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The trail got much steeper above Hermit Lake as it made it way to the upper floor of the ravine, which is over 600 feet above the ranger station. The upper floor is avalanche territory, although most of the snow was now gone, and there was no snow or ice hanging from the cliffs on the sides of the ravine.

Another thing that I was excited about was the alpine flower season. I was hoping that most of the alpine plants would be in bloom, as I always seem to miss the short flowering season. Many were in bloom, at least in the area just below or at treeline. I never ventured into the Alpine Garden to get a look at those legendary blooms, although I heard that some flowers, including diapensia, were now past their prime. But along the Tuckerman Ravine Trail, among many others, I saw mountain cranberries, alpine bluets, and a myriad of the ubiquitous bunchberries, which seem to grow at almost all elevations.

In the upper ravine, near the area that skiers call the lunch rocks, there's another first aid cache along the trail. Several of these emergency caches are scattered throughout Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines. I saw at least one more further up but a ways off the trail. Most of them are located behind some protecting rocks, although I imagine that a large enough avalanche would not leave them untouched.

Now that I was higher up in the ravine, I could see the lingering patch of snow at the base of the headwall where a snow arch sometimes forms. The snow arch wasn't there when I passed by, but may have been earlier in the year. The remaining patch of snow, however, was a thick glacier-like sheet at least four feet thick. Water ran out from under it, and a gaping hole at its edge exposed the rocks underneath.

The trail curved to the right of the main body of the ravine, ascending the headwall on the north side, just skirting above the dangerous precipices and slippery rocks. Looking across at the headwall, I could see numerous waterfalls cascading down the steep rocks.

Back down toward Hermit Lake and Pinkham Notch, as often occurs in the mountains, low clouds had begun to hug the hollows near the bases of the ridges. They did not prove to be threatening though, as the weather remained sunny and clear above treeline.

The Wildcats and the Wildcat ski area from the Tuckerman Ravine Trail.

Tuckerman Ravine Trail above Hermit Lake. The trail gets much steeper above the ranger station.

Mountain cranberries. Wildflowers were in full bloom below treeline and in lower part of the alpine zone up to the lip of the ravine.

First aid cache in Tuckerman Ravine. Several of these emergency caches are scattered throughout Tuckerman and Huntington Ravines.

Tuckerman Ravine headwall from the upper floor of the ravine. From here, the lingering snow patch is visible.

Alpine bluets. Although these are actually white, they are still called bluets. There are blue varieties but I've never seen them in the White Mountains.

Snow patch. A thick glacier-like sheet of snow often lingers through June and sometimes into July. Under the right conditions, a snow arch also forms in this area.

Looking across the headwall from the trail. Besides the snow patch, numerous waterfalls cascade down the in steep rocks.

Looking back down the ravine. As often happens in the mountains, low clouds began to form as the day progressed.

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