Chimney Pond to The Knife Edge

Chimney Pond nestles in the Great Basin on the eastern slope of the Katahdin Massif. Here is a campground, a ranger station, a source of drinking water and a base camp for exploring the higher elevations.  The calm water reflects the saturated greens of the Maine forest and soothes the hikers' spirits. Over the three days we bunked in Baxter State Park, I went down to this pond time and again to watch the changing light and try to capture its beauty. This is my favourite close-up view (focal length = 95 mm); the foreground filled with a range of greens and reflected deadwood and the bright 4:30 pm sky removed from the background. 

Two and a half hours of relentless scrambling up Dudley Trail transports you from Chimney Pond to Pamola Peak and the famous Knife Edge Trail. Gone are the lush vegetation and soothed spirits. Hikers are faced with hard rock, unlimited views down to the east and west and potentially dangerous winds and exposure to lightning. However, on a fair day, this 1.2 mile ridge walk along to Baxter Peak (5267') is a most enjoyable and spectacular hike.

40% Chance of Thunderstorms

Our annual walk/picnic at the north end of île d'Orléans (Point Argentenay) started under a warm and humid conditions when I took this bucolic shot of two horses hanging out along the fence. 

An hour later we pulled up logs and driftwood along the gravel headland of the island and sat down to a potluck picnic still with no sign of a storm.

It wasn't until the end of our ten kilometre loop as we started driving home that these impressively dark storm clouds loomed over the island and the mountains of the north shore. I took the above photo from the Chemin Royal not far from Saint-Jean-de-île-d'Orléans.

Crossing the island on Route du Mitan towards Sainte-Famille we stopped at the height of land to admire the distant hills. While I tried to capture the irregular bolts of lightening on "film" this tractor and hay wagon came up from behind and presented me with this composition.

As Louis Pasteur famously said, "In the field of observation chance only favours the prepared mind". In this field I was happy to be carrying my Canon 7D.