Lovely hike up to Black Crater today! The hike was through mostly burned forest, but I often find beauty in healing lands. There were no leaves to show fall colors, but the ferns and bunch grasses glowed gold in the underbrush. We were the first people to summit this morning and for most of the hike the only other hiker was a badass 79-year-old who shared some local hiking recommendations and some moleskin (saved my feet!!). The contrast between the black and red volcanic rock was beautiful and the views of Mt. Washington, Three Fingered Jack, Jefferson, and Hood were amazing. We could even see Adams peaking through in the distance. Would love to come back and snowshoe this hike and looking forward to hiking some of the other features we could see from the summit!