What's the neatest thing you've seen on a trip in the last year?

I'll leave it up to you to define "neatest," but tell us what made it stick in your memory as a high point.

For me, two leap to mind:

At Zaleski, in southeast Ohio, hiking out the last day, we passed a tree in which large knotholes formed a perfect "Scream" face. (I don't take many pictures, but my partner on this trip sent me one. I don't have an online repository to link to; if you'd like to see it, PM me with your email address.)

At Carter Caves, in Kentucky, we were hiking just as the last freeze was ending. There were large icicles (several feet in length) hanging from the tops of the cliffs and the rock shelters where it was still shady. As the day went on, sunlight reached these places, and they melted just enough to start falling. I'd never seen icicles fall before. Pretty neat, and fortunately none were overly close.

The neatest thing I saw last year was on a day hike on the Boulder Ridge trail in the Salmon-Huckleberry wilderness not far from Mt. Hood. It was a gnome plant. To quote www.botany.org on the subject:

Hemitomes congestum, the so-called Gnome Plant, is one of the rarest of the monotropoids--the group that includes Indian Pipe and the Snow Plant.

Wow, that's gorgeous. Didn't know such a thing existed, although I've seen plenty of snow plants.

Last year's eclipse was no surprise but certainly the neatest thing all year.

Cheers,

Define "neatest". Do you mean most unique? From your post title I assume you mean most memorable (meaning good and memorable!)

Unique - opening the tent door to a moose staring at me only feet away.

Every sunset and sunrise is "neat" to me - I am a sunset junkie. Best sunset of the year was at Point Reyes national seashore.

Not seeing a single person in 5 days.

The neatest thing that I did NOT see: a grizzly bear, thank goodness! Four weeks in grizzly country and I was relieved not to have to deal with that.

A "neat" but sad thing- visited the snout of a glacier that I have been to over the years. It has retreated over a quarter mile in the last 30 years.

Like I said, I'm leaving it up to each of you to define "neatest."

You did a great job - and I can see how "no bears" is definitely a candidate for neatest!

I understand that grizzlies aren't neat, in fact they leave quite a mess.

Grrrrrr,

The view from the dining room at our campsite at Ranger Lake in SEKI:

Don't know if it qualifies if you instigate the fun, but a birthday party we threw for a good friend was pretty neat.


At 10,000 feet, on top of Mitchell Peak.

Sure it qualifies! Looks like you had a great time. (Was anyone UL enough that they wanted to tie the helium balloons to their pack so the balloons carried some of the pack weight? )

Thought of one more thing: The look on a brand-new backpacker's face when you show him/her how to rearrange things so the center of gravity moves to the proper place, and he/she puts the pack back on and goes, "Wow, that actually feels comfortable now!"

Hmm, I think my has to be last August when I took a college friend backpacking for first time since he was a Boy Scout. It was 6.5 miles hike to campsite, but it was such a fun trip. It was fantastic time just sitting around campfire on a mild summer day on the mountain. We were all just laughing, catching trout, having genuinely great time and great escape from the real world.

P.S. You cost my employer a lot of time and productivity.

Then my work here is done.

I cost my employer a lot of time and productivity, too - hey, wait a minute: I'm self-employed!!

Hats & Balloons!

That's pretty cool Lori.

You know, I didn't do a lot of trips this season, but the trip I did with the young men my daughters went to school with was pretty cool, and seeing all those guys would have to be the neatest thing I got to see, and they all had some pretty cool gear too.

I also got into a little squabble with some older friends who wanted to cut some trees and build a shelter on the top of a bluff at a spot that I had brought them too. They did build a fire ring there and moved some stuff around before I got there one evening but I managed to convince them not to cut a swath so they could "See the view better" and probably from erecting a townhouse. I've spent quite a few nights alone there sleeping on the ground under the trees and don't see any reason to change a thing. So, the next neatest thing I saw was that they ditched their plans

For me, it was watching my kids fall in love with the outdoors.

It's just outside a year, but I'd have to say this hike above the clouds is one of the best hikes I've ever had.

Sorry! My bad!



Anyway, back onto topic:
Sticking my hat into a wall of water roaring down Fletcher Creek in the Yosemite. Nice mid-hike pick-me-up.

The experience of proper packing is a world-shattering encounter. At least, it had been for me when I was in the previously mentioned brand-new backpacker's shoes.

January, Lye Brook Wilderness, Vt. Usually I have to be in the Sierra to wake to something like this.


Charlie

There was a snarky comment on my photo that was apparently removed. I just wanted to say there was around 2' of snow on the ground, not unusual for Vermont, and the clouds are caused by a temperature inversion. It warmed 25 degrees overnight. It's rare to have dense fog in the valleys in the winter. I've rarely gotten above fog like this on the east coast, especially in winter. It was not some statement on global warming. It may not be the best or the most unique of memories, but so far THIS year, it's been one of the better for me. Maybe the 100 miler we're doing in the Sierra in Sept. will produce more appropriate material for this thread. But perhaps that'll be pedestrian, too. Boring to some, but priceless to me. My only daughter is getting married today- that's a memory I will keep forever.


Charlie

Well, I think it's a great photo: I have seen similar fog in the North Cascades and to me it is breathtaking. Have a great time at the wedding. I still remember when our son got married; if I hadn't been such a tough, manly old coot it would have brought tears to my eyes. (Did anyway )

Yeah, I think that's pretty cool too.

I've hiked and driven down into fog like that before and it's really eerie to go from the clear warm light to the cool dense fog so fast. It's kind of spooky

I've seen that a few times on a ridgetop in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky. It's nowhere near as impressive as when you're on a true mountain, like you were, but it still stirs the imagination. Your neat picture brought that memory back to me, too.

While we are on the topic of fog, here is pic from Alum Cave Trail route to Mt. LeConte in June:



As I got to the top the fog broke up. I can only imagine what it was like first thing in the morning. There is a picture somewhere on a Smoky Mountain photo album taken by a professional showing a fog covering the valley below Mt. LeConte.

I would say the "neatest" but yeah, most beautiful thing I saw when I was on hiking. It was a tigress taking care of a small deer. She seemed very protective for him. I got my eyes wet.


__________________________________________________________
Kopi Luwak