Liberty via Liberty Springs Trail

[bintrepidhiker]

May not have been sunny but it was a gorgeous day to hike yesterday. Temps were in the 40's at the base and calm winds the whole way up. Me and my friend grouseking got going around 8:30 starting on the whiteface trail. Looked like the area got a fresh inch or two of snow the night before which made walking on the little ice that was around that much easier. Once we met up with the Liberty Springs Trail it started getting a little more snowy and icy but was still bare-bootable with care. After the major stream crossing, we walked maybe another 20 mins before we hit the steeper stuff decided to throw on the crampons. This was my first time using them and wow are they amazing. Never had i felt so confident about walking on ice. So with easy traction on our feet we continued up and the higher it got the prettier it got as well with all the snow on the trees. We eventually hit the tent-site area and looked around a little bit there as a small break. Couldn't get any water from the spring since it was buried under snow and ice but you could hear it flowing. Finally we reached the Franconia Ridge Trail. At this point it was more snow than ice and walking with the crampons made it easier than bare-booting. Was still amazed that there wasn't any wind and the temps up here were in the 20's, which for this area isn't bad by any means. Once we were at the summit the rocks were ice covered but nothing we couldn't handle and finally we reached the summit itself at about noon. You could see just about anything you wanted, views were great. Clous were a little low but not low enough to obstruct looking at anything. Could even see shining white Mt Washington in the distance. We stayed at the summit for close to 45 mins having lunch and hot chocolate thanks to my jet-boil and had the whole plae to ourselves. Then we began our decent when we finally met some people, one of which gave us tips on how to properly walk downhill with crampons. Once again my confidence in the crampons didn't let me down and walked freely on the ice going down. En route we met a few groups heading up some with crampons, others without. At this point in the day with the foot traffic it was just about all ice heading down and crampons were essential. Even near the base where it was mostly soft ice and snow it was all ice. I wore my crampons all the way to the junction with Flume Slide trail pretty much. Finally at about 3 we reached the parking lot, thus ending our day. This was my first visit to a 4k in winter conditions and i wasn't dissapointed. Now i gotta make it count as a winter assent by doing it in the winter (which i had missed this time by a week but now that i know what to expect and have proper gear i'll be doing this year round more than likely. Of course compared to how it really could be in winter this was a tame trip. With high winds and snow drifts it's something else entirly. Can't wait for that! So here is to the beginning if the hiking season, bring it on!

 

[Lawn Sale]

Thanks for the heads up, I may do Liberty & Flume this weekend.

 

[dvbl]

...Then we began our decent when we finally met some people, one of which gave us tips on how to properly walk downhill with crampons...

What were the tips he gave you for descending with crampons? I'm always interested in how people achieve the same task differently.

 

[bintrepidhiker]

basically he mentioned make sure all the points made contact with the ice and if it was really steep to go down sideways. i had no problem going down heel-toe but i guess either way would work the same.

 

[DougPaul]

In general a hiker should always place the sole of his foot down as flat as possible. (Also known as flat footing or French technique.) Get as many points in as possible. Don't try to "edge".

As it gets steeper uphill:
* point toes uphill
* duck walk (turn toes out to both sides)
* turn both feet to one side and flex your ankles to get the crampon points in. Either traverse (zigzag) or step one foot up over the other.

As it gets steeper downhill:
* toes downhill
* turn both feet to one side, etc
* turn around, face uphill, and back down.

Up or down: route find:
Try to find an easier sequence of spots (holds) that are more level than the average. Use small ledges, etc.

Experts can do the above on up to ~70 deg soft ice.

The front points (if you have them) are good for snagging your pants legs, gaiters, and calves. Can also be used to climb steep (> ~45 deg) ice (front pointing or Austrian technique). Generally only done for a step or two by hikers. Not usually needed for hikers. (In fact hikers are sometimes advised to get crampons without front points.) Front pointing on relatively easy terrain is easy, but very strenuous (exhausts your calves). Also if done with flexible boots, places great strain on the crampons (they have been known to break).

And if you do have front points, be careful to keep them away from your calves. Wear tight rugged gaiters to minimize the chance that the points will snag your leg/pants/gaiters.

Doug