Peak: Esther (4,239 ft)
It didn't dawn on me until this post how relatively good the weather has been to our hikes all these years. Since me and the hiking crew are coming from 4 hours away, we plan our trips weeks in advance with no consideration of the weather. I can happily say that most of our hikes have been on clear or partly cloudy days. The sun loves us, the rain seems scared, the snow has only given us one pounding. The rain Gods must have been angry when we tackled Esther. Since we had already climbed Whiteface and skipped over Esther, we decided to drive to the top of Whiteface and trek down to the Esther trailhead. The day was mostly clear, except the one massive cloud that hung over Whiteface. We drove up the peak while passing bikers out for a casual ride that climbed 3,700 feet at an 8% grade. We also drove into the thickest fog that we've ever seen in the mountains, before realizing that it was a cloud. Starting our climb with a descent was a bit weird, but we made it to the trailhead in no time to make the 1.2 mile climb up Esther. As we turned to head up Esther the rain gave us a blasting the likes of which we've never seen. We found ourselves trekking up and through ankle deep streams before reaching the summit. Allie was the only one brave enough to bring her phone to snap the few pics of the day.
The plaque beneath our feet commemorates Esther McComb, who at age 15, accidentally climbed the peak on her way to Whiteface. It is the only High Peak named after a woman; you go girl!
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