Mountains Galleries

Near The Allegheny Front, WV (10/2007) : Fall colors come early along the Allegheny Front. It's like stepping forward in time and place when one climbs from the green Potomac Highlands, over the Eastern Continental Divide and into a bit of Canada. All of the pictures in this gallery were taken in early October, 2007 on a trip that hopscotched along the high plateau just west of the front. The first destination was to catch the sunrise at an unnamed overlook in Dolly Sods Wilderness off the Rohrbaugh Plains Trail. The two mile hike in took less than an hour in early morning darkness. Fox, wild turkey, a colorful array of birds and late wild-flowers escorted along the way. From there the trip went to Fisher Spring Run Bog, a National Natural Landmark, that is ringed by red spruce stands and can only be reached by true bushwhacking. The bog was full of ripe cranberries, cottongrass and numerous mysterious plants to look up. Thanks to Jonathan Jessup for pointing out this amazing place. Finally, the trip went to the Norhern Sods and Bear Rocks Scenic Area where fields of huckleberry bushes were on fire with fall color. The contrast in colors on these high plains is dramatic where huckleberry, sugar maple, hardwoods, grasses, ferns and red spruce all intermingle.

Near The Allegheny Front, WV (10/2007)

Fall colors come early along the Allegheny Front. It's like stepping f ...

Updated: Nov 14, 2007 9:49pm PST

Snow Walking In Yosemite National Park, CA (3/2008) : Giant rock faces. Giant trees. Giant waterfalls. Yosemite National Park is saturated with some of nature's greatest creations. We met friends in early March for some "winter" touring in Yosemite when the summer crowds are missing and snow covers vast stretches of the park. Unusually warm weather baked the snow and triggered a quickening spring thaw, making snowshoeing and hiking the best way to travel on alternatively crunchy or slushy snow. We traveled along the rim of Yosemite Valley, on tree-line crests, up waterfall-filled canyons and through groves of Giant Sequoias. Yosemite, as Muir quickly realized, is clearly a special place with a concentration of beauty that has few North American rivals.

Snow Walking In Yosemite National Park, CA (3/2008)

Giant rock faces. Giant trees. Giant waterfalls. Yosemite National Par ...

Updated: Mar 10, 2008 8:58pm PST

Hell Brook Route Up Mount Mansfield, VT (9/2007) : Hell Brook is the name of a "trail" that ascends Mount Mansfield in Vermont from the northeast. Counting the final ascent from a saddle, the climb is 2,700 ft. in less than 2 miles. Hell Brook itself rises 2,200 ft. in 1.3 miles. Don't lean back. Don't turn around. And, don't call this a trail. It's a designated scrambling route that would be bouldering or climbing if it was much steeper. It is an incredible way to reach the highest point in Vermont, a 4,393 ft. subalpine wonderland surrounded by the Green Mountains of the Granite State. On a clear day the summit offers views of the White Mountains in New Hampshire, Lake Champlain and the highest Adirondacks in New York, not to mention views north and south along the Green Mountain range.

Hell Brook Route Up Mount Mansfield, VT (9/2007)

Hell Brook is the name of a "trail" that ascends Mount Mansfield in Ve ...

Updated: Nov 14, 2007 9:52pm PST

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO (8/2007) : Rocky Mountain National Park protects a vast swath of alpine terrain in the northern Colorado Rockies. Longs Peak, a famous 14er, is the centerpiece of the area at 14,259 ft. The park contains almost unimaginable alpine beauty. Dozens of stunning high mountains that tower in 5 digits above treeline, almost 100 alpine lakes, steep drainages full of waterfalls, and even a few glaciers and snowfields. We spent a few days exploring in the park, hiking almost 50 miles and climbing well over 10,000 vertical feet total. Our trips took us through Glacier Gorge to its headwaters lakes; up two high mountains in the Mummy Range where Ypsilon Mountain exceeds 13,500 ft.; to the Western Continental Divide where Hallet's Peak offers a lofty 360 degree view of the entire Colorado Rockies region; and to the top of Longs Peak. Although we spent several hours every day hiking and scrambling about in the mountains, we only scratched the surface of this spectacular place. All our trips started by 6:30 a.m. so we could return below treeline before noon, a novel concept compared with our leisurely eastern start times. The reason: high-risk thunderstorms gather almost daily on Rockies afternoons. Climbing Longs Peak was just one of many highlights. It started at 2:30 a.m. to beat the storms and involved hiking and scrambling 15 miles round-trip with 4,870 ft. in elevation change. The final 1.5 miles involve serious rock scrambing in semi-exposed terrain. The trip went smoothly with Mark summiting in 4.5 hours at 7 a.m., as the first person to complete the Keyhole Route on August 12, 2007. Round trip took just under 10 hours. Dozens of people attempt Longs Peak each day during the two months each year the Keyhole Route is free of snow, but the park service estimates only 30% complete the trip.

Rocky Mountain National Park, CO (8/2007)

Rocky Mountain National Park protects a vast swath of alpine terrain i ...

Updated: Nov 28, 2007 7:27pm PST

Nelson Rocks Preserve - Via Ferrata, 7/2007 : We celebrated July 4th with friends while hanging off the cliff face of Nelson Rocks Via Ferrata. This "iron way" in the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia was created in 2002 and is one of three vie ferrate in the U.S. (Via Ferrata climbing routes have long existed in some parts of the European Alps). Our able friend and guide, Tony, led us through a challenging and exhilarating afternoon of full contact activity. Steel cables and ladder rungs allow access to rocky pinnacles without technical climbing skills. Staying clipped in at all times does take a bit of concentration but this extra security also allows a few moments for enjoying the spectacular views. Nelson Rocks is an outcropping of Tuscarora sandstone near North Fork Mountain in Pendleton County, WV. Seneca Rocks, a larger and more famous rock formation, is nearby. The entire valley region includes numerous examples of similar thin towers and cliffs of rock that have resisted erosion as the surrounding Appalachian mountains softened.

Nelson Rocks Preserve - Via Ferrata, 7/2007

We celebrated July 4th with friends while hanging off the cliff face o ...

Updated: Nov 28, 2007 3:14pm PST

Mount Porte Crayon, WV (8/2007) : At 4,770 ft., Mount Porte Crayon is the highest mountain in the Canaan Valley Region. Porte Crayon is an unassuming summit. No official trail will take you there and the top of the mountain is shrouded in a second-growth plantation forest. (Nearby Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia, has a road, radio towers and observation deck at the top). Porte Crayon, on the other hand, is obscure, miles from any road and is covered in thick vegetation that complicates finding the highest point. The mountain is named after the nom-de-plume used by an early advocate of the beauty in the Canaan region, who wrote about the fabulous scenery under the pen name Porte Crayon. The understory is thick in places and it is a long, steep daytrip to visit this place. We hiked 14 miles round-trip and almost 3,000 ft. in elevation change, using the Flatrock Run Trail of the Roaring Plains area as trail access. We didn't get lost but we also apparently didn't find the true top (see the gallery comment from Mr. Jessup for some hints at finding the actual summit). Blazing ribbons left by a prior party led us to a tree that appeared to mark the high point. We previously had claimed success, but that was apparently a false summit. Another trip.....

Mount Porte Crayon, WV (8/2007)

At 4,770 ft., Mount Porte Crayon is the highest mountain in the Canaan ...

Updated: Aug 21, 2007 12:10pm PST

Mount Mitchell, NC (7/2007) : While traveling in the South we recently took a side trip to Mount Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Mount Mitchell is 6,684 ft. high, almost 400 ft. higher than Mount Washington (which is the 8th highest in the East). Located in the Black Mountains near Asheville, NC, the mountaintop can be reached by car and features a concessions stand and large parking lot near the summit. We opted to hike up through beautiful older growth forests, starting at a trailhead 3,800 ft. below the top. The climb is steady for 6 miles and on the day of our trip so was the rain. Heavy showers dominated the first half of the hike. We got wet but made good time up the mountain. Near the top, our attempt at climbing Mount Mitchell was thwarted by a strange trail closure. The final 200 ft. of ascent was closed in all directions because the state park was building yet another observation tower at the summit. The history of observation towers at the top of Mount Mitchell is a long one. But rather than tear the most recent tower down and be done with it, another is going up as a testament to man's inability to leave important natural wonders unimproved. We settled for some hot chocolate at the concessions stand and headed back down the mountain, happy to have traveled through incredible mountain scenery but resigned to the fact we would have to reach the top of Mount Mitchell some other time.

Mount Mitchell, NC (7/2007)

While traveling in the South we recently took a side trip to Mount Mit ...

Updated: Nov 14, 2007 9:44pm PST

Gruppo di Brenta, Italy 9/2006 : The Brenta Dolomites are a breathtaking series of sheer pink, black and chalky grey limestone cliffs and towering spires spaced closely together in the Italian Alps. The Brenta Group holds special status in the lore of the European Alps, in that they are an excellent training ground for mountaineering. These dramatic mountains stand alone and stretch high over lower mountains to the east and equally high but less dramatic granite-teethed mountains to the west. The mountains have long been a draw for climbers and contain an extensive system of assisted-climbing routes known as via ferrata, which use of fixed cables, iron ladders and hooks create high-altitude passages. Travel information on the area favors skiing and climbing, but there are also extensive non-technical trekking options here that are only moderately difficult by European Alps standards (all our hikes involved between 2,500-3,300 ft. of elevation change). We spent several days hiking on trails one level below the via ferrata routes and barely made a dent in all the hiking options the area has to offer. We stayed in Madonna di Campiglio, located just west and 1,900 vertical feet below the base of the Brenta range. The region's capital, Trento, is 80 kilometers to the east. Friends we made while trekking on the Walker's Haute Route in France and Switzerland flew down from Amsterdam to join us for a reunion of sorts, making this stop on our Italian vacation an extra special one.

Gruppo di Brenta, Italy 9/2006

The Brenta Dolomites are a breathtaking series of sheer pink, black an ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2006 1:04pm PST

The Walker's Haute Route, Switzerland and France 9/2004 : The Walker's Haute Route begins in Chamonix, France and ends in Zermatt, Switzerland. We hiked more than 100 miles in 14 days along this route, crossing 10 mountain passes and averaging 3,500 ft. in elevation change daily. The trails were difficult but the mountain scenery easily overcame the hard days. We stayed in huts and small inns along the way, avoiding the need for heavy packs. These photograghs were shot on film and converted, so lack some sharpness compared to digital.

The Walker's Haute Route, Switzerland and France 9/2004

The Walker's Haute Route begins in Chamonix, France and ends in Zermat ...

Updated: Nov 24, 2006 3:28pm PST

North Fork Mountain, WV 11/2005 : North Fork Mountain is a long spine of sandstone that rises up in the eastern rain shadow of Spruce Knob, West Virginia's highest peak, and the Allegheny Front. The famous Seneca Rocks is part of this mountain range. A trail follows the ridge, offering one jaw dropping vista after another. This gallery is from a hike starting at the north end and up to some large cliff and rock formations known as the Chimney Tops.

North Fork Mountain, WV 11/2005

North Fork Mountain is a long spine of sandstone that rises up in the ...

Updated: Nov 14, 2005 5:41pm PST

Black Mountain, TN 8/2006 : Black Mountain is near Crab Orchard, TN on the Cumberland Plateau and is along the Cumberland Trail system being built in the escarpment region of the plateau. The area offers sandstone overlooks and is rimmed by cliffs and giant house sized boulders that are bouldering and short-route climbing dreams. On the western edge of the mountain a maze of boulders makes one feel very small. The mountain is a fine example of the long-term crumbling taking place due to karst geology on the plateau. Immediately to the south is Grassy Cove, the largest limestone sink in North America. This cove is drained by creeks that flow into a cave within the cove. The water reemerges on the other side of a ridge to form the Sequatchie River at the head of the equally geologically significant Sequatchie Valley.

Black Mountain, TN 8/2006

Black Mountain is near Crab Orchard, TN on the Cumberland Plateau and ...

Updated: Aug 14, 2006 10:41am PST

Seneca Rocks, WV 5/2006 : She sits as an imposing outcropping of Tuscarora sandstone and seems an impossible site amid the worn, green mountains of the Appalachian Mountains. We've stopped to see her many times, but until recently had never caught Seneca Rocks in the late afternoon glow of a partly cloudy day.

Seneca Rocks, WV 5/2006

She sits as an imposing outcropping of Tuscarora sandstone and seems a ...

Updated: Oct 18, 2006 1:06pm PST