“Photograph takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.” — Dorothea Lange

Thank you for all the new views and likes from last week. It helps keep me going. Enjoy my blog post!

Sunday 01/31/2021: Posted photo—Mount Flume.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1, 1/320 s, 55 mm.

Today I went hiking with an old college roommate. We hiked together last year for the first time in a long time. This was the second time we hiked together and the first time in the winter. On the accent, I as faster then he was. On the descent, he was faster than I was. On the descent, I am a cautious hiker, especially in the snow. The hike was about 11 miles long and took us about 8 hours to complete.

When we started the hike, it was -4° F at the trailhead and the snow was very crisp. The temperature rose to about 18° F on the decent. On the decent the snow was softer and more slippery. I wore my microspikes on the accent and my crampons on the descent. If you stepped off the trail, you sank into about 2 feet of snow.

It was a wonderful hike, and I am looking forward to more hikes with this college friend.

We did two mountains on this hike. The first one we summited was Mount Liberty.  Mount Liberty is a 4,459-foot-high mountain in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Overlooking Franconia Notch, it is part of Franconia Ridge, the second highest mountain group in the Whites after the Presidential Range. The second mountain we summited was the one in this photo, Mount Flume. Mount Flume is the southernmost and shortest of the five peaks on the very popular Franconia Ridge. The Flume Slide — a rockslide through the trees which you will need to climb up — is shown in this photo. The rock here is very solid and angular with good holds even in the rain. The slide lasts for 0.7 miles after which you will reach the Franconia Ridge Trail junction just 0.1 miles south of the Mount Flume summit. The general rule is that you never go down the slide, only up it. It is very difficult to climb in good weather and impossible to climb in the winter.

Monday 02/01/2021: Posted photo—Mounts Lafayette and Lincoln.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 100, f/7.1.0, 1/640 s, 55 mm.

Mount Lafayette is a 5,249-foot mountain at the northern end of the Franconia Range. This is one of the mountains that I have climbed in the past during the spring. Mount Lincoln is a 5,089-foot mountain in the Franconia Range. I also have summited this mountain in the past. I took these photos during yesterday’s hike up Mount Liberty and Mount Flume.

I was not able to get out today to take a new photo, so I posted a photo taken yesterday.

Tuesday 02/02/2021: Posted photo—Falls Under the Snow.

Settings: FinePix XP70, ISO 400, f/4.9, 1/30 s, 18 mm.

If hiking 11 miles on Sunday was not enough, I snowshoed into work today. It was a shot 3-mile hike in the morning and a 2.5-mile hike after work. I took the safe route to work and broke trail on the way home. During my afternoon hike, I passed the dam at Round Meadow Pond and took this photo. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I photograph this place often. We received 19 inches of new snow overnight and it was a wonderful hike home in the woods along the Midstate Trail.

Wednesday 02/03/2021: Posted photo—Hanging On.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/500 s, 55 mm.

One of the effects of a large amount of snow is snowdrifts on buildings. This is a drift hanging off a building waiting to fall. This was up on the building for a few days because the weather was cold and we have little to no wind.

Thursday 02/04/2021: Posted photo—1759 Philip Bemis House.

Settings: Samsung SM-G930V (Galaxy S7), ISO 80, f/1.7, 1/60 s, 4 mm.

This is one of the historic housed in town. I pass it on my way to Round Meadow Pond and have photographed this house in the past. Today I decided to take a photo of it since it called to me when I was on my way to photograph the falls.

It is getting lighter every day after work so I will be taken more nature photos in the future.

Friday 02/04/2021: Post photo—Red Sunrise.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/7.1, 1/50 s, 51 mm

The sunrise caught my eyes at work today. I was going to drop something off is someone’s office I noticed the red sky. I walked quickly back to my desk to get my camera, went up to a window and took this shot.

Every sunrise is different.

Saturday 02/06/2021: Post photo—Droplets.

Settings: Canon EOS 60D, ISO 200, f/5.6, 1/2500 s, 46 mm

Icicles are melting fast around here. After a cold week, we had a warm day today and things are melting. The water was almost running off the icicles so I took out my camera and took this shot.

Usual statement: That is all for this week. Hope you enjoyed my thoughts and constructive criticism is always wanted. I do not take criticism personally, just an opportunity to better my photography and writing skills.

For more photo of other project I have work, visit my website: https://photobyjosephciras.weebly.com/ or visit me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PhotobyJosephCiras/.

Be safe out there, keep your social distance, and remember to always wear your mask.