LRiz
New member
6:00am - Given my proclivity for later starts, I found it both strange and slightly bemusing to be driving north at such an early hour... and in the dark, nonetheless. However, the thought of attempting a full Franconia Ridge Traverse had me so dreadfully excited that I didn't find it difficult at all to stay awake. 2 Red Bulls + 1 medium coffee = a record minimum for this girl.
After spotting cars at Lincoln Woods and the Old Bridle Path trailhead, we were off! Never having taken the Skookumchuck trail before, I was found myself full of energy and eager to explore the new terrain. Much to my surprise, only scant patches of snow remained at the lower elevations, though the cover increased as we made started to ascend. Of course, with that oh-so-wonderful, firm, microspikeable, deep snowpack came the BRANCHES... awful, annoying little devils that would catch my ice axe and pack straps at every possible opportunity. By the time we reached the Garfield Ridge trail junction, I was utterly exasparated and more than happy to have finally reached treeline.
Up, up, up we went, continuing on to North Lafayette - a mixture of hard-packed snow, ice, and bare rock. Crampons? Nahhhh.
What a gorgeous day it was - barely a breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. I was insanely hyper, and rapidly bounded towards the summit, stopping on occasion to snap a picture here and there:
I must have looked like a right nut, jogging right up to Lafayette with a frightening grin on my face. Hopping around from rock to rock, I was pleased to bump into my friends Earl and Sue, both of whom were also traversing the ridge on this fine day. After taking a few customary summit shots, we were on our way again.
The journey over to Lincoln was remarkably fast, and made even more wonderful by the constant, fantastic views of my absolute favorite mountain. Reaching the col, I was delighted to encounter Boo and Madhatter, both of whom I'd not yet had the pleasure of meeting...
Onwards we went, Liberty and Flume so tantalizingly close...
The winds picked up slightly as we reached Little Haystack, though this was not at all worrisome seeing as we'd soon be leaving treeline behind us...
Between Little Haystack and Liberty - more evil branches. I became ever so slightly irritated and refrained from taking pictures. But of course, upon reaching the summit itself my frustration quickly abated. The views towards Washington were just marvelous, and we only had one more peak to go.
Flume was the windiest summit of them all, and we didn't linger there for very long. Nonetheless, it was incredible to look back and see just how far we'd traveled during the course of the day...
...and down the Osseo trail we went. Whilst the snow had softened slightly under the harsh rays of the sun, our snowshoes (fortunately) remained on our pack - unused - for the entire descent. We reached Lincoln Woods feeling strong and more than satisfied after one heck of an awesome hike. What a perfect day for my first full traverse of Franconia Ridge.
More pictures here.
Highlights...
1. I got to wear tights.
2. Four new pictures for my special collection
After spotting cars at Lincoln Woods and the Old Bridle Path trailhead, we were off! Never having taken the Skookumchuck trail before, I was found myself full of energy and eager to explore the new terrain. Much to my surprise, only scant patches of snow remained at the lower elevations, though the cover increased as we made started to ascend. Of course, with that oh-so-wonderful, firm, microspikeable, deep snowpack came the BRANCHES... awful, annoying little devils that would catch my ice axe and pack straps at every possible opportunity. By the time we reached the Garfield Ridge trail junction, I was utterly exasparated and more than happy to have finally reached treeline.
Up, up, up we went, continuing on to North Lafayette - a mixture of hard-packed snow, ice, and bare rock. Crampons? Nahhhh.
What a gorgeous day it was - barely a breeze, and not a cloud in the sky. I was insanely hyper, and rapidly bounded towards the summit, stopping on occasion to snap a picture here and there:
I must have looked like a right nut, jogging right up to Lafayette with a frightening grin on my face. Hopping around from rock to rock, I was pleased to bump into my friends Earl and Sue, both of whom were also traversing the ridge on this fine day. After taking a few customary summit shots, we were on our way again.
The journey over to Lincoln was remarkably fast, and made even more wonderful by the constant, fantastic views of my absolute favorite mountain. Reaching the col, I was delighted to encounter Boo and Madhatter, both of whom I'd not yet had the pleasure of meeting...
Onwards we went, Liberty and Flume so tantalizingly close...
The winds picked up slightly as we reached Little Haystack, though this was not at all worrisome seeing as we'd soon be leaving treeline behind us...
Between Little Haystack and Liberty - more evil branches. I became ever so slightly irritated and refrained from taking pictures. But of course, upon reaching the summit itself my frustration quickly abated. The views towards Washington were just marvelous, and we only had one more peak to go.
Flume was the windiest summit of them all, and we didn't linger there for very long. Nonetheless, it was incredible to look back and see just how far we'd traveled during the course of the day...
...and down the Osseo trail we went. Whilst the snow had softened slightly under the harsh rays of the sun, our snowshoes (fortunately) remained on our pack - unused - for the entire descent. We reached Lincoln Woods feeling strong and more than satisfied after one heck of an awesome hike. What a perfect day for my first full traverse of Franconia Ridge.
More pictures here.
Highlights...
1. I got to wear tights.
2. Four new pictures for my special collection
Last edited:
