BIGEarl
Well-known member
May 25, 2010: Franconia Ridge Traverse – Lafayette to Flume
Trails: Franconia Notch Recreation Trail, Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Liberty Spring Trail
Summits: Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
Speed Bumps: Truman, Little Haystack
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Any hike with snowmen is a good hike. Black flies can be a real test. We had plenty of each.
Sue and I arrived at The Basin, grabbed our gear, and set off right on plan. The first part was to walk the Franconia Notch Recreation Trail north to the Old Bridle Path trailhead. From there we planned to hike a traverse of Franconia Ridge ending back at The Basin.
The walk on the Franconia Notch Recreation Trail is only ~1.7 miles and provides a good warm-up. Two days ago we had a pretty full day hiking Kinsmans and Cannon loop plus Tecumseh and I was curious how a one-day break would work. We reached the Old Bridle Path trailhead and started into the climb to Lafayette. By the time we reached the lower part of Agony Ridge I was having some doubts. At the time, I was thinking about an early exit. As we started into the lower part of Agony Ridge I decided it was already time for some fuel and we made a quick stop. I knew the day was starting with less than a full tank and we took a leisurely approach to the climb. When we passed through the trailhead lot there were a couple other pairs of hikers preparing for their day. They passed us on our hike to the Greenleaf Hut. Eventually we reached the hut and stopped for more of a break. The heat and humidity were already quite high and with no water sources on the ridge we needed to make sure our water supply was good for the hike. We also piled in more fuel. At this point I had already consumed more than I normally do on a full hike. Fortunately, I brought extra for such a situation.
Soon we set off for the final climb to Lafayette. On the way through the lower section near Eagle Lake we came into some snow and it was time for a snowman. Sue went to work building a snowman. Before long her masterpiece was finished, she took a picture with her phone, sent the picture to family and friends, and we continued on our plan.
A while later we came into a much larger section of snow. Sue stood on the trail looking at the snow but not saying anything. I knew what she was thinking and said – Go ahead. We made another snowman stop. This time Sue went to work on multiple snowmen. While we were there several groups passed through and were entertained by the work. More pictures on the phone were taken and sent and we were on our way to the summit.
Above the treeline the trail is completely clear and dry. We had terrific hiking conditions and the fuel was kicking in. We made our way to the summit of Lafayette with only the usual stops and generally on plan. We arrived to the summit with a huge welcoming committee. The black flies were our in force. I had hoped we could enjoy Lafayette for a while but the black flies had different ideas and drove us back on trail and headed south to Lincoln.
We descended from Lafayette and reached the col before Truman (aka N. Lincoln) where we met Chipc (VFTT) and his hiking partner doing the Lincoln & Lafayette Loop CCW. We stopped for a brief visit but were soon again into our hike south.
There was a good breeze from the northwest but not generally enough to control the insects. Sue had some insect repellant and I used some – it helped. My bottle of Deet was left at home on the table. I’ll try to remember it on the next hike. There were quite a few people out for the day mainly hiking Lincoln and Lafayette, one way or the other. We hit Lincoln and the black fly infestation was strong so we were soon on our way to Little Haystack after the usual summit pictures.
We reached Little Haystack and had the place to ourselves. In fact, we saw no other hikers for the remainder of our hike. A short distance south of Little Haystack the trail goes back into the trees. For the next ~1 mile the trail is extremely tight. The growth along the sides of the trail is taking over. We pushed our way through the worst sections and eventually found more open conditions. We also started to find blowdowns. On our last trip through this area there were blowdowns that had the trail completely blocked. These have been cleared and those that remain are all relatively easy to get past.
Before long we reached the next bailout opportunity – Liberty Spring Trail. We briefly paused on the way through and kept hiking south. From the trail junction to the summit of Liberty is a very short distance. We were hoping for comfortable conditions on Liberty for an extended break. On the approach to Liberty we came into a couple more sections of snow and ice that had been heavily postholed. We carefully made our way through and were soon on final approach to the open summit.
We reached Liberty, found plenty of black flies and a light breeze, got some pictures, and took off for Mount Flume. The hike between Liberty and Flume went very well. The trail is in great shape with little mud. The few mud pits there were small and easy to pass. On final approach to Flume there was nothing but clear and dry trail. By now the fuel gage was down and the final climb to the summit included a few more stops than usual. Determination kicked in and we were soon on the summit of Mount Flume. We had terrific conditions, a pretty strong breeze, and the black flies had been blown into Maine (or some deserving place to the east). We could finally sit, take a break, and enjoy the views; which is exactly what we did.
We hung out on the summit of Flume for a while relaxing in the sun. Eventually, Sue said it was time to go. We grabbed our packs and started north to re-climb Liberty on our exit hike. We cleared Liberty and had only a little over four miles of all downhill in front of us to the waiting truck. For some reason the Liberty Spring Trail seemed a little rougher than usual; perhaps we were a little more beat than usual. We quietly made our way down from the ridge. At the sharp turn below the Liberty Spring – Flume Slide trails junction we continued on the bushwhack shortcut. Soon we were back on the Franconia Notch Recreation Path and headed for The Basin.
At The Basin we made the usual changes into comfortable footwear and I grabbed a dry shirt. A couple cold drinks from the cooler and we were on our way.
Thanks Sue. That’s two down and three to go. Your vacations are real fun.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Franconia Notch Recreation Trail, Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Liberty Spring Trail
Summits: Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
Speed Bumps: Truman, Little Haystack
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Any hike with snowmen is a good hike. Black flies can be a real test. We had plenty of each.
Sue and I arrived at The Basin, grabbed our gear, and set off right on plan. The first part was to walk the Franconia Notch Recreation Trail north to the Old Bridle Path trailhead. From there we planned to hike a traverse of Franconia Ridge ending back at The Basin.
The walk on the Franconia Notch Recreation Trail is only ~1.7 miles and provides a good warm-up. Two days ago we had a pretty full day hiking Kinsmans and Cannon loop plus Tecumseh and I was curious how a one-day break would work. We reached the Old Bridle Path trailhead and started into the climb to Lafayette. By the time we reached the lower part of Agony Ridge I was having some doubts. At the time, I was thinking about an early exit. As we started into the lower part of Agony Ridge I decided it was already time for some fuel and we made a quick stop. I knew the day was starting with less than a full tank and we took a leisurely approach to the climb. When we passed through the trailhead lot there were a couple other pairs of hikers preparing for their day. They passed us on our hike to the Greenleaf Hut. Eventually we reached the hut and stopped for more of a break. The heat and humidity were already quite high and with no water sources on the ridge we needed to make sure our water supply was good for the hike. We also piled in more fuel. At this point I had already consumed more than I normally do on a full hike. Fortunately, I brought extra for such a situation.
Soon we set off for the final climb to Lafayette. On the way through the lower section near Eagle Lake we came into some snow and it was time for a snowman. Sue went to work building a snowman. Before long her masterpiece was finished, she took a picture with her phone, sent the picture to family and friends, and we continued on our plan.
A while later we came into a much larger section of snow. Sue stood on the trail looking at the snow but not saying anything. I knew what she was thinking and said – Go ahead. We made another snowman stop. This time Sue went to work on multiple snowmen. While we were there several groups passed through and were entertained by the work. More pictures on the phone were taken and sent and we were on our way to the summit.
Above the treeline the trail is completely clear and dry. We had terrific hiking conditions and the fuel was kicking in. We made our way to the summit of Lafayette with only the usual stops and generally on plan. We arrived to the summit with a huge welcoming committee. The black flies were our in force. I had hoped we could enjoy Lafayette for a while but the black flies had different ideas and drove us back on trail and headed south to Lincoln.
We descended from Lafayette and reached the col before Truman (aka N. Lincoln) where we met Chipc (VFTT) and his hiking partner doing the Lincoln & Lafayette Loop CCW. We stopped for a brief visit but were soon again into our hike south.
There was a good breeze from the northwest but not generally enough to control the insects. Sue had some insect repellant and I used some – it helped. My bottle of Deet was left at home on the table. I’ll try to remember it on the next hike. There were quite a few people out for the day mainly hiking Lincoln and Lafayette, one way or the other. We hit Lincoln and the black fly infestation was strong so we were soon on our way to Little Haystack after the usual summit pictures.
We reached Little Haystack and had the place to ourselves. In fact, we saw no other hikers for the remainder of our hike. A short distance south of Little Haystack the trail goes back into the trees. For the next ~1 mile the trail is extremely tight. The growth along the sides of the trail is taking over. We pushed our way through the worst sections and eventually found more open conditions. We also started to find blowdowns. On our last trip through this area there were blowdowns that had the trail completely blocked. These have been cleared and those that remain are all relatively easy to get past.
Before long we reached the next bailout opportunity – Liberty Spring Trail. We briefly paused on the way through and kept hiking south. From the trail junction to the summit of Liberty is a very short distance. We were hoping for comfortable conditions on Liberty for an extended break. On the approach to Liberty we came into a couple more sections of snow and ice that had been heavily postholed. We carefully made our way through and were soon on final approach to the open summit.
We reached Liberty, found plenty of black flies and a light breeze, got some pictures, and took off for Mount Flume. The hike between Liberty and Flume went very well. The trail is in great shape with little mud. The few mud pits there were small and easy to pass. On final approach to Flume there was nothing but clear and dry trail. By now the fuel gage was down and the final climb to the summit included a few more stops than usual. Determination kicked in and we were soon on the summit of Mount Flume. We had terrific conditions, a pretty strong breeze, and the black flies had been blown into Maine (or some deserving place to the east). We could finally sit, take a break, and enjoy the views; which is exactly what we did.
We hung out on the summit of Flume for a while relaxing in the sun. Eventually, Sue said it was time to go. We grabbed our packs and started north to re-climb Liberty on our exit hike. We cleared Liberty and had only a little over four miles of all downhill in front of us to the waiting truck. For some reason the Liberty Spring Trail seemed a little rougher than usual; perhaps we were a little more beat than usual. We quietly made our way down from the ridge. At the sharp turn below the Liberty Spring – Flume Slide trails junction we continued on the bushwhack shortcut. Soon we were back on the Franconia Notch Recreation Path and headed for The Basin.
At The Basin we made the usual changes into comfortable footwear and I grabbed a dry shirt. A couple cold drinks from the cooler and we were on our way.
Thanks Sue. That’s two down and three to go. Your vacations are real fun.
Pictures will follow.
