Scenes of February, New Hampshire – Much like last month, the weather here in the New Hampshire White Mountains during the month of February has been a mixed bag. We still have not had any major snow storms, the trails are very icy, and the temperatures have been on the warm side. At the beginning of the month, Echo Lake (above) still had not frozen over yet, and there was not much snow in Franconia Notch.
The lack of snow combined with icy trails has made for slow going, and I have had to rearrange my shooting schedule this month because of the weather. Much of the problem has been just getting around the trail system with all the camera gear I carry. As a working photographer, I have to create marketable imagery in whatever conditions are presented to me on any given day and this month has been a challenge.
Being a resident of the White Mountains, I hate dismal winters like the one we are currently having because it impacts the local economy. Local businesses that rely on the winter season are working harder than ever to make the best of this snowless winter that we are having. Ski mountains, like Cannon Mountain (above), are making snow despite the lack of natural snow, but at this point the snowmobile season maybe a bust.
I spent one February day searching for another cellar hole of the abandoned 19th century Coventry-Benton hill farm community in Benton. This cellar hole is located in a unit of the Pemi Northwest timber harvest project, and the area (above) is all marked up and appears ready to be cut.
The three orange paint marks usually, not always, mark boundaries of the harvest or obstacles of concern and those trees will not be cut down during the harvest. The blue paint marks indicate that the tree will be cut down, and the black paint marks are covering up old paint markings. Sadly, the orange paint marks are not covered after the harvest is finished and they remain on the trees for many years.
We also received heavy rains this month, which caused the brooks and rivers in the area to rise. The Mount Pemigewasset Trail in Lincoln crosses a small brook (above) that I usually find unimpressive most days but on the day after the rain storm, it was picture perfect.
I spent one day this month at Pondicherry Wildlife Refuge in Jefferson. This snowless winter has made getting around Pondicherry easy. One of the best views in New Hampshire is from this Refuge along the Presidential Range Rail Trail. And though I prefer this area at sunrise the sunset (above) can be interesting.
All of the above images can be licensed for publications by clicking on the image you are interested in, and you can view more new images from the month of February here.
Happy image making..
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Owner of ScenicNH Photography LLC
Erin Paul is a professional photographer, writer, and author who specializes in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the New Hampshire White Mountains. His work is published worldwide, and publication credits include: Appalachian Mountain Club, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Backpacker Magazine, and The Wilderness Society.
ScenicNH Photography LLC
Specializing in environmental conservation and historic preservation photography mainly in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire, Erin Paul’s photography and writing focuses on the history of the White Mountains, and telling the story of abandoned places and forgotten historical sites.