MadRiver
New member
Susan and I haven’t hiked extensively since completing the 48’s in 2003, so our legs no longer retained their rock solid character from the many weekend odysseys we endured during our quest of the 4,000s. Yard work, home improvements, and just life in general have limited our death marches during the past two years. Although we have done some hikes, like trail maintenance and other shorter hikes, we haven’t had the time to devote to the many trails that still offer us a weekend of challenging hikes, as well as old favorites that we long to visit on a regular basis, so needless to say we were excited when some friends from CT decided to visit us for a weekend of hiking.
We have been asking Donna, Gerry, and their kids to venture north for some hiking for the past two years and during a party at a friend’s house last January, we finally nailed down a date. So when July 29th arrived after a summer of home improvement projects, we were all set to hike the Franconia Ridge from Little Haystack to Lafayette. Even though Gerry had hiked Lafayette years before, none of them have ever experienced the full beauty of hiking above tree line for an extended period.
After a nice visit Friday night sitting by the river and sipping wine while chatting around the campfire, we woke up early on Saturday to make our guests a full breakfast before heading to the ridge for a great day of hiking. We took two cars just in case someone needed to leave early or some other incident befell us so we had an alternative to everyone having to leave. We arrived at the trailhead around 8:10am, which was not as early as we normally hike, yet not too late to cause us to be off the mountain any later than 4 or 5.
I initially took the lead and started at a good clip to warm my legs and to get my breathing regulated. The kids and Donna were right behind me with Gerry and Susan taking up the rear. After about ten minutes, I stopped to see where everyone was and to take a quick drink of water. The kids were excited and frothing at the bit to continue, so after I assured Donna that as long as they stayed on the trail they would reach the summit with no problem, they took off and left us behind. After the rest of us continued, I slowed the pace not only to allow the adults to remain together but also because my legs were on fire. I found it to be a little disconcerting to realize just how fast your legs lose their ability to sustain a steady pace after a long hiatus. What normally would be a walk in the park for us two years earlier was becoming a little bit of a struggle at times. Even though Falling Waters has some steep spots, it shouldn’t have caused the fatigue that I was experiencing so early in the hike. Susan diagnosis was that the lack of hiking coupled with the consumption of wine the night before was taking its toll on my aging body.
After several more stops to drink water and eat some trail mix as well as filtering some water at the last falls, Donna and Gerry took the lead and remained in front for the rest of the hike to Little Haystack. During the ascent, we met two nice guys from Arkansas who decided to hike the Whites for several days and were a little exhausted carrying their overnight packs. I assured them that they would have no problem reaching Garfield for the night and then making the Shapleigh bunkhouse the next day. After a nice chat with several other people along the trail, we continued our attack of Falling Waters and eventually reach the summit a few minutes under book time. We sat on the summit for a few minutes and I pointed out the various summits to the kids. One thing that I did find unusual about this particular hike was the number of dogs on the summit. It seemed like every group had a dog except us.
The section from Little Haystack to Lincoln is by far my favorite section of the Whites. I just love the way that Lincoln towers in the distance and gives the impression that it is insurmountable. We all head towards Lincoln with the kids running more than walking, while the rest of us hiked at a good clip. My legs were feeling a little better but not quite as strong as they were in the past, so I kept a steady pace to keep the kids in visible range, yet also taking my time so I could enjoy the hike and bask in the beauty of the Pemi. For me, the hike is not a foot race. I do not need to get to Lafayette as fast as humanly possible, for it is the hike and not the destination that is important to me. Although I do understand why the kids felt that it was paramount to leave their parents and their friends in the dust, I personally didn’t need to rush through the hike.
After reaching Lincoln, we stopped for a short lunch break and rested before making the final push towards Lafayette. As we were heading down the north side of Lincoln an alpine steward looked at us and said “Susan, is that you?” Susan stopped for a minute and scrutinized the face of the steward and then realized that is was Steve, an old friend from the past. She chatted with him and caught up on old times. After a few minutes I said my goodbyes and headed for Lafayette so our friends didn’t think we were taken hostage by the mountain gods. Once Susan finished chatting, she too headed towards Lafayette.
I had warned the group that Lafayette might have up to 100 people on the summit given the beautiful weather we were having, yet was pleasantly surprised to see only a handful of people and a few dogs. After having lunch, posing for the mandatory photo op, and taking in the view, we headed down to Greenleaf Hut. Once again the kids sprinted towards the hut while Donna and I took a more leisurely pace with Susan and Gerry bringing up the rear.
At the hut I could tell the kids were getting tired and wanted to head to the car, yet Donna and Gerry were not quite ready to descend. I mentioned how the hut has a short caretaker only season in the spring and suggested that this might be something they would like to experience. Once Gerry’s legs started to cramp up it was time to descend. We gave a final salute to the ridge and headed down OBP to the car.
As usual the kids took the lead and disappeared rather quickly, while Gerry, Donna and I took our time. After a while, we began to spread out and once I could no longer see or hear the others I just put my head down and kicked it up a notch. I passed several people on the way down but was never able to catch up to the kids, who I found out later had run down the trail. Once I reached the parking lot, I pointed out to the kids that one of the disadvantages of hiking faster than your parents is that you have to wait longer at the end of the hike for them to emerge from the trail.
By 4:00pm everyone was off the mountain and heading back to the Mad River House for a quick swim in the Eddy before having dinner. As the night wore on the kids began to fade and one by one headed off to bed. The next morning we all said our goodbyes before we each headed back to CT and work on Monday morning.
We have been asking Donna, Gerry, and their kids to venture north for some hiking for the past two years and during a party at a friend’s house last January, we finally nailed down a date. So when July 29th arrived after a summer of home improvement projects, we were all set to hike the Franconia Ridge from Little Haystack to Lafayette. Even though Gerry had hiked Lafayette years before, none of them have ever experienced the full beauty of hiking above tree line for an extended period.
After a nice visit Friday night sitting by the river and sipping wine while chatting around the campfire, we woke up early on Saturday to make our guests a full breakfast before heading to the ridge for a great day of hiking. We took two cars just in case someone needed to leave early or some other incident befell us so we had an alternative to everyone having to leave. We arrived at the trailhead around 8:10am, which was not as early as we normally hike, yet not too late to cause us to be off the mountain any later than 4 or 5.
I initially took the lead and started at a good clip to warm my legs and to get my breathing regulated. The kids and Donna were right behind me with Gerry and Susan taking up the rear. After about ten minutes, I stopped to see where everyone was and to take a quick drink of water. The kids were excited and frothing at the bit to continue, so after I assured Donna that as long as they stayed on the trail they would reach the summit with no problem, they took off and left us behind. After the rest of us continued, I slowed the pace not only to allow the adults to remain together but also because my legs were on fire. I found it to be a little disconcerting to realize just how fast your legs lose their ability to sustain a steady pace after a long hiatus. What normally would be a walk in the park for us two years earlier was becoming a little bit of a struggle at times. Even though Falling Waters has some steep spots, it shouldn’t have caused the fatigue that I was experiencing so early in the hike. Susan diagnosis was that the lack of hiking coupled with the consumption of wine the night before was taking its toll on my aging body.
After several more stops to drink water and eat some trail mix as well as filtering some water at the last falls, Donna and Gerry took the lead and remained in front for the rest of the hike to Little Haystack. During the ascent, we met two nice guys from Arkansas who decided to hike the Whites for several days and were a little exhausted carrying their overnight packs. I assured them that they would have no problem reaching Garfield for the night and then making the Shapleigh bunkhouse the next day. After a nice chat with several other people along the trail, we continued our attack of Falling Waters and eventually reach the summit a few minutes under book time. We sat on the summit for a few minutes and I pointed out the various summits to the kids. One thing that I did find unusual about this particular hike was the number of dogs on the summit. It seemed like every group had a dog except us.
The section from Little Haystack to Lincoln is by far my favorite section of the Whites. I just love the way that Lincoln towers in the distance and gives the impression that it is insurmountable. We all head towards Lincoln with the kids running more than walking, while the rest of us hiked at a good clip. My legs were feeling a little better but not quite as strong as they were in the past, so I kept a steady pace to keep the kids in visible range, yet also taking my time so I could enjoy the hike and bask in the beauty of the Pemi. For me, the hike is not a foot race. I do not need to get to Lafayette as fast as humanly possible, for it is the hike and not the destination that is important to me. Although I do understand why the kids felt that it was paramount to leave their parents and their friends in the dust, I personally didn’t need to rush through the hike.
After reaching Lincoln, we stopped for a short lunch break and rested before making the final push towards Lafayette. As we were heading down the north side of Lincoln an alpine steward looked at us and said “Susan, is that you?” Susan stopped for a minute and scrutinized the face of the steward and then realized that is was Steve, an old friend from the past. She chatted with him and caught up on old times. After a few minutes I said my goodbyes and headed for Lafayette so our friends didn’t think we were taken hostage by the mountain gods. Once Susan finished chatting, she too headed towards Lafayette.
I had warned the group that Lafayette might have up to 100 people on the summit given the beautiful weather we were having, yet was pleasantly surprised to see only a handful of people and a few dogs. After having lunch, posing for the mandatory photo op, and taking in the view, we headed down to Greenleaf Hut. Once again the kids sprinted towards the hut while Donna and I took a more leisurely pace with Susan and Gerry bringing up the rear.
At the hut I could tell the kids were getting tired and wanted to head to the car, yet Donna and Gerry were not quite ready to descend. I mentioned how the hut has a short caretaker only season in the spring and suggested that this might be something they would like to experience. Once Gerry’s legs started to cramp up it was time to descend. We gave a final salute to the ridge and headed down OBP to the car.
As usual the kids took the lead and disappeared rather quickly, while Gerry, Donna and I took our time. After a while, we began to spread out and once I could no longer see or hear the others I just put my head down and kicked it up a notch. I passed several people on the way down but was never able to catch up to the kids, who I found out later had run down the trail. Once I reached the parking lot, I pointed out to the kids that one of the disadvantages of hiking faster than your parents is that you have to wait longer at the end of the hike for them to emerge from the trail.
By 4:00pm everyone was off the mountain and heading back to the Mad River House for a quick swim in the Eddy before having dinner. As the night wore on the kids began to fade and one by one headed off to bed. The next morning we all said our goodbyes before we each headed back to CT and work on Monday morning.
