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Lovely Jay Peak - Stabs and Bursts of Color
Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2014 4:05 pm
by equinox71
Just spent the weekend at Jay Peak-- Although green still predominates by far, there are stunning stabs-here, explosions-there of yellows from brown mustard to lemon-lime, reds from candy-apple to faded burgundy, oranges from fire-flame to pastel-peach, burnt siennas, on and on... some billowing around impossibly blue-green spruce, for instance. Mostly in a mid-elevation band (2,000- 3,000 ft.) on the ski hill and surrounding mountains, but also clustered in the hollows around 1,500- 1,800 ft. To really bring out these early-season revelations, binoculars are invaluable!
In the past week, also was blessed to catch similarly wonderful early-season transitions in the following northern-tier locations:
--Silvio Conte Wildlife Refuge (great lookout from the Nulhegan Basin Visitor Center off VT Route 105 a few miles from the junction with CT River/ North Stratford)
--Burke Mountain, VT
--Connecticut Lakes, NH
--Chain of Ponds and Sugarloaf Ski Hill, ME
Happy Autumn journeying and discoveries to you all!
Re: Lovely Jay Peak - Stabs and Bursts of Color
Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2014 5:38 am
by ctyanky
Welcome to the forum Equinox! I loved your kaleidoscope descriptions of the fall colors at Jay! Were you able to take the gondola up the mountain for some "top of the world" type views? That is certainly worth it for everyone up in the area when in Vermont for the autumn season! Hope to see you on the forum with more of your travels!
Re: Lovely Jay Peak - Stabs and Bursts of Color
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2014 2:17 pm
by equinox71
Ctyanky, what a panorama at the top of Jay! It was a post-frontal morning, so you could see sharply and clearly from the White Mountains of NH to the Adirondacks of NY to the skyscrapers of Montreal. Of course, most exciting was what you could see up close-- the emerging colors on the Jay-Montgomery ridges and the rippling green spine of the Green Mtns. towards Stowe/ Mt. Mansfield, pockmarked by a pond--like a secret--here and there. Though controversial to some, I did enjoy the beauty of the wind-turbine arrays of Lowell and Sheffield glistening in the sunlight as well.
Re: Lovely Jay Peak - Stabs and Bursts of Color
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2014 3:54 pm
by exgem54
sounds like good news that there is some good color spotted already--hope that portends another nice colorful Fall this year
Re: Lovely Jay Peak - Stabs and Bursts of Color
Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 4:12 pm
by equinox71
Hi Carol,
You're right-- If you're riding the chairlift at Burke, you can only go midway or so. If you're driving, you can take the toll road to the top... and if you can stomach it, walk to the top of the old fire tower for truly mind-blowing vistas! I went again this past Saturday, and it was quite chilly with a whipping wind.
Jay Peak's tramway has a great station at the summit, with a small cafe that serves great homemade sandwiches to order and other goodies. On Sunday 9/14 morning, in the clouds, the top few hundred feet of Jay had thick frost coating the trees!
Best,
Alex