As most readers of my blog already know, Mt. Eisenhower
is one of the New Hampshire mountains that qualifies for inclusion on what I'll
call the "NH48" list. For
anyone who might be unfamiliar with this list, it includes the 48 mountains in
New Hampshire that rise at least 4,000 ft above sea level and meet the
prominence criterion of rising 200 feet above any ridge connecting it to a
higher neighbor. (Click HERE for
more information about prominence). Besides
the mountains on the NH48 list, there are several other NH peaks (such as Mt.
Hight in the Carter Range) that rise above 4,000 ft, but are excluded for failure to meet the
prominence criterion.
It's now been over a decade since I moved to the
beautiful White Mountain Region of NH, and had the good fortune of
finding a home located within an hour's drive of nearly all of the major trailheads,
including those for the NH48 peaks.
During my first few years of living in this magnificent
part of the country, I frequently hiked to the NH48 peaks. However, my nature is such that I easily
become bored with doing the "same old, same old". And so, I turned my attention to
bushwhacking, and other hiking adventures that were new to me. Nevertheless, I still enjoy occasional
excursions to the high peaks, especially if it's to one that I haven't visited
in a number of years.
When recently looking over my hiking log, I noticed that
it had been over 5 years since I last hiked to Mt. Eisenhower (4,780 ft). Although the weather looked a bit
"iffy", I decided to go for it anyway. My 7-mile (round-trip) route of travel would
be a simple "out and back" hike using the Edmands Path, plus an
additional little loop at the top of the mountain by using a combination of the
Mt. Eisenhower Loop Trail and Crawford Path (see map below).
Map showing my route (click to enlarge) |
Now, please allow me to explain why the title of my
report contains a curious mention of the camera that I purchased several years
ago for $97 dollars, brand new!
My only reasons for taking snapshots are to document my
hiking adventures, and to share them with others via this blog and Facebook. I have no lofty aspirations of becoming a
bone fide photographer, or entering my pictures into contests, etc. I have experimented with using several
"high-end" cameras, and decided that I'm willing to forego the
advantages of a larger and more technical camera. I
prefer the simplicity and convenience of a small "point and shoot" camera
that easily slips in my pants pocket.
And so, that's the story of why I ended up using a $97 dollar Casio
EX-H5 camera! It has taken thousands of
pictures, and it's still going strong after many years of use!
Here are a few simple snapshots taken
with my little $97 dollar gadget during my recent trek to Mt. Eisenhower.
Upon reaching this familiar sign, there was little need for concern on this particular day, even though the sky had darkened, and the wind was strong and gusty. |
Although Mt. Eisenhower's summit was sunlit, the northern sky over Mt. Washington and beyond was dark and threatening. |
The sky was less threatening, but very hazy, when looking southward toward Mt. Pierce and the Crawford Notch. |
While descending the south side of the Mt. Eisenhower Loop Trail, I glanced over my shoulder to look northward. Yup! The sky still looked threatening in that direction! |
While hiking along the Crawford Path, I
continued to see the dark clouds wax and wane in the northern sky.
|
~ THE END ~