Cheers,

[frank_a]

Ken, how the heck do you stitch photos together? I've tried many times. Maybe I just don't have the right program to do it? Usually I use Gimp.

Great pics, especially the panorama.

Cheers!

Frank

[unixken]

Ken, how the heck do you stitch photos together?

Frank, I used a program called "AutoStitch". Very easy. Tell it which photos to stitch together, and it does all the work.

[frank_a]

Thanks Ken, very helpful. I downloaded it and will play with it later. Enjoy your evening!

Frank

[unixken]

Since this year's weather has been a bit uncooperative for photos, here are a few shots and clips from past years, just to show off the area.

First, some color...



Next, a little majesty (the Presidential Range, viewed from the Mt. Washington Auto Road)...



My sister Bonnie, posed with one of 2010's pumpkin displays in Jackson...



One of the many covered bridges in the area... this one, in Jackson...



The train depot at North Conway...



One of the old coal-fired steam locomotives of the Cog Railway, at the summit of Mt. Washington
(These things are being retired... replaced with "Green" Bio-Diesel locomotives)...



And "Horizontal Icicles", common at the summit of Mt. Washington!



Here's a link to a video clip I took last year, from the same place the opening panorama was shot...

http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/2...rqucnypmwg.mp4

A link to a Moose, seen along Rt 302, near the Silver Cascade Falls...

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7...wjbzxpoadl.mp4

And one last link - another moose - so relaxed she just laid there, while I was no more than 15 feet from her...

http://img585.imageshack.us/img585/7...rqfykyiouc.mp4

[ctbuchanan]

The trees may have been subdued but nothing says Autumn color more than that great Buchanan tartan! Thanks for sharing.