poison ivy
Well-known member
Liberty & Flume were high on my list of peaks to hike this year, mainly because I was thwarted in my attempt last year. Last year, battling the onset of the flu, I struggled up to Liberty Springs campsite and turned around after realizing that I was feeling sicker with each step. Although I was in the final stages of a cold this weekend, I was still wanted to try again this winter. HikerBob, who has hiked both peaks in winter before, agreed to come with me for Liberty & Flume as long as we hiked them in February so he could add them to his 48x12 chart. And we had the late addition to our team of Mtn.Drew, who also decided he wouldn’t mind repeating the peaks despite hiking them already this winter.
We met up at the Whitehouse Trail parking lot at 7:30 a.m., where we left my car and carpooled over to Lenny Woods for the start of our hike. I was not looking forward to hitting the Wilderness Trail for the second week in a row, but at least we were only hiking it one-way this time. We geared up in temperatures of -2 degrees at the trailhead and crossed the suspension bridge over the frozen Pemigewasset River at 8 a.m. The Wilderness Trail is still a sheet of unskiable ice, but we made pretty good time, finishing up our first mile in just 20 minutes. We regrouped at the Osseo Trail junction and followed a single set of footprints up the trail.
We stopped our walk up the Osseo Trail early on to explore some of the old metal remnants of a cabin or logging camp that remain strewn about the trail. We found what looked to be rusty metal pots and lots of mattress springs lying up against the trail. After a few quick minutes surveying the artifacts, we hopped back on the trail, which was mainly dirt at the lower elevations.
As we ascended the trail, it became icier, but we didn’t have much trouble with footing thanks to a thin layer of powdery snow above it. When we arrived at the first switchback, a large blowdown blocked the way. I walked around it but Mtn.Drew and HikerBob cleared it right off the trail.
This was my first time up the Osseo Trail and I was really looking forward to seeing the view of Bondcliff from the downlook. However, as we headed up the trail, gray clouds moved in and flurries started, so our view was not the terrific one I’ve seen so many times in pictures. I guess that means, I’ll have to try this trail again one day. That’s okay, since it will also give me a better idea of where all those ladders are — most of them were completely buried in the snow and I only knew I had climbed one when I saw top of the wooden posts sticking out of the snow.
I really enjoyed the ridgewalk near the top of Mt. Flume, I just love going through a tunnel of snow-crusted trees and getting occasional peaks through them at the surrounding mountains. But I was starting to get a little tired and wonder if the trail was ever going to pop out at the rocky peak. We finally got to the summit and my face was stinging from the 20 mph winds gusting at the top of the mountain. We carefully barebooted up to the summit, spend about 20 seconds taking pictures and then headed straight down into the col between Liberty and Flume for a lunch break.
Although we were out of the wind, it was only about 5 degrees in the col, so I started to get a little cold. HikerBob & Mtn.Drew decided to put on snowshoes to help with the six-inch to one-foot drifts in the lower areas, so I started on knowing they would catch up to me when I started ascending up Liberty. I was surprised when Mtn.Drew caught up because he was barebooting. He said they took off the snowshoes after about five minutes after finding that the prior track was too narrow and frozen to pack down properly. Drew powered on up ahead and was waiting atop Liberty when HikerBob & I arrived.
Surprisingly, there was little to no wind on Liberty, so we spent a good deal of time there hoping the occasional breaks of sunshine would hit Mt. Lincoln, Cannon and Owl’s Head so we could get a few good pictures out of the trip. The patches of blue sky were pretty intermittent so after a short stay on the summit, we decided to head down.
I pulled out my Swiss Bob for the descent down Liberty Springs — conditions from the top of Franconia Ridge to the Liberty Springs campsite were just ideal for sledding and I had one of my best sled runs this year. However, lower down there was not enough snow to cover the bazillion rocks… I gave it a good effort, walking down some of the rockiest spots and eventually put my sled away when the trail became a sheet of ice. Pretty much all of the Liberty Springs Trail was alternating rocks with icy spots — after taking one or two good falls I put on my crampons and had a much easier descent.
Upon arriving at Liberty Spring Trail, I found myself outvoted so we continued along the snowmobile trail instead of taking the Whitehouse Trail. (I don’t mind it, but everyone else sure seems to hate that bumpy trail.) We were back in the parking lot at 4:45 p.m.
Flume & Liberty were winter peaks number 30 & 31 for me and repeats for both Mtn.Drew & HikerBob. Thanks guys for a great day out on the trail!
Pictures can be found here.
-Ivy
We met up at the Whitehouse Trail parking lot at 7:30 a.m., where we left my car and carpooled over to Lenny Woods for the start of our hike. I was not looking forward to hitting the Wilderness Trail for the second week in a row, but at least we were only hiking it one-way this time. We geared up in temperatures of -2 degrees at the trailhead and crossed the suspension bridge over the frozen Pemigewasset River at 8 a.m. The Wilderness Trail is still a sheet of unskiable ice, but we made pretty good time, finishing up our first mile in just 20 minutes. We regrouped at the Osseo Trail junction and followed a single set of footprints up the trail.
We stopped our walk up the Osseo Trail early on to explore some of the old metal remnants of a cabin or logging camp that remain strewn about the trail. We found what looked to be rusty metal pots and lots of mattress springs lying up against the trail. After a few quick minutes surveying the artifacts, we hopped back on the trail, which was mainly dirt at the lower elevations.
As we ascended the trail, it became icier, but we didn’t have much trouble with footing thanks to a thin layer of powdery snow above it. When we arrived at the first switchback, a large blowdown blocked the way. I walked around it but Mtn.Drew and HikerBob cleared it right off the trail.
This was my first time up the Osseo Trail and I was really looking forward to seeing the view of Bondcliff from the downlook. However, as we headed up the trail, gray clouds moved in and flurries started, so our view was not the terrific one I’ve seen so many times in pictures. I guess that means, I’ll have to try this trail again one day. That’s okay, since it will also give me a better idea of where all those ladders are — most of them were completely buried in the snow and I only knew I had climbed one when I saw top of the wooden posts sticking out of the snow.
I really enjoyed the ridgewalk near the top of Mt. Flume, I just love going through a tunnel of snow-crusted trees and getting occasional peaks through them at the surrounding mountains. But I was starting to get a little tired and wonder if the trail was ever going to pop out at the rocky peak. We finally got to the summit and my face was stinging from the 20 mph winds gusting at the top of the mountain. We carefully barebooted up to the summit, spend about 20 seconds taking pictures and then headed straight down into the col between Liberty and Flume for a lunch break.
Although we were out of the wind, it was only about 5 degrees in the col, so I started to get a little cold. HikerBob & Mtn.Drew decided to put on snowshoes to help with the six-inch to one-foot drifts in the lower areas, so I started on knowing they would catch up to me when I started ascending up Liberty. I was surprised when Mtn.Drew caught up because he was barebooting. He said they took off the snowshoes after about five minutes after finding that the prior track was too narrow and frozen to pack down properly. Drew powered on up ahead and was waiting atop Liberty when HikerBob & I arrived.
Surprisingly, there was little to no wind on Liberty, so we spent a good deal of time there hoping the occasional breaks of sunshine would hit Mt. Lincoln, Cannon and Owl’s Head so we could get a few good pictures out of the trip. The patches of blue sky were pretty intermittent so after a short stay on the summit, we decided to head down.
I pulled out my Swiss Bob for the descent down Liberty Springs — conditions from the top of Franconia Ridge to the Liberty Springs campsite were just ideal for sledding and I had one of my best sled runs this year. However, lower down there was not enough snow to cover the bazillion rocks… I gave it a good effort, walking down some of the rockiest spots and eventually put my sled away when the trail became a sheet of ice. Pretty much all of the Liberty Springs Trail was alternating rocks with icy spots — after taking one or two good falls I put on my crampons and had a much easier descent.
Upon arriving at Liberty Spring Trail, I found myself outvoted so we continued along the snowmobile trail instead of taking the Whitehouse Trail. (I don’t mind it, but everyone else sure seems to hate that bumpy trail.) We were back in the parking lot at 4:45 p.m.
Flume & Liberty were winter peaks number 30 & 31 for me and repeats for both Mtn.Drew & HikerBob. Thanks guys for a great day out on the trail!
Pictures can be found here.
-Ivy
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