Comments | dawn_felagund: A Walk above the Clouds

dawn_felagund

A Walk above the Clouds

Oct 22, 2016 10:21

Earlier this week, we took a walk down my road, in the valley along the Barton River. These pictures, which we taken the day after the walk down my road, couldn't be more different. Instead of the valley, this walk was along the ridgeline of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest mountain. Instead of soft meadows, a gently coursing river, and a palette ( Read more... )

pictures, hiking

Comments 15

shirebound October 22 2016, 16:28:31 UTC

The temperature on the ridgeline hovered right around freezing with wind chills dipping to the mid-20s F when the wind would kick up.

We live on different planets! It was 98F here yesterday, with humidity in the single digits.

Your hikes are beautiful. I would definitely have to buy hiking boots if I lived there.

dawn_felagund October 22 2016, 21:23:36 UTC

It's in the mid-40s right now, pouring rain--VERY autumnal! And ... we could get our first snowfall tonight! It's a different world from what I'm used to; Maryland was still getting into the mid-80s this past week (although it was warm in Vermont too: the upper 60s).

The temperatures on this hike were mostly due to the elevation, although Bobby and I giggled at the tourists in Stowe in their winter coats. (It was 50ish that day and overcast.) We hiked in sweatshirts and fingerless gloves for me, and if anything, I was too warm.

heartofoshun October 22 2016, 19:22:26 UTC

Get those boots, girl! You really could fall or twist an ankle or pull something! (I can hear a voice in my head that sounds disturbingly like Laura calling me an obnoxious helicopter mom!)

I felt like the Fellowship on Caradhras, with the sense that the mountain was mocking me!

I used to love/hate that feeling! I could make an impressive list of mountains I've hiked up not realizing how difficult they were. Generally, it was easier if I did it again knowing what to expect--in your case, knowing you want better weather and new boots.

That first photo is my favorite. Although the closeups of plants and rocks are very nice also.

I saw some water, but more like a series of little lakes? Not the big one. (pics 4 and 5 counting up from the bottom) But my eyes are bad even on my giant screen blown up to maximum resolution.

Sorry you have been feeling blue. I hope it passes. Me too and do not like it one little bit! I read an article this week, I think in The New York Times, that said a number of therapists have been encountering women ( ... )

dawn_felagund October 22 2016, 21:37:52 UTC

Helicopter away! I concur on the boots! My current ones were $40 jobs from the Shoe Dept. They don't have the best grip and they hurt my feet.

Part of it's the boots; part of it's the hiker. This was not a hard hike. Children do it. But I am extremely skittish after my fall on Bald Mountain this summer. Both arms are still scarred from that, and the scar on my elbow is going to probably be around for years. I was beginning to build my confidence, but that fall deflated it.

The series on little lakes in those pictures are the Stowe golf course! :)

I read an article this week, I think in The New York Times, that said a number of therapists have been encountering women who are feeling low and/or anxious due to the election news!I've heard that too. And in ed circles, the buzzword is the Trump effect: the fear that children are experiencing, increases in bullying, and difficulty maintaining civil discourse in the classroom ( ... )

heartofoshun October 23 2016, 01:23:59 UTC

OMG! I love hearing her speak also. Because she sounds fluent, prepared and in command of the facts, professional, and thinks on her feet. She is waaay to the right of what I would prefer, but I feel like I know what I am getting. And she is competent and aware of reality, whether it is my reality or not. Trump is just a big scary clown whose politics we do not even know--the tip of iceberg is terrifying though.

dawn_felagund October 23 2016, 13:39:51 UTC

I totally agree with everything you said here.

suzll October 22 2016, 19:26:41 UTC

What a view!!! It feels so very October...not sure how else to describe it but there you have it.

dawn_felagund October 22 2016, 21:40:17 UTC

It totally does! It's been unseasonably warm here in Vermont (and everywhere--yay global warming! :^|), but right now, it's in the mid-40s and pouring rain that will probably become our first snowfall overnight. We went to a Vermont Vaudeville show this afternoon, and I complained, "It's a RAW day today!" (walking to the town hall in the rain), and Bobby replied, "Late October has come!" We've been spoiled.

lindahoyland October 23 2016, 02:09:57 UTC

Beautiful.

dawn_felagund October 23 2016, 13:39:06 UTC

Thanks! :)

sinneahtes October 23 2016, 16:14:49 UTC

Ooh, those are gorgeous pics that are telling me I need to get out for more weekends. I'm kind of thinking from the comfort of my home on a clear day that I'd love to have that experience of walking above the clouds, but I don't know. I have to admit that fog in my own neighborhood can create some really weird mixed feelings and stir up an insecure mood despite me loving the sight of it, so I can only imagine what it would be like on a strange new mountain with a different ecosystem.

For some reason, I'm constantly surprised by what you can see (or what signs say you can see) in the distance from the top of a mountain. Kind of makes the world feel both bigger and smaller at the same time!

we still saw people crossing boundaries, allowing their dogs off-lead*blood pressure rises* At a local game refuge I used to love hiking at, I would often see people with their dogs off leash right in front of a sign forbidding it. My "favorite" moment was when some women were coming out of the refuge as I was heading in and informed me a bear had ( ... )

dawn_felagund October 23 2016, 16:29:39 UTC

Walking above the clouds is interesting but also gets a little boring pretty fast! :) We made this particular hike in hopes of getting nice views on peak leaf weekend. Ha! That didn't happen. When we go back, I'd like it to be on a clear day. It will not be as atmospheric, but the views will be worth it, I think.

Kind of makes the world feel both bigger and smaller at the same time!

You're so right! From the top of Bald Mountain and Jay Peak, we can see Mount Washington, for instance, as well as Mount Mansfield. It's an unusual feeling that something that would take an hour or two in the car is suddenly *right there*, or seemingly so.

Off-lead dogs ... *sigh*

This is a particular pet peeve of mine. There are trails in Vermont where it is allowable (we even have Dog Mountain!) and I'm 100% perfectly fine with people and their dogs taking advantage of that freedom ( ... )