Sunday was a good day for a hike. See for yourself; I took my new camera along.

I headed for the Pack Monadnocks because I wanted to bring Clover along, and dogs aren't allowed on the big one anymore. I wasn't planning anything too epic, so we slept late, cooked a big breakfast of eggs and soy bacon and got to Miller State Park at around 10:30. There, I discovered that I'd forgotten to pack my Stablicer grips. I'd brought my snowshoes even though I didn't think I'd need them, so I strapped them to my pack just in case. The extra grip would have been nice on that first, steep stretch of the Wapack Trail, where there was some ice from water flowing over the ledges. A couple points are so steep that Clover needed a boost to get up, and I resolved to take the road on the way back down. Beyond the cliffs, the going was easy, and snow swirled all around, cutting visibillity to the immediate vicinity. I stopped here and there to take photos, but I was nervous about not having any protection but a plastic sandwich bag for my new camera, so I didn't shoot as often as I would have liked. It was harder to get shots of Clover than I expected; every time I stopped and pulled out the bag, she came trotting up to see if I had treats. (I didn't, but I share my powerbars). We went up and over Pack and on to North Pack. I don't recall that I'd ever done that stretch of the Wapack before; it was nice. There aren't any long views between the two, once you descend Pack but the woods are very pretty in the snow. I never did use my snowshoes, just toted them along on my back.

I'm still getting the hang of my new camera, and this Blog platform is being balky as usual so I can't seem to post the photos. Here's links instead. 

This is the view from the shelter on Pack, looking toward the fire tower:

http://blogs.nashuatelegraph.com/off_track/resource/offtrack/packpeak.jpg

My beloved companion coming back to see if I have anything for her:

http://blogs.nashuatelegraph.com/off_track/resource/offtrack/cloverontrail.jpg

Summit spruces frosted with snow:

http://blogs.nashuatelegraph.com/off_track/resource/offtrack/npackpeak.jpg

The cairn on N. Pack seems to have taken a hit. Clover investigates:

http://blogs.nashuatelegraph.com/off_track/resource/offtrack/npackcairn.jpg