Completing the Quest

 Last week I failed to get IR photos at Chapel Pond because of a dead camera battery. Yesterday, I drove down to the mountains again. The weather was more varied, mostly sunny, mostly cloudy, and even a couple of sprinkles. I stopped first at Barnum Pond, where I shot several photos of St. Regis Mt across the Pond. For those unfamiliar with the area, St Regis is the dark peak on the left, off in the distance.

The highway curves around a bay here, so you can't miss this view. Every time I go by here, I am reminded that my grandfather photographed this scene over a hundred years ago. He had very different equipment, however, glass plates and a wooden camera. I have a few of his glass negatives and often wish that his camera had also been passed down. He died in the spring of the year that I was born, so I never knew him.

Back in Keene Valley after negotiating several sections of roadwork, I finally shot the photo (above) that I was trying to make when the camera battery died last week. The 'red barn' mentioned in the last post used to stand on the left side of the photo.

I was told quite a few years back that this copse of trees remained in the field because it was an Indian burial ground, but that was just local legend. I learned later that it is a geological formation, a pile of stones left by the last Ice Age.  The image above is a telephoto shot from the viewing platform that the state built by the parking area.  

My next stop was Marcy Field, a grass strip airport in Keene Valley with an excellent view of Noonmark Mt and several High Peaks.

The airfield windsock with Upper & Lower Wolf Jaws Mt, Armstrong & Gothics in the background.

And finally, Chapel Pond.

The cliffs here are popular with rock climbers, and there was a pair on the rockface near the middle of this scene.

To avoid the road construction on my way home, I bypassed Lake Placid and Saranac Lake, going instead through Upper Jay, Wilmington, Franklin Falls, and Bloomingdale. On my way by, I stopped to photograph the Veterans Memorial Highway Gatehouse across the pond.

My final stop of the trip was at Moose Pond, a side trip as I was approaching Bloomingdale. The scene above is along a trail that circles the Pond. I stumbled onto this spot several years ago. It struck me at the time as being the sort of place one would encounter leprechauns and fairies. I photographed it in color back then and wanted to see what an IR version would look like.

This last photo is a bit grainy. The Canon G-11 is a 10MP camera that tends to be 'noisy at anything over ISO 400. I had to shoot this at ISO 1600 to get a handholdable shutter speed. Thanks to modern editing software it came out well and is probably my favorite photo from the day.

Adirondacks in Infrared

 

On the 21st, I drove south to the mountains to visit some old haunts and shoot them in IR.  I planned to drive as far as Chapel Pond on Rt 73 and possibly farther east to Split Rock Falls. I started with a stop at Mountain Pond, where there was a group of locals canoeing. 

There were no clouds, with a bright sun, which is perfect for infrared. After Mountain Pond, I stopped in Saranac Lake to visit my brother, then drove down to the Cascade Lakes, where I photographed a roadside boulder and Lower Cascade Lake.

 

My plan to go to Chapel Pond was aborted after a stop in Keene Valley. I stopped at the turnout across from the road to Elizabethtown, where 'the red barn' used to be. It was for many years the most photographed barn in the Adirondacks, but a few years ago, the state tore it down because it was in bad condition and people were using it as a toilet. I was setting up to photograph a tree there when my IR camera signaled that it was shutting down due to a low battery. After a futile search through my camera bag, I discovered that I didn't have a spare battery with me. That was when I aborted the rest of my plan and went home. When I got home, I searched for the spare but couldn't find it, so I ordered two new batteries. The ones I had were getting old (10+ YEARS), so it was time to get new ones anyway.

Whiteface Revisited

 On Friday, the 18^th of July, I climbed Whiteface Mountain via the Connery Pond Whiteface Landing trail in celebration of my 32^nd 46er completion anniversary. I finished the 46 on July 17^th, 1993. I went a day late this year because of challenging weather on the 17^th, 90° temperatures, and thunderstorms. My age (80) and the trail were more than enough challenge. I didn’t need additional obstacles. I was joined by Dave Allen, a frequent hiking companion. Our friend Rick Reed was unable to come. I took a photo of him so that he could be there in spirit.

Sunrise at Connery Pond

The trail is easy from the Connery Pond parking area to Whiteface Landing. It isn’t level, but the ups and downs are minor. The trail skirts Connery Pond, goes over a small ridge, and drops to the shore of Lake Placid, where there is a dock. Dave and I walked the 0.1-mile trail down to the shore and took our first break. There would be numerous breaks later.

Whiteface Landing

From there, we proceeded to the Whiteface Lean-to, again an easy walk. We had read that the trail tended to be muddy, but in spite of downpours the day before, we saw little mud until the section where the trail crosses Whiteface Brook 3 times. There, not only was it muddy, but the trail needed maintenance. Many of the marker disks from this point forward are badly faded and hard to spot, plus there were at least 3 areas of blow-down that should be cleared.

Whiteface Lean-to

Around the 4-5 mile mark, the trail got steep, and at several points nearer the summit, I was scrambling on all fours. In my 46er adventures, I had done other steep sections, but I cannot recall another as unrelenting as this one. I needed rest breaks frequently, the last 1½-2 miles for energy drinks and snacks to refuel. I know my age played a role in how tough a climb this was, but I was never a fast or agile climber, even in my 40s when I did the 46 over 8½ years. This is rated a ‘difficult’ trail, and it earns the rating. The ‘profile’ of this approach exaggerates the steepness, but not by much.

An interesting glacial erratic with an unusually flat side

We had arranged to ride back down with my brother and sister-in-law, who met us at the summit. I was in no shape to descend on foot after 8 hours and 50 minutes. I had estimated that it would take 7 hours to do the climb, and at least 50 minutes of that time was breaks, but I had still underestimated the time. I began doing anniversary hikes on the 20^th anniversary with the intention that I would do them every 5 years. Rick, Dave, and I did the 20^th and 25^th on the Atmospheric Center Trail and the Reservoir Trail. Dave and I did the 30^th anniversary hike on the Atmospheric Center Trail. I had been up the Memorial Highway twice in winter, once on skis and then on snowshoes. I wanted to do the Whiteface Landing Trail because it was the one trail I had never done. I doubted I would be able to do it on the 35^th anniversary. I will revisit the summit on future anniversaries, but I will drive up.

I am glad I did it. I knew it would be a tough climb, and it was. I do have a couple of regrets. The first is that I took so few photos. Most of the hike was through unremarkable woods, typical of Adirondack trails. The bulk of the interesting views came after the tree line. By then, I was well behind my estimated schedule and aware that my waiting ride down the mountain would be concerned, so I skipped several views I might otherwise have photographed. Once on the summit, I skipped photographing except to record our finish with the assistance of a summit steward and took the elevator to the parking area. The positive is that I can return at my leisure and descend from the summit without having to re-hike the interminable steep wooded section below treeline.

Dave, Rick & Jim on the summit

Mt. Arab Fire Tower - Infrared

 

Today's adventure was Mt. Arab fire tower near Tupper Lake. It is a one-mile hike to the summit, an easier trail than Azure because it isn't as steep. Again, I shot a lot of infrared. It was an overcast morning. I have climbed Arab at least 3 times before, including once in winter. I shot a few ordinary color images with my OMD E-MIII, which I posted on Facebook.

Now I have to decide on the next adventure. It may be another fire tower. Enjoy and stay tuved.

Azure Mountain Infrared Adventure

 

A friend and I climbed Azure Mountain today. I have been walking quite a bit this winter, mostly indoors and mostly flat ground with some stairs mixed in. I wanted to see if my legs, specifically my knees are up to climbing. Happily, they are, at least for the 1 mile up that is Azure.

It was a very hazy day, partly because of the humidity but mostly because of smoke from wildfires in northern Manitoba. Yes, I said Manitoba, and yes, it is half a continent away, but the jet stream was carrying the smoke all the way to the Adirondacks today. The views were very limited. I had my IR camera along, so I decided to use that mostly It worked pretty well, cutting through the mist and smoke better than my eyes could.

This rock 'lair' is about halfway up the mountain. It has the aura of a bear's den, but it would have to be a small bear, a cub perhaps. It had been 4-5 years since I had climbed Azure, despite it being the closest mountain to my home. 

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