It's my birthday! We'll, one week past my birthday but who's counting? I had a big group of my friends together for a hike up my favorite mountain. Sure, it wasn't going to be a crystal clear day, but it makes for more interesting photos. We parked below the Lodge, there were a lot of cars there already so we parked below the Access Road. The trip up Gorge Brook was pretty standard, it's not like any of us hadn't done this trail a dozen times, but the crisp fall air and occasional snow flying around was fun. We made it up to the two views next to Jobildunc Ravine and had our own Jobildunc with us.
We bundled up as it just got colder and windier from here on up. Across the Balcony we were exposed to the full brunt of the weather and quickly gathered in the lee of some trees just before going across East Peak. At treeline just below the summit we put on our last layers and headed up. It wasn't that bad, actually, with all our gear on. The rime ice and hoar frost gave everything a nice look. At the summit we grouped for a photo and quickly headed down the ridge to find a place for lunch. We stopped in a small section along the Carriage Road with wind protection and good views.
We decided to take a short jaunt up South Peak and spend a fairly long time up there as the wind seemed to die down. There wasn't anyone else up there, one of the first times during the day that our group was alone. Back down to the junction, then down the Carriage Road to Snapper and back to our car. When I got home the next day I found a rock in my pack, apparently they snuck it into my pack before started and I carried it the whole day.
Or so I thought. I found out many days later that they put the rock in my pack after the hike. As Lafe said "All that matters is that you thought you carried the rock." My friends, my birthday, my mountain.
