Fall has finally arrived, with cooler weather and the hint of color in the leaves of hardwood trees around our home. Because we live at the bottom of the river valley, the advent of fall color at home means that the foliage is reaching its peak beauty at higher elevations, and further north. So, I was itching to get out, and selected a moderate hike in the White Mountains: up Mount Starr King and then across the Kilkenny ridge to Mount Waumbek. Beautiful! read on.
My friends Tim and Kristen were easily convinced to come along, despite the prospect of cloudy weather. As a photographer, I know that foliage is often at its most beautiful in cloudy weather, so I was eager to see what we might find.
As it happens, we climbed quickly up into the clouds, reaching the cloud deck before we’d topped 3,000′ elevation. Although the clouds eliminated any chance of views from the high points – no views of broad landscapes awash in fall color – it did lead to some ethereal shots along the trail.
A pretty trailside brook allowed me another opportunity to use an iPhone trick to capture its cascades with that silky effect. Check out the photo gallery!
Hike stats:
Distance: 6.75 miles (10.9km)
Elevation gain: 2,656 feet (809m)
Duration: 4h37m
David Kotz 
Beautiful scenery Dave! I’m curious, do you know anything about the fireplace/chimney? Is it a ruin from an old house? Is it stand-alone?
Hope you’re hanging in and doing well, Dave! Cardigan has been good for me.
Best, Jen ________________________________
According to AMC guidebook, the fireplace is a remnant of a hiker’s shelter, removed in 1980. We had no view, because of the clouds, but I’ll bet the shelter had a great view!