Old Rag - Year 2

Pete decided to climb Old Rag Mountain again this year for his birthday. He went with Dad, Jonathan, and Jonathan's friend Peter.

Pete made it all the way to the "Rock of Doom" before taking his first break. This is about a mile up the trail, just before the rock scramble:

Pete paused for another break at the first false front. The good news is that, although it has been a very hot summer, on this day it was cooler and very misty. It was even a bit chilly at the summit. Everyone got pretty wet from climbing through the clouds, and there were intermittent sprinkles as they climbed out of one cloud and into another:

Pete enjoyed the rock scramble as much as ever. He even made it leaping across the "crack of doom" this time. Here Pete pauses as he traverses another tricky gap:

At the summit, Pete was sad to see that his "bed" had water in it. But Pete and Dad had lunch in the bed area.

Pete went off to search for Peter, and was gone a while. When he returned, he told Dad that he had made friends with a deer, and he was petting it. Dad was not sure about this, but then the deer came back looking for Pete, and Dad snapped a picture:

On the trip down the back of the mountain, Pete needed a few more breaks. The descent is very hard on the knees. Dad noticed a leaf during one break, which they entitled "Happy Leaf With Bullet Hole in Forehead":

Finally, Pete began the final 2.5 mile hike down the road to the parking lot. Jonathan had already run ahead to the parking lot. Pete and Dad passed the time playing some Poohsticks, 100-ball and 50-ball:

Total hike was 10 miles, with 2,500 feet elevation gain.