The photos and message in this post was sent to us by Paul Misko.
"I thought I would help cool everyone off with a couple of pics from a hike I took on April 23rd , 2007. We had a bad storm a few days earlier, with a big dump of snow and ice on the mountain tops. This was quickly followed by a warm spell and it actually got into the 70's; in fact the day I hiked it was 72 degrees on the summit. At the base, the trail had become a brook, due to the rapidly melting snow. Further up I was walking on ice, with the water running underneath, and it was here I saw a fellow coming down bare footed. The last stretch to the summit was covered with well over one foot of snow, and the trail was littered with hundreds of broken Balsam trees which had snapped under the weight of the ice. These not only provided many barricades to step over, but the fantastic smell of Balsam as well. This scent almost became overpowering as I first reached the lookout, and then finally, the summit. A chipmunk kept me company as I ate lunch and tried to cool off in the warm breeze. I was now alone on the mountain and was compelled to stay as long as I dared, as it was difficult to leave this unusual setting."
- Paul Misko
