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Summer Vacation Banter


Mr Torchey

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Pics from Mt. Kearsarge this AM. Weather was perfect, 74 at bottom and 69 at top. Very nice breezes.

Nice views BIrving... hiking season is getting into full swing now that the record wetness this spring is giving way to dry trails.

How were the bugs? I've noticed up here that they've gotten a lot worse in the past 7-10 days at high elevations.

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No big trips planned right now through the heart of summer but in September, the wife and I will be spending a week on the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound. One of my wife's best friends lives out there, so we're headed out for a visit and I'm looking forward to it. Hoping to do some kayaking and/or sailing while we're out there.

Spekaing of which.....

Later this summer I am hoping to kayak a 150 mile stretch of the mid/northern Maine coast from Rockland to Machias with some friends and spend some time on Vinalhaven. To me, that section of coast is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.

Some old stomping grounds of mine, right there.

I crewed for six summers back in the 90s on one of the windjammers out of Rockland and learned the waters from there eastward quite well. There are some great little coves on Vinalhaven to tuck into and check out Swans Island if you can. Beware of the lobstermen in Stonington though. They can be pretty cranky.

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Nice views BIrving... hiking season is getting into full swing now that the record wetness this spring is giving way to dry trails.

How were the bugs? I've noticed up here that they've gotten a lot worse in the past 7-10 days at high elevations.

Yeah, hiking season should be much better given the mud season is behind us. The bugs were terrible, however with the humidity and standing water around, that was to be expected.

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No big trips planned right now through the heart of summer but in September, the wife and I will be spending a week on the San Juan Islands in Puget Sound. One of my wife's best friends lives out there, so we're headed out for a visit and I'm looking forward to it. Hoping to do some kayaking and/or sailing while we're out there.

Spekaing of which.....

Some old stomping grounds of mine, right there.

I crewed for six summers back in the 90s on one of the windjammers out of Rockland and learned the waters from there eastward quite well. There are some great little coves on Vinalhaven to tuck into and check out Swans Island if you can. Beware of the lobtermen in Stonington though. They can be pretty cranky.

That sounds great! Always pleased to hear from someone else familiar with this area. I bet one of those coves you remember on Vinalhaven is winter harbor on the east side... that is always one of my favorites. We are definitely planning to take our time and stop on Swan's Island and Isle au Haut too. I've never been east of Isle au Haut although I know the waters around Vinalhaven like the back of my hand. Any other suggestions/advice? Is the terrain pretty similar as you head NE?

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The summer office... ride ATV to summit, turn on Gondola, sit back and enjoy the view all day long.

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Office with a view...

Awesome day for the summer solstice... crisp mountain air, views to Mount Washington in the morning... slowly fading in the afternoon as the humidity and haze increase. It won't be long till its snowing up here, haha.

that is awesome.

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That sounds great! Always pleased to hear from someone else familiar with this area. I bet one of those coves you remember on Vinalhaven is winter harbor on the east side... that is always one of my favorites. We are definitely planning to take our time and stop on Swan's Island and Isle au Haut too. I've never been east of Isle au Haut although I know the waters around Vinalhaven like the back of my hand. Any other suggestions/advice? Is the terrain pretty similar as you head NE?

Winter Harbor--you bet, mate! That's exactly one of the ones I was thinking of. Very nice spot with the ledges and whatnot.

I've never explored Isle au Haut very much beyond ferrying passengers back and forth from the schooner to the dock but by all accounts, it's a "can't miss" if you're in the neighborhood.

Sometimes we would go to Russ Island off of Stonington--the feral sheep out there are pretty fun to watch.

Pulpit Habor at North Haven has great sunsets over the Camden Hills and Pretty Marsh on the west side of MDI is a nice & quiet spot by Acadia standards anyway. Schoodic is nice too. Hell, it's all good out there. ;)

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I'll be here from 8/12 to 8/21 then in Vegas until 8/23, the Grand Canyon until 8/26, then Phoenix until 8/28 before flying home. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

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I went there back in '05 for a wedding at Winter Park. Stayed in Estes Park as well. I was there for a week and then to Vegas for a bachelor party (separate from the wedding). Other than my honeymoon...it was the trip of a lifetime.

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A lot of people in the cities have memberships to places like Planet Fitness but up here, the gym is the mountain. I've got my run/hike time down to around 40-45 minutes to the top (2,100 vertical feet from the 1,600ft base to 3,700ft gondy terminal). I chill out for a few minutes up there, and then take the 10 minute ride down the mountain to my car... round trip is around 60 minutes. I gotta say, I prefer this exercise to spending an hour in some corporate gym on a treadmill, lol.

Even on cloudy, murky days the mountain can offer some nice views.

Running up through the fog.

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This patch of snow is still holding tough... I know of only 3 to 4 spots that are still holding snow on the mountain. This one should last at least through July 4th as its still a few feet thick in the middle.

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Popped out of the low level cloud deck and found a nice opening of relatively clear weather under the mid-level cloud deck.

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Neighboring hills...

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And lastly, back down to the elevated valley under the clouds... with the Worcester Range in the background rising back up into the cloud deck.

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I went there back in '05 for a wedding at Winter Park. Stayed in Estes Park as well. I was there for a week and then to Vegas for a bachelor party (separate from the wedding). Other than my honeymoon...it was the trip of a lifetime.

It should be fun. I'll be in Vegas with my family so it won't be quite the same kind of trip wink.gif, but it will still be cool as any new place to travel to is always enjoyable. Can't wait to see the Grand Canyon as well.

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It should be fun. I'll be in Vegas with my family so it won't be quite the same kind of trip wink.gif, but it will still be cool as any new place to travel to is always enjoyable. Can't wait to see the Grand Canyon as well.

Never done the Desert SW but camped in northeast Nevada last summer, and it was awesome. Such a different landscape but so dramatic. I honestly think Nevada has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country with the red-rock desert, snow-capped peaks, alpine meadows, and mountain lakes; the diversity is just unbelievable...you start your hike in a dusty desert with cactus and a few Piñon juniper and end up walking through cool, lush meadows coated in wildflowers with churning waterfalls. Love that place. The Salt Flats along the NV/UT border are awesome, too...lots of mirages with the high, snowy mountains reflected in salt and pools of standing water. Nothing like flying down I-80 with the roof down, going 90mph past the multi-colored desert and snow-topped peaks. Would love to return in winter although I know you need chains for a lot of the passes in NE Nevada.

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Never done the Desert SW but camped in northeast Nevada last summer, and it was awesome. Such a different landscape but so dramatic. I honestly think Nevada has one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country with the red-rock desert, snow-capped peaks, alpine meadows, and mountain lakes; the diversity is just unbelievable...you start your hike in a dusty desert with cactus and a few Piñon juniper and end up walking through cool, lush meadows coated in wildflowers with churning waterfalls. Love that place. The Salt Flats along the NV/UT border are awesome, too...lots of mirages with the high, snowy mountains reflected in salt and pools of standing water. Nothing like flying down I-80 with the roof down, going 90mph past the multi-colored desert and snow-topped peaks. Would love to return in winter although I know you need chains for a lot of the passes in NE Nevada.

One of my favorite trips was Philmont Scout ranch (New Mexico) in 8th grade when I went for two weeks hiking in the back country. I'm lucky to have gone on the trips I've gone on. thumbsupsmileyanim.gif

View from riding up Pikes Peak

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View from the top of Mt. Philips...the second 11K peak we hiked of the day.

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Winter Harbor--you bet, mate! That's exactly one of the ones I was thinking of. Very nice spot with the ledges and whatnot.

I've never explored Isle au Haut very much beyond ferrying passengers back and forth from the schooner to the dock but by all accounts, it's a "can't miss" if you're in the neighborhood.

Sometimes we would go to Russ Island off of Stonington--the feral sheep out there are pretty fun to watch.

Pulpit Habor at North Haven has great sunsets over the Camden Hills and Pretty Marsh on the west side of MDI is a nice & quiet spot by Acadia standards anyway. Schoodic is nice too. Hell, it's all good out there. ;)

Thanks, I will definitely check these spots out!

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Wow those are gorgeous...here are a couple of mine from last summer:

NV, alpine lake in the Humboldt National Forest:

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View from summit of Bald Mtn in Utah (11,943')

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Coniferous forest near Mirror Lake, UT:

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Nice smile.gif

Your pictures are of much better quality...mine are ok considering they are coming from a then 14 year old with a disposable camera.

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Nice smile.gif

Your pictures are of much better quality...mine are ok considering they are coming from a then 14 year old with a disposable camera.

Thanks for the kind words...I shot them with a crappy digital camera with like 3 megapixels, but I guess it's easy to find beauty in the Mountain West. I never thought I would become so enamored with Utah and Nevada, sort of went there randomly after quitting my job in Montana cooking, but ended up camping for like 10 days and loving it. Amazing how much snow had held on in NV, those piles were like 6 feet deep easily. Dry air melts things slowly. It was also amazing to see the contrast between barren desert and the alpine meadows filled with birds, wildflowers, and crashing waterfalls still being fed by snowmelt in mid-August.

Here is my favorite place, though, Glacier in Montana:

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