Mt Flume & Mt Liberty Loop: Old Hat to Many, But New to Me (20-Aug-2010)

[1HappyHiker]

In the past I've been to both Mt. Flume and to Mt. Liberty on several occasions in both summer and winter. However, up until yesterday, I had never done a loop of these two mountains by incorporating the Flume Slide Trail. As indicated in the title of this report, I'm certain that this loop (Flume Slide; Franconia Ridge; Liberty Springs) is "old hat" to many, but it was new to me.

It's extremely unfair to "convict" a trail based on purely hearsay evidence, but that's exactly what I've done over the past years. I've avoided using the Flume Slide Trail because of unfavorable comments that I've heard about it. But, like so many situations in life, sometimes you just have to check things out for yourself and form your own impressions.

So, now that I've hiked the Flume Slide Trail, here are my thoughts. At the risk of sounding smug, I feel that an inexperienced hiker should not attempt this trail. However, I must honestly say that I didn't find it to be all that difficult. And I don't say that just to be macho. I'm not that kind of guy.

Admittedly, on the day I hiked this trail, conditions were dry. If conditions were wet and/or icy, then I can definitely see where it would be a challenge (perhaps dangerously so) to climb the portion of the trail that leads from the base of the slide up to the ridgeline where it intersects the Franconia Ridge Trail.

I found this to be a very fast loop. At a leisurely pace, it took just under 5 hours. I think this is due in large part to the fact that it is darn near flat for about the first 2.6 miles of the Flume Slide Trail, and therefore you can make very good time there. The climb up the slide to the ridgeline is obviously not flat, and so it's slower going, but it's a relatively short distance. After that, the rest of the loop is quick and easy to complete. Other than the short and mild-mannered ascent of Liberty, it's all downhill the rest of the way.

And so, for what it's worth, that's my report regarding my experience and impressions about the Flume Slide Trail.

Also, for what it's worth, below are a few snapshots that were taken during the course of this loop. The weather conditions were ideal for my "point & shoot" camera. It would've been difficult not to get a decent photo. All one needed to do was simply "point & shoot"!

Franconia Ridge, of course!

Looking up the Lincoln Brook Valley toward Mt. Garfield

Zoomed snapshot looking toward Guyot & Bonds

Un-zoomed snapshot of one huge chunk of the Pemi

Looking back at Mt. Flume from Mt. Liberty

1HappyHiker

 

[forestgnome]

very nice, as usual, John...thanks

 

[1HappyHiker]

very nice, as usual, John...thanks

First of all, thanks Patrick for the compliment!

Secondly, I just want to add a minor footnote to my report. On page 171 of the current WMG there is wording which indicates that one needs to pay careful attention to following the trail once you reach the area where there are multiple crossings of Flume Brook and its many branches. If you heed that advice, then there should be no issues.

However, I must admit that I was momentarily confused by a well-beaten path which follows the brook bank for several hundred feet before gradually fading away. After retracing my steps, I finally discovered a spot along the bank where the trail makes an abrupt turn and crosses to the other side of the brook.

Since there was no obvious reason (campsite, etc) for the path, I assume it was well-beaten solely because there are a lot of confused hikers (like me!) who go down this path, and then turn around. Back & forth traffic like that can certainly make a path well-beaten!

 

[grouseking]

Cool! I've been a little cautious...thinking that the Flume Slide trail might be a little much for me, though your description of it makes me feel a little better. Yes I understand its extremely steep, but maybe my past experience hiking some steep trails will help. Someday I'll go up that way.

Great pictures as usual John! Thanks for sharing them.

 

[The Unstrung Harp]

Great pics! I struggled up the slide but it was a good struggle -- there was a lot to grab onto, including the hand of my buddy. I agree it's a nice-sized hike, not crazy long and you can kinda bound down the Liberty Springs Trail as it's quite tame and pleasant.

 

[NeoAkela]

Beautiful shots of those views, John - Flume and Liberty definitely deliver when it comes to grand vistas!

I've been up the FST a couple of times and had a few uncomfortable moments... I certainly would not rank it anywhere close to one of my favorite trails. That being said, each time I took the trail there was a considerable amount of seeping water and slick rock in the mix, so perhaps I simply chose the wrong time. I'm sure I'll find myself back there soon as these are some of my favorite peaks.

Reading an old Daniel Doan hiking guide, I find it interesting that he describes the best route up Flume as going up the Flume Slide Trail as well as taking the same route down! He even mentions an out-and-back to Liberty as an option from the Flume summit. Not too much is made of hardships on the slide, up or down - quite a difference from the text in the current WMG. I wonder if the trail has gotten worse, or hikers have gotten softer?

 

[1HappyHiker]

Cool! I've been a little cautious...thinking that the Flume Slide trail might be a little much for me, though your description of it makes me feel a little better. Yes I understand its extremely steep, but maybe my past experience hiking some steep trails will help. Someday I'll go up that way.

Phil . . . thanks for your reply. I wouldn't even think about hiking this trail when conditions were anything but DRY! But, since conditions were dry when I did my hike, it was a fun and quick way to get to Mt. Flume.

Great pics! I struggled up the slide but it was a good struggle -- there was a lot to grab onto, including the hand of my buddy. I agree it's a nice-sized hike, not crazy long and you can kinda bound down the Liberty Springs Trail as it's quite tame and pleasant.

Glad you liked the pics! And I completely agree with your other comments about it being "a good struggle" and "there was a lot to grab onto" and it being "a nice-sized hike, not crazy long", etc, etc.

Reading an old Daniel Doan hiking guide, I find it interesting that he describes the best route up Flume as going up the Flume Slide Trail as well as taking the same route down! He even mentions an out-and-back to Liberty as an option from the Flume summit. Not too much is made of hardships on the slide, up or down - quite a difference from the text in the current WMG. I wonder if the trail has gotten worse, or hikers have gotten softer?

Chris, the info you came across in the old Doan Guide is very interesting. And regarding whether the trail has become worse or hikers have become softer, I think I'd lean more in the direction that the trail has perhaps become worse due to the erosion & wear over the years. When I read about exploits such as ones you've undertaken (as well as many other folks on this Forum), it would be difficult to imagine that hikers have become softer!

I have a far from complete set of old WMGs. The oldest that I have is the 1940 edition, and here there is just one sentence which merely hints that the trail might be a bit rugged. It simply states: "In estimating the time you will require for the ascent, allowance should be made for the poor footing on the slide."

In the 1979 edition of the WMG there were only two sentences, and they were only a tad more precautionary. They state: "Use great care on the slide not to dislodge stones that might endanger climbers below. In wet weather, extreme caution must be used both in ascending and descending the slide."

Then jumping forward to the 1992 edition, the trail description reads pretty much as it reads in the current edition of the WMG where there are strongly worded statements about the challenges this trail presents.