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The fir trees in the forest that enveloped
this little clearing were laden with snow, and now they were also
beginning to develop a coating of rime or frost from the freezing fog
cloud that ebbed and flowed across the summit. I tried to get some good
pictures of this effect, but some snow got on the camera lens, so parts of
the pictures came out a little blurry.
In back of the fireplace,
the
Starr King Trail wound gently downhill for a distance, then reached an area where the
pathway appeared to split. I followed the right split first, but it soon
came to a
dead end. I retraced my steps and followed
the left fork, where I soon rediscovered the familiar yellow blazes. The
trail continued downhill for some distance, then leveled
off and began to rise almost imperceptibly toward the summit of Mt Waumbek.
In less time than I had expected, the trail
leveled off and we emerged abruptly onto the unspectacular summit of Mt
Waumbek. I couldn't find any signs naming the peak, and the cairn was
probably buried under the snow. There were just two trail signs, one
pointing the way back to Mt Starr King and Route 2, and the other, a few
yards further along, marking the start of the Kilkenny Ridge Trail north
toward Mt Cabot. The first sign seemed to be a bit higher, so we stopped
there for our summit photos. Muffin had made it! She had reached her final
4000-footer! She didn't get it, of course, but she had enjoyed the hike,
and I was sure she would also enjoy the attention at the awards ceremony
We lingered a few minutes just because it was
her last peak, then turned around and headed slowly back, retracing our
respective snowshoe and paw prints. Back at Starr King, we stopped for a
few minutes rest, then headed back down. The firm snow and covered rocks
made for especially quick downhill travel, and we were soon back at the
car again.
There would be other hikes of course, and
Muffin was just a dog who really doesn't know anything about peakbagging
lists, but there was still something special about this hike, and I was
glad to have been with her on it. |
Snow-covered
trees on Mt Starr King. Unfortunately, the lens got wet in the
snow so parts of the picture look a little blurry. |
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