Here is a list of my favorite Instagram photos from 2015. The previous year I posted about my 10 favorite photos taken with my Nikon D3200. Unfortunately I had two hard drives crash over the year and lost a lot photos. I decided to comb through my Maine Wanderlust Instagram account instead and found a couple of gems.

#10 – Crawford Notch from Mount Willey Lookout
I hiked Mount Willey in August which had a great view over Crawford Notch State Park. It was cloudy but the clouds were high enough to give a view of all mountains except Mount Washington. In this photo the clouds were glowing with sunlight and Route 302 was lit up as it snaked by Webster Cliffs.

Crawford Notch

#9 – 4th of July Sunset over Mount Katahdin
My son and I hiked Baxter and Hamlin peaks on July 4th last year. I was too tired after the hike to drive to the fireworks in East Millinocket, but we watched the sun set from lakeside with Mount Katahdin in the background.

Natural fireworks over Mount Katahdin

#8 – Mount Passaconaway Vista
In September I took three days to bike to the White Mountains and hike the 4000 Footers of the Sandwhich Range. On the last mountain of the hike I took the below photo from a vista looking toward the Kancamagus Highway. Owl and Green Cliffs contrasted against Mount Washington and the Carter-Moriah Range in the background.

Overlooking Kancamagus from Mount Passaconaway

#7 – Tumbledown Pond from Little Jackson
In September my friends Michael and John and I hiked Tumbledown Mountain and Little Jackson Mountain. It was an incredible day of bright blue skies and solitude in the mountains. Little Jackson had a great view overlooking Tumbledown Pond, where we had taken a swim during lunch.

Tumbledown Pond from Little Jackson

#6 – Icy Tuckerman Ravine
This November my friend John and I braved Mount Washington despite icy conditions and hurricane force winds on the summit. I took the below photo from the lip of Tuckerman Ravine with Wildcat Mountain in the background.

Ice-covered Tuckerman’s Ravine

#5 – Whitewall slide from Zeacliff
In the end of November my friends Michael and Jeff and I hiked Mount Hale and Mount Zealand. It was a gloomy day with snow flurries and icy trails. The gloominess was featured in the below photo of Whitewall slide taken from Zeacliff vista.

Whitewall slide on a dreary day

#4 – Lenticular clouds over the Presidentials
In mid-November I finally got up to the northern 4000 Footers in New Hampshire and climbed Mount Cabot on a cold and snowy day. I took the below photo from the summit of The Horn looking south toward the Presidential Range. There were some amazing Lenticular clouds hanging over Mount Madison that day.

The Horn snow covered with UFO-shaped clouds

#3 – Sunrise on Mount Jackson
In the beginning of December I got up hours before dawn to drive up to Crawford Notch and climb Mount Jackson for sunrise. I spent an hour and a half on the snowy summit taking photos and a time-lapse video of the sun rising. In the below photo a Whiskey Jack perched on an ice-caked tree for me. They’re so photogenic.

Whiskey Jack perched at sunrise

#2 – Cherry Creek Crossing
I typically use very little editing when posting on Instagram and I don’t care for the filters. I’ll adjust exposure and contrast, usually reduce the saturation and might add a vignette to try to recapture the depth you lose in a photograph. I cheated on this one by adding a heavy tilt shift, but I loved the way it extenuated the roaring Cherry Creek. While hiking in the Emigrant Wilderness this April with my friends John and Michael, we spent a lot of time trying to find a safe way across this creek.

The roaring Cherry Creek

#1 – Winter Warrior
My brother and I hiked Mount Hunger in Vermont in March. We struggled to make the summit in increasingly deep snow (we left our traction in the car, of course). I snapped this photo right before we broke treeline as the lighting was perfect.

Winter Warrior

Although I took a step back in my progress toward becoming an adept photographer due to technical issues (dying computer hardware), I became more active on Instagram this year. I found a great community of like-minded hikers in Maine, New Hampsire and around the world. I enjoy the enthusiasm and feedback from other wanderlusts and love being able to vicariously go on adventures every day of the week, even when I’m physically stuck in the office.

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