Photo Friday: Hitting the High Points

At some point in our recent wanderings I realized we'd hit the high points in three states--the literal high points, as in the highest peaks.

I wrote about climbing Wheeler Peak in Great Basin National Park a couple of weeks ago. It's not absolutely the highest point in Nevada, but it is the highest peak entirely within the state (the high point of Nevada is Boundary Peak, and the border with California runs right over the summit of that one). So I'm calling that my first state high point.

A week or so later, we were backpacking in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire and I had the realization that it would be only a little farther, and a lot less descending (though it would be a bunch more climbing, that was less daunting to either of us than climbing back down the very steep and rough trails we'd climbed to our hut) to go to the summit of Mt. Washington. Since only one of us could do that, I descended to the car and drove up Mt. Washington to pick up my husband. As a veteran mountain driver, I wasn't all that impressed with the hype about the scary road, but the views from the summit were great.
 

On the summit of Mt. Adams, with Mt. Washington behind my husband.

From the summit of Mt. Washington I could see back to Mts. Adams (left) and Madison where we'd been the day before. You could also see the two easy ways to get to the summit--the road and the cog railway.

I like trains, and the cog rail is pretty cool. Each car has an engine that pushes it up the mountain, literally on a cogged track to keep it from slipping backwards (or from running out of control when descending). Tourists were pouring off the train cars to stand in line to take their pictures with the summit sign. We passed on that rite.

Another week later, we hit our third and most challenging high point: Mt. Katahdin in Maine. We started from the Roaring Brook campground at first light, pretty much (6:30 a.m.), and took on arguably the most challenging route: the Helon Taylor trail to the "Knife edge" with a return via the Cathedral Trail to Chimney Pond (more on that later).

Starting out early but with good weather--blue skies reflected in a stream crossing a mile up the mountain.

 A light overcast came and went, muting the fall colors (which were a bit short of their peak in any case). In the distance is Traveler Mountain, which we climbed last year.

 

Our route will follow the ridge on the left and up. The actual summit is one of the lower-looking bumps to the right, I think.

Doesn't look too bad

I find I didn't take many photos of the "interesting" bits. My husband got a few of me scaling things that made me a bit uncomfortable, but for the most part, despite the intimidating looks, the knife edge wasn't bad.  

Just follow the blue blazes. You can see that it's not that narrow, and it's not vertical on either side. The hard part was just getting over some of the big rock blocks.

Katahdin is a popular climb. It is also the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, and with the park closing in 2 weeks from our visit, people were pushing to finish during any window of good weather (like the day we climbed, as opposed to the next day which was cold and wet). They have more cause to celebrate the summit than we do--or to regret the end of a 6-month's journey.

Through-hiker finishing up.

As they say, it ain't over until it's over. We had to get down, and our trail wen right down that middle ridge, mostly over the bump at the end and off the other side. The descent was brutal, and occasionally terrifying. It was fun at first, but before we hit flat(ish) ground and a real trail it had definitely stopped being fun.

Pretty much the universal reaction to our choice of trail down, both by those we met who were going up and by some we spoke to after was, "You came DOWN the Cathedral trail???! No one goes down that." We understood why. 

I don't think we'll be launching a "50 summits" venture anytime soon. But it was fun to check out the high points in a few states, and I'm glad to have climbed Katahdin.

And now... back to writing!

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2019

As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

Photo Friday: Baxter State Park, Maine

Still coming along weeks if not months behind on my photo posts from our fall excursions, so while Maine is getting covered in snow and we are all thinking of snowflakes and Christmas trees, I have some pictures of the fantastic fall colors to share! (And yes, I realize that my Friday post is posting on Sunday evening).

Way back at the start of October we took a trip into the Maine woods (see the post on the Gulf Hagas trail), including Baxter State Park. Baxter is one of the larger state parks around, and has an interesting history. Most of the park was the gift of Percival Baxter, when was governor of Maine in the 1920s. He bought up 6000 acres of land including Mt. Katahdin (now the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail), and in 1931 donated it to the state as a land trust.

Baxter had some very specific rules and regs for the land he donated. Most importantly, it was to remain wild, with wilderness the first priority, and recreation second. As a result, the park has a very limited road system, and none of the roads are paved. The visitor is meant to discover and explore the park on foot. The campgrounds also reflect this rule: they have lean-tos and even cabins and bunkhouses, but no water faucets, let alone showers (campers can haul water in or treat that in the streams).

We had no problem with any of that. Nor did we mind the trails being rather steep and rough, though that can make things hurt :)

You can tell it's a trail, because there's a blue blaze on the rock.

We spent three nights in the park. The first, we camped near the south entrance, at Roaring Brook campground, and did couple of short hikes, one in the evening (hoping for moose; we revisited the lake in the early morning with the same hope, but no luck either way).

With or without moose, the lakes and ponds were beautiful.

The next morning, with rain on the way, we hiked a couple of miles up a trail toward Katahdin itself, enjoying the fall colors and eventually views of the great massif.

Roaring Brook, near the Basin Ponds trailhead

From Roaring Brook to the South Branch Campground is only 13 miles by trail, but a bit more of an expedition by road. We made it longer by taking a rainy-day drive through northern Maine, and arrived to take possession of the bunkhouse about bedtime. Though it could hold 8, we were the only occupants on that rainy Thursday night.

South Branch Bunkhouse.

Next morning the storm had moved on, and we launched early for a strenuous hike recommended by a friend of our Maine friends, the Traveler Mountain loop. This 10.5 mile hike isn't for the faint of heart, as you hit three summits and gain (and lose) about 3600' of elevation.

Fall colors on the trail

The hike started innocently enough with a flat walk through the woods along South Branch ponds. We came back to this point the next day and followed Howe Brook to the falls, but first we needed to find that Center Ridge trail.

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About an hour along and a fair way up we began to get open spaces and see the views.

The campground and trailhead are at the end of the lake on the far right.

After an absurdly long climb, we reached our first summit. Which was just a flat spot on the ridge on the way up to the first real summit (1.2 miles by that sign). Being bold and strong, I sat down and ate a snack.

We began to appreciate the expansive fall colors. We could also see the whole curve of the mountain we were going to climb, traverse, and descend (not pictured, but we were beginning to get the message).

From the main summit, we began to realize that it wasn't just climbing--we had a significant drop from one summit to the next.

Dropping from Traveler Summit to Traveler Ridge

From the bald knobs to the thick forest. Having a trail here was a good thing.

Trees have to grow where they land. This one might mean trouble for the rock in the long term.

 After North Traveler, it was pretty much straight down to the end.

We were tired enough after that hike that we nabbed one of the last campsites for the night. That allowed us to do a hike next day, a calm frosty morning.

Calm water and water-color reflection.

After nearly 11 miles the previous day, I was surprised to find I was able to do the 6 miles RT to the falls on Howe Creek. They proved to be worth the effort.

After that, we felt like we had really gotten the feel of the fall color thing, and with a holiday weekend bringing crowds into the park, we headed for home.

 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated!

Photo Friday: Gulf Hagas

I have fallen far behind in my photo reports (and then I forgot to make this live, so it's late, too), so this week we are going way back to the end of September to give you all a blast of fall color from what I gather is an iconic Maine hike (okay, we'd never heard of it before, but it really is spectacular, if a bit remote). The roads to the area are private, and the trails are maintained by the Maine Appalachian Mountain Club. We accessed the gorge from the AMC's lodge at Little Lyford Pond (which was lovely).

Although we thought that calling the gorge the "Grand Canyon of the East" was a bit over the top, there is no denying that the 3 miles of gorge, with walls up to about 130' high and a series of non-trivial waterfalls was worth the price of admission. (Note: there is a literal price of admission, as the roads that lead to the trails are privately owned and maintained. Our entrance was covered in the cost of our stay at the lodge. The figurative "price of admission" was a 10-mile hike).

The afternoon before our Gulf Hagas hike we climbed a hill near the lodge and got a sense of the landscape. But we couldn't tell at all that just off to the right of this photo there's a good hole in a earth.

Our first big view of fall color

Next day we started right after breakfast, aware that daylight was limited and the weather might be changeable. Before we even reached the creek, we were amazed at the way the trees change color.

We reached the river/creek before it entered the gorge.

The mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees made for some striking contrasts.

At the first falls we were unimpressed with the 'gorge' but enjoyed the craggy rocks about the the creek. Evidence on the rocks also told us that at times the water ran a great deal higher and faster than the autumn flow.

Stair Falls (Note: I've done my best to match the photos with the named falls. I'm probably not always right).

The falls grew more impressive, the gorge deeper and less accessible as we followed the trail downstream. On a hot day, it would be worthwhile climbing down there and taking a dip. Temps while we were there were not cold, but not "let's swim," either.

Billings Falls

Buttermilk Falls

Between falls, there were still places with pools and calm water.

The dark line on the rocks shows that the water is usually higher.

The pock-marked rock indicates how powerful, and probably debris-laden, the flow can be.

Not all the beauty was in the river.

Yellow leaves and black water

Finally left the gorge--I think we could have gone on, but were already looking at 10+ miles round trip. The stream that we followed up from the gorge had it's own falls.

The return to camp on a higher trail, away from the river, was less scenic, but much easier hiking. The gorge trail is rough, crossed with endless roots and rocks, and at times offers dizzying views off the cliff. It was a relief to get on a wide, relatively smooth trail and pound out the miles back to the lodge, where dinner awaited us. We don't usually indulge in that kind of luxury (indoor beds and meals laid on--even our sack lunches)--but I have to say it was a treat that night!

Just in case we didn't know we'd been hiking somewhere special.

 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018

 As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated.

Cozy Mystery Review &Tour: Thread Herrings, by Lea Wait

 

 

Title: Thread Herrings

Author: Lea Wait

Cozy Mystery, 7th in Series 

Kensington (October 30, 2018) Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages  

ISBN-10: 149671671X 

ISBN-13: 978-1496716712  

Digital ASIN: B079KSZ92D

 

Publisher's Blurb: 

Angie's first auction may turn out to be her last—when she bids on a coat of arms that someone would literally kill to possess . . .

Tagging along to an estate sale with her fellow Needlepointer, antiques shop owner Sarah Byrne, Angie Curtis impulsively bids on a tattered embroidery of a coat of arms. When she gets her prize back home to Haven Harbor, she discovers a document from 1757 behind the framed needlework—a claim for a child from a foundling hospital. Intrigued, Angie is determined to find the common thread between the child and the coat of arms.

Accepting her reporter friend Clem Walker's invitation to talk about her find on the local TV news, Angie makes an appeal to anyone who might have information. Instead, both women receive death threats. When Clem is found shot to death in a parking lot, Angie fears her own life may be in jeopardy. She has to unravel this historical mystery—or she may be the next one going, going . . . gone . . .

My Review: 

I was attracted to this mystery because it's set in Maine, where we are currently living. I was entertained to find the characters visiting our town in the first chapter, and dining at an establishment just down the street! (Note: this is a small town in Maine. *Everything* is just down the street). As usual with themed cozies, I wasn't much interested in the featured craft (needlepoint), but that doesn't really matter. No knowledge of needlepoint is needed to enjoy this mystery.

As a story, this is engaging, though I definitely felt the lack of back-story as I was jumping into the series at #7. Still, I cared about the characters and wanted to know what happens to them (and the author's carefully dropped hints about past adventures made me want to go back and start from the beginning). I very much enjoyed the setting, including the comments about how little is open in town during the winter--we have already encountered that reality on some of our excursions out and about! 

I felt that the mystery was only adequately developed and challenging. I could guess fairly early who might have done the crime, in part because there were so few suspects. What I did appreciate was the far more realistic than usual degree to which Angie cooperates with the police. She's trying to figure things out, but she doesn't go off on a lone-wolf search or deliberately put herself in danger. Kudos to the author for finding a good balance on the amateur detective vs. police scale! 

One grammatical niggle annoyed me, and I can't decide if it's an editorial failure or a deliberate move to make the first person narrator sound more natural. She consistently uses "I" instead of "me" where it should be the other way ("He'll meet Sarah and I at the shop..."), an error that I admit is common but which bothers me. Aside from that, the book is well-edited, and well-written.

My Recommendation:

This is a good read for a winter's day by the fire, I think--engaging enough to keep you turning the pages, and light enough to combat the winter darkness. I think it would be even better to start at the beginning of the series and see how Angie got to this point!

About the Author

Lea Wait lives on the coast of Maine. A fourth-generation antique dealer and the author of the Agatha-nominated Antique Print Mystery series, she loves all things antiques and Maine. She also writes historical novels for young people set in (where else?) nineteenth-century Maine. Visit her at leawait.com.

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Full Disclosure: I was given an electronic review copy of  Thread Herrings as part of a Great Escapes free blog tour, in exchange for my honest review, not for a positive review. I also purchased a copy when I had issues with my ereader. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."   

Wednesday Wanderings: Author’s update

The Ninja Librarian is back in civilization! Well, more or less. We have arrived in Maine, and I have a reliable internet connection, so I’m expecting to get back to regular posting soon. I haven’t been reading or writing much the last few weeks. That’s no surprise, since we were driving across the country, with various stops for hikes and bike rides. We did listen to a couple of good audio books (those are a life-saver when you are driving across eastern Montana, North Dakota, and Minnesota, though there are parts of all of those that are gorgeous).

During that time, of course, there wasn’t any writing going on, but I have been thinking about the new Pismawallops PTA book, which at this point has a title (Death By Library), a corpse, and a list of suspects. I’m ready to get serious about the plot and outline, and intend to do a draft during the NaNo frenzy in November.

Meanwhile, I’ll have more photos soon, with highlights from Teddy Roosevelt National Park, places along Lake Superior, and Acadia National Park. For now, here are just a few from my phone (I need to get the computer set up so I can download and edit the real photos).

Theodore Roosevelt National Park has official greeters near the entrance. This one looked good, but he couldn't answer any of our questions.

Theodore Roosevelt NP

We carry our camp kit wherever we go, so we can fix dinner whenever it's convenient. You don't often get a kitchen stove with a view like this.

Roadside meal while waiting for the light to get perfect.

Somewhere out in eastern North Dakota we realized that the overcast wasn't solid. These are "cloud streets," properly called horizontal convective rolls. They form from just the right combination of convection and wind, but more than that I can't say :)

 On to Minnesota, where we encountered Paul Bunyan on the side of the road.

Paul appears to be soliciting donations.

On to Michigan and Lake Superior! I did take a dip in the lake, which wasn't a bad temperature close in to shore, though I gather the overall average temp is colder than Puget Sound, so I wouldn't want to swim far!

Sunset on the shore of the world's largest body of fresh water.

After some time in Algonquin Provencial Park and a night with friends in Montreal, we finally reached Maine, some 18 days after leaving our home in California for the last time.

Maine sunset

We spent our first weekend in Maine at Acadia National Park (and I hope that may be about the last time we go out on a weekend) to take in the Acadia Night Sky Festival #AcadiaNightSky. We mixed hiking, biking, and educational events, but the phone didn't go on that many of the outings.

Our first night there we saw an amazing live music/multi-media show with Dava Sobel and Galileo's Daughters, "Perpetual Motion: Galileo and his Revolutions."

#acadianightsky #galileosdaughters

We followed the performance with star viewing through telescopes (Acadia is celebrating being one of the few dark places on the eastern seaboard, so on a moonless night the viewing is very good, though I've seen much clearer and darker skies out west), scopes and assistance provided by about 30 amateur astronomers. I was delighted to find that someone had donated a good scope to the local high school, and a couple of enthusiastic and competent young women were running it. Seeing the rings of Saturn with my own eyes was pretty special.

Our second night we took a star-gazing cruise. That was kind of fun, and we learned some, but it wasn't as worthwhile as the previous night's combo, though the sunset was beautiful. We did a fantastic hike on Sunday morning, climbing the aptly named Precipice Trail, before heading back to our Maine home.

Ready to go on board. Music, lectures, and serious stars.

That's all I have for you today! I'd like to think I'll manage some very short fiction for Friday. We'll see!

©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2018
As always, please ask permission to use any photos or text. Link-backs appreciated

Middle grade fiction: Moo, by Sharon Creech

 

Title: Moo: a Novel
Author: Sharon Creech
Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books (HarperCollins), 2016. 278 pages
Source: Library

Publisher's Summary:
This uplifting tale reminds us that if we’re open to new experiences, life is full of surprises. Following one family’s momentous move from the city to rural Maine, an unexpected bond develops between twelve-year-old Reena and one very ornery cow.

When Reena, her little brother, Luke, and their parents first move to Maine, Reena doesn’t know what to expect. She’s ready for beaches, blueberries, and all the lobster she can eat. Instead, her parents “volunteer” Reena and Luke to work for an eccentric neighbor named Mrs. Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna—and that stubborn cow, Zora.

This heartwarming story, told in a blend of poetry and prose, reveals the bonds that emerge when we let others into our lives. 

My Review:  I hadn't actually expected this to be in verse. I grabbed it from the new book shelf because the blurb looked interesting, and Sharon Creech is a pretty safe bet for an interesting read. I didn't even look at the interior, so I was taken a bit by surprise. The publisher's blurb says it's a mix of poetry and prose, but I think it's all poetry, of various sorts. Some poetic "lines" run toward paragraph length, but never really feel like ordinary prose. Other parts are what I learned to call "concrete poetry" way back when: where the shape of the words and lay-out on the page are part of the meaning. 

The poetry, and the story, works well. Despite the spare style, I had no trouble feeling in the middle of the story, and getting to know the characters quite well. At times, the book feels like a love-song to small-town Maine (a feeling I can understand, after only a couple of visits to the area), but the plot doesn't get lost. And the language is lovely. One thing about writing in verse: an author has to weigh each word, and be sure they are all the right ones. Creech, to no one's surprise, does this well.

My Recommendation:
For children or adults. The publisher markets it as a "tween novel," which pretty well hits my "middle grade" category of upper elementary, or ages 9-12. But the beauty of the language makes it a pleasure for a reader of any age. I'm thinking that a reluctant reader would enjoy the speed with which the pages turn, since the verse form keeps the words-per-page count low. And for the rest of us...definitely reminds me of One Morning in Maine (remember that one?), totally in a good way.


FTC Disclosure: I checked Moo out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Middle Grade Monday: The Island of Beyond

This is a book I picked up because my Maine friend mentioned it (see last week's photos). I think the author's a friend of a friend or some such. Close enough to make me pick it up (especially since we just visited a lake in Maine) and far enough not to affect my review in the least :)
 

Title: The Island of Beyond
Author: Elizabeth Atkinson
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books, 2016, 288 pages
Source: Library

Publisher's Summary: 
Eleven-year-old Martin can hardly imagine a worse summer. His dad is sending him to his great-aunt Lenore, who lives on a tiny island called Beyond. Martin's dad wants him to like "normal" boy things--playing sports and exploring the outdoors. Martin's afraid he'll never be the son his dad wants him to be. Being stuck in the middle of nowhere won't change that.

But nothing about Beyond is what Martin expects. Not peculiar Aunt Lenore, not mysterious Uncle Nedâ-and certainly not the strange, local boy who unexpectedly befriends Martin. Solo can canoe and climb trees and survive on his own in the wilderness, and Martin's drawn to him in a way he doesn't quite understand. But he's not sure he can trust Solo. In fact, can he trust anything about this strange island, where everyone seems to be keeping secrets? 

My Review: 
A lovely story, with twists and undercurrents, some of which are left to the reader to sort out as he or she pleases. In some ways, this reminds me of Fireflies (reviewed in April), but with more depth, and a beautifully drawn setting.

Martin isn't a character that I felt at first I could relate to. He's a total city kid, hooked on his video games and scared of everything outdoors (kind of the opposite of me). But I soon found him to be a real human, with real problems about not fitting in, feeling like he can't measure up to expectations, and so on. And he finds out that what he needs is what he finds on the Island: people who just accept him for who he is. In fact, it might be a little too simplistic in that sense--but it doesn't feel like it. It feels real, as he blunders his way through new experiences.

There are issues with Martin and his father that they are going to have to sort out some day. Maybe there are more books coming, but I almost hope not. We can imagine the battles they will have over the coming months and years, and don't need to see them :)  And there is just a hint about Martin's sexuality, though nothing is ever made explicit, and he is much more concerned with learning to have a friend for the first time in his life.

Recommendation: 
This is suitable for kids from about 8 up. Adult issues are well filtered through a child's eyes, and aren't the focus anyway. Yet the book feels like it has enough depth to keep the interest of older children and adults.

FTC Disclosure: I checked The Island of Beyond out of my library, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Summer reading sale--The Ninja Librarian and Return to Skunk Corners--just 99 cents!

And yes, work is underway, slowly, on Book 3, The Problem of Peggy