little haystack

The climb from Shining Rock to Little Haystack was pretty short (0.4 miles) and not too difficult. This photo was shot after I had broken out above treeline. I began to feel weirdly elated and breathless at this point, which I can't explain. Strange stuff happens in the mountains.

As I approached the summit, I was met by the friendly CT hiker that I'd chatted with at Cloudland Falls. To my surprise, he was turning around. He said the winds were fierce and he was afraid he'd get frostbitten - he didn't have anything to cover his face.

Well, I find it hard to turn back from a 4000 footer, once I'm that close. I was mainly concerned about the "knife-edged" ridge (as described in the Guide p 168) between Mt Lincoln and Mt Lafayette. I asked Mr Friendly CT Hiker if there was any danger of getting blown off the mountain. He said no, so I decided to carry on. He then volunteered to give me a spare hat that he was carrying with him, and I hesitated but then said OK. He dug around in his pack, and finally produced it, a nice looking watch cap colored a burnished orange. But then he confessed that this was his favorite hat. So I took the cap he was wearing, which was military issue; he said he had plenty of spare caps of this type because he has friends in the military.

I bid Mr Friendly CT Hiker a fond adieu, and thus equipped, I headed off onto the windy ridge.