BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 13, 2010: Liberty and Flume, Sue’s W48 Finish
Trails: Whitehouse Trail, Franconia Notch Recreational Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Summits: Liberty and Flume
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Our plan for the day was a simple round trip hike of Liberty and Flume. It’s a relatively short hike but the views are terrific from each summit. Sometimes simple isn’t simple. Occasionally Sue makes a hike a little more difficult than it needs to be. Last week she decided to climb Galehead a second time. A while ago she climbed the Chimney on the Osceolas a few times in succession – it was fun. I recall her running the Wilderness Trail back to Lincoln Woods after a Franconia Ridge Traverse. The part that complicated this hike actually happened the night before. As I understand the story, Sue went to a reunion of classmates and when she left the place, the bar was all out of a particular ingredient needed for her favorite drink. Fast-forward – the wake-up alarm came and Sue hit the snooze button a few times. We got started a little later than planned. No problem – it’s a relatively short hike.
The streak is alive and well. Our weather for the day was terrific with nearly completely clear sky at the start, mild temperature in the low 20’s, and a very light breeze. What a day we had! We decided to start from the trailhead lot located a short distance north of the Flume Visitor Center. This would allow an exit directly south instead of having to drive north to Cannon for a u-turn. The hike from this location is a little longer than our usual start from The Basin but I was pretty sure we could handle it. Sue went trailhead-to-trailhead on snowshoes but with a very well packed and consolidated trail I started bare booting the hike. The late start had benefits; we were approaching from the west side of the ridge but the sun was already high enough to warm the full route.
We quickly made our way along Whitehouse Trail to the Franconia Notch Recreational Trail and then to the Liberty Spring Trail. There was no early morning snowmobile traffic and we had a quiet and fairly quick hike to the Liberty Spring Trail junction. We made the turn and started into the climb. Initially I had planned to go with the snowshoes at this point but decided to continue bare booting until the trail became icy and I needed the added traction or the trail became soft and I needed the floatation. In summer the Liberty Spring Trail can be a little rough but right now the packed snow is generally smooth and we enjoyed a terrific hike to the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail. Along the way we passed several others on the trail, and a few passed us. The trail remained solid and generally ice-free all of the way to the ridge. I did not need traction or floatation to comfortably make the climb. Normally, Sue has relatively low drink consumption but it seemed she was a little more thirsty than usual on this hike.
At the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail we briefly stopped and both pulled out an extra layer. The hard part of the climb was behind us and we wanted to prevent being chilled. While we were stopped several other hikers came through, three climbing Liberty Spring Trail and at least six coming from the direction of Liberty. The Franconia Ridge Trail headed north had a single set of snowshoe tracks.
We started south and I immediately recognized the need for snowshoes. The Franconia Ridge Trail has a fair amount drifted in areas and is not very well packed. Unfortunately, more snowshoers and fewer bare booters would have been helpful – the trail is a little beat up right now. We met quite a few others as we made our way to the summit of Liberty. From the trail junction to the summit is a very short section and we were quickly on final approach. A short distance below the summit we started to climb into the clear and were treated to the amazing views for the day. To the north there were clouds in Franconia Notch and northward. To the West, South, and East were generally clear conditions. We were still enjoying very light wind. Another hiker arrived at the same time and asked if he could take a picture of the two of us on Liberty. I couldn’t pass on the offer. That took care of #47 and we were looking at Flume for #48. After the short break on Liberty we put the snowshoes back on and set off for Flume.
The hike to Flume has more trail with drifted in sections. Snowshoes were needed and used for the full distance. Along the way we came to a couple blowdowns; one relatively large one that was easy to pass under and a smaller one. Evidently, Jeremy Clark hasn’t been through the area recently or the small one would have been cleared.
Slowly we made our way to Flume. I think Sue may have decided to enjoy this final mile to #48 a little more than usual and we made extra stops to enjoy the area, and talk. Eventually we were on the climb to the summit. The forecast for the day had clouds building by midday but we still enjoyed beautiful blue sky and a light breeze (the weather guys were wrong in the right direction again). It’s hard to imagine better conditions for a winter hike – especially this winter hike. It seemed that everybody else had a good night’s sleep the night before and enjoyed an early start. We arrived to Flume and had the place to ourselves.
Hitting Flume in the middle of the afternoon on a clear day means the views are a little more special. The afternoon sun had Bondcliff all lit up. What a sight! We got lots of pictures of the surrounding summits and wondered where on the bonds Steve, Karen, Russ, and possibly one mystery hiker were. They had terrific conditions for their traverse – I hope everything went well.
We spent a little more time on the summit of Flume than usual. It seemed the air had cleared a little since leaving Liberty and the distance views had significantly improved. We could easily see south to Monadnock and Ascutney. With just the two of us, the celebration was very low-key. But, I’m not sure how much more celebrating Sue could handle (in reality she was probably in great shape). The conditions were mild and we were in no hurry to leave. I knew this peak was important to Sue and was happy to wait for her to say it was time to go.
The time came and we were off. Since we were headed back out the way we came in, our first task was a re-climb of Liberty. With an ice-free trail it wasn’t a difficult climb and we were soon again at the summit enjoying more mid-afternoon views. We generally continued to make our way back to the junction with the Liberty Spring Trail and on to the trailhead. As we descended the Liberty Spring Trail the clouds and wind finally arrived, but the wind was high and we were enjoying calm conditions at ground level. We reached the trailhead lot and quickly packed for the drive south.
When Sue first started, she experienced cold conditions on a hike to the Carters that nearly had her throwing in the towel on winter hiking. Since then Sue and I shared the other 46 “winter” peaks, some multiple times, and she has learned how to enjoy winter in the mountains remaining safe and warm on the trail. Sue, thanks for sharing your time in the mountains with me – I enjoy every minute.
Just one more thing, Congratulations on completing the Winter 48!
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Whitehouse Trail, Franconia Notch Recreational Trail, Liberty Spring Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail
Summits: Liberty and Flume
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Our plan for the day was a simple round trip hike of Liberty and Flume. It’s a relatively short hike but the views are terrific from each summit. Sometimes simple isn’t simple. Occasionally Sue makes a hike a little more difficult than it needs to be. Last week she decided to climb Galehead a second time. A while ago she climbed the Chimney on the Osceolas a few times in succession – it was fun. I recall her running the Wilderness Trail back to Lincoln Woods after a Franconia Ridge Traverse. The part that complicated this hike actually happened the night before. As I understand the story, Sue went to a reunion of classmates and when she left the place, the bar was all out of a particular ingredient needed for her favorite drink. Fast-forward – the wake-up alarm came and Sue hit the snooze button a few times. We got started a little later than planned. No problem – it’s a relatively short hike.
The streak is alive and well. Our weather for the day was terrific with nearly completely clear sky at the start, mild temperature in the low 20’s, and a very light breeze. What a day we had! We decided to start from the trailhead lot located a short distance north of the Flume Visitor Center. This would allow an exit directly south instead of having to drive north to Cannon for a u-turn. The hike from this location is a little longer than our usual start from The Basin but I was pretty sure we could handle it. Sue went trailhead-to-trailhead on snowshoes but with a very well packed and consolidated trail I started bare booting the hike. The late start had benefits; we were approaching from the west side of the ridge but the sun was already high enough to warm the full route.
We quickly made our way along Whitehouse Trail to the Franconia Notch Recreational Trail and then to the Liberty Spring Trail. There was no early morning snowmobile traffic and we had a quiet and fairly quick hike to the Liberty Spring Trail junction. We made the turn and started into the climb. Initially I had planned to go with the snowshoes at this point but decided to continue bare booting until the trail became icy and I needed the added traction or the trail became soft and I needed the floatation. In summer the Liberty Spring Trail can be a little rough but right now the packed snow is generally smooth and we enjoyed a terrific hike to the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail. Along the way we passed several others on the trail, and a few passed us. The trail remained solid and generally ice-free all of the way to the ridge. I did not need traction or floatation to comfortably make the climb. Normally, Sue has relatively low drink consumption but it seemed she was a little more thirsty than usual on this hike.
At the junction with the Franconia Ridge Trail we briefly stopped and both pulled out an extra layer. The hard part of the climb was behind us and we wanted to prevent being chilled. While we were stopped several other hikers came through, three climbing Liberty Spring Trail and at least six coming from the direction of Liberty. The Franconia Ridge Trail headed north had a single set of snowshoe tracks.
We started south and I immediately recognized the need for snowshoes. The Franconia Ridge Trail has a fair amount drifted in areas and is not very well packed. Unfortunately, more snowshoers and fewer bare booters would have been helpful – the trail is a little beat up right now. We met quite a few others as we made our way to the summit of Liberty. From the trail junction to the summit is a very short section and we were quickly on final approach. A short distance below the summit we started to climb into the clear and were treated to the amazing views for the day. To the north there were clouds in Franconia Notch and northward. To the West, South, and East were generally clear conditions. We were still enjoying very light wind. Another hiker arrived at the same time and asked if he could take a picture of the two of us on Liberty. I couldn’t pass on the offer. That took care of #47 and we were looking at Flume for #48. After the short break on Liberty we put the snowshoes back on and set off for Flume.
The hike to Flume has more trail with drifted in sections. Snowshoes were needed and used for the full distance. Along the way we came to a couple blowdowns; one relatively large one that was easy to pass under and a smaller one. Evidently, Jeremy Clark hasn’t been through the area recently or the small one would have been cleared.
Slowly we made our way to Flume. I think Sue may have decided to enjoy this final mile to #48 a little more than usual and we made extra stops to enjoy the area, and talk. Eventually we were on the climb to the summit. The forecast for the day had clouds building by midday but we still enjoyed beautiful blue sky and a light breeze (the weather guys were wrong in the right direction again). It’s hard to imagine better conditions for a winter hike – especially this winter hike. It seemed that everybody else had a good night’s sleep the night before and enjoyed an early start. We arrived to Flume and had the place to ourselves.
Hitting Flume in the middle of the afternoon on a clear day means the views are a little more special. The afternoon sun had Bondcliff all lit up. What a sight! We got lots of pictures of the surrounding summits and wondered where on the bonds Steve, Karen, Russ, and possibly one mystery hiker were. They had terrific conditions for their traverse – I hope everything went well.
We spent a little more time on the summit of Flume than usual. It seemed the air had cleared a little since leaving Liberty and the distance views had significantly improved. We could easily see south to Monadnock and Ascutney. With just the two of us, the celebration was very low-key. But, I’m not sure how much more celebrating Sue could handle (in reality she was probably in great shape). The conditions were mild and we were in no hurry to leave. I knew this peak was important to Sue and was happy to wait for her to say it was time to go.
The time came and we were off. Since we were headed back out the way we came in, our first task was a re-climb of Liberty. With an ice-free trail it wasn’t a difficult climb and we were soon again at the summit enjoying more mid-afternoon views. We generally continued to make our way back to the junction with the Liberty Spring Trail and on to the trailhead. As we descended the Liberty Spring Trail the clouds and wind finally arrived, but the wind was high and we were enjoying calm conditions at ground level. We reached the trailhead lot and quickly packed for the drive south.
When Sue first started, she experienced cold conditions on a hike to the Carters that nearly had her throwing in the towel on winter hiking. Since then Sue and I shared the other 46 “winter” peaks, some multiple times, and she has learned how to enjoy winter in the mountains remaining safe and warm on the trail. Sue, thanks for sharing your time in the mountains with me – I enjoy every minute.
Just one more thing, Congratulations on completing the Winter 48!
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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