Return to the Mountaintop!

Mt. Monadnock, on the clear day of
our previous climb, July 5, 2009.

One of my goals for this summer was a return to the mountaintop.  We had a little warm-up the week before climbing the Frankenstein Cliffs trail at Crawford Notch in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  But I really wanted to return to Mt. Monadnock in southwestern New Hampshire.  So, 5 years and 6 days after our last climb, my son and I returned on July 13, 2014.

Quoting my previous post:  "With a height of 3,165 feet (965 meters), Mount Monadnock is said to be the second most frequently climbed mountain in the world, after Mount Fuji in Japan. Located in southwestern New Hampshire (USA), on a clear day, one can see 100 miles (160 km) from the mountaintop. What makes the views so spectacular is the bare rock summit above the treeline and in the midst of unique alpine vegetation."

Here I am in the wind and the fog at
the summit.  

Well, the views on July 13, 2014 were not as spectacular.   In fact, a storm front was moving in and the summit was enshrouded in clouds, with 60 mph gusts and visibility of, maybe 500 feet.  The summit was closed shortly after I began my descent.

Oh, well.  Missed the views but it was still great to be up there with the wind and fog and moisture hanging in the air!

I had to include the following photo from our 2009 climb, to demonstrate how spectacular the view can be.  The rest of the photos were from this year's climb.

View from the mountaintop, July 5, 2009

The White Dot trail starts out so deceptively flat.  But not for long!

Rocks, roots, uneven ground:  always need good footwear!

The first view from a small rocky ledge about halfway up the trail.

Hazy view a little further along the climb.

Ferns form a understory in the thinner forest part way up.

View from the tree line

The craggy mountain above the tree line.  A good bit of climbing from here up is on the sloping rock face.

After over an hour of climbing, the first view of the summit comes tells you there's still a long way to go!

Above the tree line, the strong winds keep the vegetation stunted

Little ecosystems in the pools that form with the rocks near the summit.

Views just below the summit.

Hikers on the foggy summit

Trail map:   Both times, we too the White Dot trail for the climb and the White Cross for the descent.

Strolling Along Trolley Line No. 9 Trail

Whenever I visit my relatives west of Baltimore, I always try to take a walk along the Trolley Line #9 Trail.

The trail follows the abandoned right-of-way of Baltimore's Route #9 trolley, which ran from downtown Baltimore at Charles and Lexington Street out following Edmonton Avenue until it ended.  From there, the trolley line when through the woods and a steep rock cut to its destination at Ellicott City.

Trains ran from the 1890s until the mid-1950s when it was partially replaced by buses. In the photo on the left, a car on the #9 line meets a car on the #14 line at the loop at Rolling Road. Today, there is no transit service along this route.

On the left below is a map of the tracks from Catonsville to Ellicott City.  The routes ran out Edmonson Avenue in Catonsville until its end.

The portion of the line beyond Edmonson Avenue became a rails-to-trails project in the 1990s, resulting in the present paved walking and biking trail, about a mile and a half in length.

The trail is builit on a boarwalk through the tall rock cut by Westchester Avenue.  The rocks were cut by hand.

The trolley line followed a stream for most of its run.  Today, the stream can be seen next to the path, adding to the scenic interest of the trail.

A trail through the woods connects Trolley Line #9 Trail with Banneker Park.

The Trolley Stop, a restaurant and bar we like to frequent is at the end of the trail.

Looking into Ellicott City.  The original Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (now operated by CSX Transportation) crosses the main street at the east end of Ellicott City.

The abutment and piers remain where Trolley Line #1 crossed Oella Avenue and the Patapsco river before entering Ellicott City.

Close-up of the stone block pier that once supported Trolley Line #9 just outside Ellicott City.

Dusk over Trolley Line #9 Trail where Westchester Avenue soars over the deep rock cut near Ellicott City.