Here are some photos I took during a six day stretch between October 17 and 22, 2017 during what has turned out to be a very nice fall foliage season in the Upper Valley.
Tuesday October 17
An early morning hike up the 3,156 ft high Mount Cardigan in Orange, NH was an easy climb with 1,240 ft of elevation gain. The summit is bare so there is a 360 degree view. This can be a very windy spot.
I took my favorite routes — up the South Ridge Trail across South Peak and down the West Ridge Trail from the summit of Cardigan. The South Ridge Trail affords views of the summit from a long distance. Well above South Peak I looked back across the bright red berries of mountain ash. The two mountains in the distance are Ragged and Kearsarge.
Here is a closer view of Ragged on the left with ski trails and Kearsarge on the right. The small “peak” in the foreground with the rock pile is South Peak.
From the summit I could already see snow on Mount Washington. The smaller peak to the left with snow is Mount Adams.
There was also snow on Lafayette and Lincoln above Franconia Notch.
The somewhat rocky peak on the far left just below the middle of the above photo is Firescrew, a beautiful easy hike from Cardigan. I like climbing Firescrew from the AMC Lodge in Alexandria, crossing to Cardigan, and returning to the lodge. The loop route is Manning Trail > Firescrew > Mowglis Trail > Mt Cardigan > Clark Trail > Holt – Clark Cutoff, and then the Holt Trail back to the lodge. One does not want to take the very steep Holt Trail all the way down from the summit.
This day I skipped Firescrew and headed down the West Ridge Trail with it row of huge cairns guiding the way.
I took a circuitous way home from Cardigan and discovered some nice reflections in the tiny Mill Brook in Grafton.
Wednesday October 18
My fall Photography class started this evening so I stayed close to home. The class was full with a waiting list so I wanted to be well prepared even though I had given it dozens of times. On an early morning walk with my wife, I tried a 10-shot multi-exposure of a field and trees.
Thursday October 19
This was a day for exploring Sunapee, Sutton, New London, Springfield, and Newport for three hours mid-day while my wife was at a quilt guild meeting in Newport.
I got a pair of images in Burkehaven Harbor in Sunapee.
In Sutton I photographed the Lyon River which flows into Lake Kezar.
Then I took a pair of photos of Lake Kezar. I stopped at Muster Field Farm for some vegetables but did not take any photos there.
I photographed some milkweed in New London with Mount Kearsarge in the background.
Then I got another photo that shows Mount Kearsarge clearer with Pleasant Lake below it.
Finally in New London, a simple back road.
Crossing into Springfield I photographed the beach at Twin Lake Village.
One of their cottages nicely mirrored the fall colors.
Back in Newport with a bit of time before I needed to pick up Jann, I decided to head to a favorite place, Pollard Mill Falls, even though I expected the Sugar River would be way too contrasty in the bright sun of this day. I was pleasantly surprised when I found the falls completely shaded by the trees and hillside.
Friday October 20
Mid-afternoon Friday I took a short drive through parts of Norwich and Thetford, Vermont. Here are three of the photos I took.
Back in NH I got a photo of a small red barn with the sun coming through colorful leaves.
Saturday October 21
Some errands to run Saturday, so I left home early planning to get some photos before the stores opened.
I was warned away from a hilly field, owned by a friend, that I planned to cross to get the early light on Mount Ascutney. A man in camouflage garb told me it was the first day of rifle season and that there were two hunters up in the field. I do wear an orange vest this time of year, but I decided maybe the photo wasn’t that important.
Wandering down to the Connecticut River I took a photo of the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge, mainly because I liked the early soft light and the very calm river.
In the nearby Blow-Me-Down area, I took a few foliage photos and then farther north got some reflections in the Connecticut River.
Errands completed, I wandered slowly home by a non-direct route. Here are four photos from three towns south of my Etna home.
Sunday October 22
I planned to do an end-to-end hike over Mount Sunapee with a group this day. But the hike did not start until 9 AM so I had some time to get photos along and near Route 4A in Enfield and New London.
The hike was up SRKG Trail 1, starting along the Newbury Trail from Newbury Harbor. After gaining considerable elevation we got a nice look down at Lake Sunapee and Great Island.
After reaching the northern end of the Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway we climbed to a wonderful spot, White Ledges above Lake Solitude, where we had a snack/early lunch.
Just short of the summit we paused for a group photo. I’m not showing that photo, but it was taken at a great spot overlooking Lake Sunapee.
I believe I traveled more this fall than last year. At least I hiked more in September and October — Mount Washington, Bunker Hill, a long hike on SRKG 5, Bog Mountain, Black Mountain in Haverhill (twice), Mount Cardigan, and Mount Sunapee. And I’m not counting 10 long days of hiking in the Dolomites in early September.
Last September I spent a whole week photographing along and near Route 4A in NH. You can see those photos if you CLICK HERE.