Going up through Franconia Notch at 11:30
The Mount Washington Hotel looks great today:
I parked just south of the AMC Highland Center, across from Saco Lake, and walked up the railroad tracks a little bit, then cut left onto The Trail:
It's going to be a lovely day - 3.6 miles round-trip to Mt. Avalon:
This is MY FIRST HIKE since I sprained my ankle in May. Everything seems to be going well (ankle bandage, relatively-slow-pace, CAREFUL foot placement) - Careful crossing brooks, Jessie Bear!!:
Beautiful Day in the woods:
In a little less than an hour, Avalon Trail turns uphill - it gets difficult:
My thinking is that "If stairs are offered, use them."
I kind-of think it is "bad form" to tell me "only 100 yards to go":
On The Summit, with The View:
Heading back down:
Crossing the tracks, and finishing The Hike - 3.64 miles in 2 hours 47 minutes:
So - what made today different from last October 17? I am able to map both tracks in Google Maps - today in red, last October in yellow. Last October, when snow covered The Trail, I started bushwacking, and when I started heading left (east), I just didn't go far enough to "hit The Trail". So I wandered, in a big loop:
Thank You God for this Wonderful "52 With A View" day!
For my listening pleasure today - cds burned or owned::
Crosby, Stills & Nash - CSN (4-cds 1991), 1991 box set, last heard (in a blog) never - very good collection of their work together, in pairs, and individually:
Brandi Carlile - Live from Neumo's, 2006 live EP, last heard (in a blog) never - ok, but I don't need to keep it:
Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live (2 cds), 1994 live double-album, last heard (in a blog) 8/13/2021 - some Excellent Stuff!
Counting Crows - Echoes of The Outlaw Roadshow (2013), 2013 live album, last heard (in a blog) - 15 songs, some excellent stuff, some not so much:
Hothouse Flowers - People, 1988 debut album, last heard (in a blog) 5/23/2019 - I have "Home" and "Songs from the Rain", which are much better albums, so delete:
Shameless Plug: if you enjoy this blog, you may like my other one about visiting Art Museums and National Parks (and hiking in the Rockies)
hyperlink: dixonheadingwest
http://dixonheadingwest.blogspot.com/
