...it will change! under any weather condition though, being in the mountains has always felt enriching.
without a doubt, weather has given me pause--more accurately taken away any pausing--a fair number of times, but i would not trade those experiences for anything. i cut my east coast mountain-teeth in the mt washington valley where attention to weather gets frequent warnings with the ubiquitous 'stop' signs along trails leading above treeline. it didn't take too many trips up high before i fully understood the threat.
earlier in the week, when i read "what friday's extra-long lunar eclipse can tell us about the earth", i got pretty excited about going up high for a viewing. four MOC student had texted about a moonrise-sunset hike going above treeline to see the "'blood moon'". even if it wasn't going to be eclipsed, a full moon coming up over the horizon is always a treat. when you can see that in the east, turn around and see the sun setting in the west it's a double delight.
like all week, the weather was solidly forecast to be iffy at best and most likely stormy. sure enough, thunder clouds started rolling in around noon and we had a couple of heavy showers around five-ish. still in fast changing conditions, you never know when you are going to get a break. as i finished my 2nd piece of pizza it was still thundering in the distance. i texted olivia and asked if she was still going. she zipped back a "max and i are leaving now!" that motivated me into action. i packed my rain jacket and headed out the door.
at the summit, we stayed to catch the sun's descent. the light kept changing and max repeated more than a couple times, "it just keeps getting better and better." the biggest break came close to the horizon, and the sun sent out vivid orangy-reddish rays. the moon in the east though, had no such breaks. the cloud bank was totally full and they were still lining up to deposit.
without a doubt, weather has given me pause--more accurately taken away any pausing--a fair number of times, but i would not trade those experiences for anything. i cut my east coast mountain-teeth in the mt washington valley where attention to weather gets frequent warnings with the ubiquitous 'stop' signs along trails leading above treeline. it didn't take too many trips up high before i fully understood the threat.
earlier in the week, when i read "what friday's extra-long lunar eclipse can tell us about the earth", i got pretty excited about going up high for a viewing. four MOC student had texted about a moonrise-sunset hike going above treeline to see the "'blood moon'". even if it wasn't going to be eclipsed, a full moon coming up over the horizon is always a treat. when you can see that in the east, turn around and see the sun setting in the west it's a double delight.
like all week, the weather was solidly forecast to be iffy at best and most likely stormy. sure enough, thunder clouds started rolling in around noon and we had a couple of heavy showers around five-ish. still in fast changing conditions, you never know when you are going to get a break. as i finished my 2nd piece of pizza it was still thundering in the distance. i texted olivia and asked if she was still going. she zipped back a "max and i are leaving now!" that motivated me into action. i packed my rain jacket and headed out the door.
we met and started hiking under a drippy grey sky, but there was always a chance we might see something up high. that chance got a little 'brighter' when we got onto the rock at treeline, at least in the west. you could see where the sun would drop into a fairly cloudless zone as it went down.
i got my fellow hikers to strike a pose with the opening in the clouds over their shoulders. max took a panoramic that shows the varying cloud cover well. it also shows a nice time elapse of olivia's left hand...
at the summit, we stayed to catch the sun's descent. the light kept changing and max repeated more than a couple times, "it just keeps getting better and better." the biggest break came close to the horizon, and the sun sent out vivid orangy-reddish rays. the moon in the east though, had no such breaks. the cloud bank was totally full and they were still lining up to deposit.
as we started down, we were all pleased with having made the effort and sorry that others had missed it. the sprinkles never increased enough to take the raincoat out of the pack. while the cloud cover made it darker than usual, we made it down without headlamps without too much trouble.
as for the lunar eclipse thing, this trip was more than enough to get me dreaming about jan 21, when our part of the world will be able to see the next one--in total. i predict a great time atop 'our' local mountain. at a minimum, i'll have a chance for a shot like olivia took a couple years back...
until then--go outside and play!
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