Sunday morning started off ominously, as I heard Bunchberry's voice outside my tent asking if I was awake. I checked my alarm - it was set for 5:30am but it was already 6:10. Hmm ... that's not good. I bounded out of my tent as we struck camp in record time, swung past White Mountain Bagel, and met up with everyone at Lincoln Woods. We were a diverse crowd: myself, Bunchberry, Gaiagirl, MEB, Little Sister, Giggy, RocksNRolls, Sknydipper, LenDawg, Drewski, ChinookTrail, SteveHiker, Coldmountain, JohnS ... anyone I'm forgetting?
As with any large group, we quickly developed a rhythm and spread out the faster from the slower hikers. The Skookumchuck Trail is a great walk in the woods, an easy meander up to treeline. The footing is good and the trail work excellent. However, a price must be paid for that moderate grade, and that price is distance. It takes 5.1 miles to gain the 3,550' up to the summit of Mt. Lafayette. We must have been full of energy, however, because we did it in more than an hour under book time.
Still, that was over 3 hours of hiking, and once on the summit it was time for pie. Really. MEB hiked up an apple pie she'd baked the previous day. It was incredible - thank you so much!!! As the bugs swarmed the summit, we enjoyed a feast of treats, great company, and the amusing adventures of Little Sister as the pringle duck. We also met up with Mad Townie, who had come up the Old Bridle Path.
We still had over 10 miles to go, however, so we soon packed back up and continued out across the spectacular crest of Franconia Ridge. It's hard to put into words what it's like hiking this trail. To either side, massive ravines extending off to the next peak; mountains ranging into the distance; greens and yellows and browns and reds in the valleys below. The trail itself is an excellent walk with very even footing. In some places there are rock scrambles to be had, but overall it's almost like being on a sidewalk. We truly were on top of the world. Along the way we met up with several more VFTT hikers who were doing smaller portions of the ridge loop, in both directions. It was great to be recognized and to meet I2climbup and Tuco in person!
At Mt. Lincoln, we all regrouped again. Bunchberry was not feeling well and I stayed behind with her. We sat for a while and then after a slow walk to Little Haystack, she would head down Falling Waters with Mad Townie and JohnS. I think she was just unlucky, since if anyone should have had issues on the hike it was me: I only ate a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast, and the piece of pie on Lafayette. That was it for the entire hike. I should have bonked, and hard. I don't know why I didn't, and I'm sorry she did.
Most of the group had gone ahead from Little Haystack to the Liberty Spring trail junction so that the stronger hikers could head down to the campsite to get more water. MEB and Drewski had waited for Bunchberry and I, so after parting ways, we kicked into high gear to catch up with the rest of the group at the junction, where we once again enjoyed some lounging around.
From there it was an easy, almost surprisingly short trip to the summit of Mt. Liberty. We didn't stay, but went right on down into the sag and across to Flume, whose sharp, ledgy summit and steep dropoffs are a great place to kick back and take in the view. After posing for a picture and taking a quick
movie, I started down. It was still 5-1/2 miles to Lincoln Woods, and I wanted to waste no time getting there. Of course, I was quickly demoralized as the fast hikers not only caught up, but blew past me! MEB and I eventually settled into a quick, even pace together and flew down the Osseo Trail, stopping only when we each took ankle-twisting tumbles, a sure sign of fatigue.
At the Wilderness Trail we we surprised by Hockeycrew waiting for us, having run in from the parking lot. She stayed at the junction while MEB and I griped about the long, straight, flat, boring trail, right up until the moment of the suspension bridge, glowing in the late-day sun. After negotiating with difficulty the steps up to the parking lot, we rejoined the faster hikers, the shorter-loop hikers, and a recovered Bunchberry. I picked up notes on my windshield from friends (hope you had a great hut trip!) and practical jokers (ah, Zelda...) who'd recognized my car. After everyone had regrouped, we made our way to the Woodstock Inn for a fun, and badly-needed, dinner, including surprise visits by Skimom and her kids, and Arm. This was followed by an all-too-long drive home.
I have to extend huge thanks to MEB for putting this hike together. The combination of weather, route, and company was simply unbeatable. Hiking with her and her sister is a priceless experience. And the pie was awesome.
And of course it should be taken as a given that it was wonderful to see and share the trip with both new and old VFTT friends!
My photo album for this hike is available
here. I accidentally had the camera set on manual, with inappropriate settings, for much of the trip, so some of the pictures are a bit washed out.
