alpinista
Active member
I wasn't really sure I wanted to get out for another hike, the day after hitting Moosilauke. Sometimes, I find it mentally draining to do a back-to-back hike. But the weather looked so inviting _ especially since the day before I got nary a view _ and AMSTony was ready and rarin' to go. So, what the heck.
I'd already been to Mt. Flume (4,328 feet) once before on my quest to do the New Hampshire 4Ks (my guidebook shows I summited it on July 2, 2000). That time, I had stayed overnight at the Liberty Springs tentsite, and hit Flume by connecting it with Liberty, then trekking back down.
This time, Tony and I were going to approach it from the southern end, via the Osseo Trail. I was excited to see a different trail, one I'd never been on before. I wasn't stoked, however, to be on the Wilderness Trail _ a long, flat path that was used in the past century by loggers carting in and out their gear and bounty. Flat trails are monotonous. The Wilderness Trail is also one I've been on countless times.
Still, it's the only way to Osseo...
It's a relatively easy grade the whole way _ steady, not a lot of sharp ups and downs. And at some of the steepest parts, trail crews have installed actual wooden steps. Some 202 of them, in fact! Yikes!
(Tony and I counted them on the way back down, turning it into a bit of a game to occupy the time. And as we thought about it, it's probably the equivalent of climbing up a 20-story building. Not too shabby.)
It was a hot one on this day _ probably the mid-80s. And humid. I struggled to stay hydrated, liberally drawing on my camelback the whole way, and shifting a gel-bead-filled bandanna continually around my neck to try to keep cool.
The payoff was amazing though. At about 3 miles into the hike, there is a sign pointing to a "downlook" to the right _ offering stunning views of the Bonds. What a difference a day makes. On this day, there were endless views and nary a cloud. This is what I live for and hike for.
It's right around here that we started to break out above treeline. The sun is baking us but good, but we continue on. Then, probably about three hours into the hike, we reach the junction with the Flume Slide Trail. Now, that's a trail I don't want to have anything to do with, especially after all the rains we've had lately.
I remembered back to the last time I scaled Flume, and a couple emerged from the scrub to the summit, the woman caked in mud and dirt, a scowl on her face. They had taken the Flume Slide, and she was none too pleased. Note to self, stay clear of there! This is also confirmed by the description in the AMC guide, which describes it as an "extremely steep, rough trail, with polished rock slabs that are extremely slippery when wet (and they are nearly always wet, due to the many seep springs on these steep slopes). Well, alrighty then, no thanks! (There are some threads on this board about whether folks want to climb Everest ... I think you can guess my answer if I can't even stand the prospect of the Flume Slide Trail!)
From this trail junction, it's just a hop, skip and jump to the summit _ a mere tenth of a mile. I was stoked to have kept going on this hike even though there were times because of the heat that I just wanted to turn back.
Because when Tony and I popped up from below, we were greeted by amazing views of the Franconia Ridge and even way up to Mt. Washington, snow still clinging to its sides. There weren't as many people out as you would think on this day, just a handful. It was peaceful, a soothing breeze, and that bright sun that had been tucked away for all those days not that long ago.
Tony and I stuck around for about 20 minutes, basking in the sun and just plain goofin' around. I'm so glad that neither Tony nor I are so beholden to a danged peakbagging list, that we don't mind revisiting mountains from time to time.
Here are the pix
I'd already been to Mt. Flume (4,328 feet) once before on my quest to do the New Hampshire 4Ks (my guidebook shows I summited it on July 2, 2000). That time, I had stayed overnight at the Liberty Springs tentsite, and hit Flume by connecting it with Liberty, then trekking back down.
This time, Tony and I were going to approach it from the southern end, via the Osseo Trail. I was excited to see a different trail, one I'd never been on before. I wasn't stoked, however, to be on the Wilderness Trail _ a long, flat path that was used in the past century by loggers carting in and out their gear and bounty. Flat trails are monotonous. The Wilderness Trail is also one I've been on countless times.
Still, it's the only way to Osseo...
It's a relatively easy grade the whole way _ steady, not a lot of sharp ups and downs. And at some of the steepest parts, trail crews have installed actual wooden steps. Some 202 of them, in fact! Yikes!
(Tony and I counted them on the way back down, turning it into a bit of a game to occupy the time. And as we thought about it, it's probably the equivalent of climbing up a 20-story building. Not too shabby.)
It was a hot one on this day _ probably the mid-80s. And humid. I struggled to stay hydrated, liberally drawing on my camelback the whole way, and shifting a gel-bead-filled bandanna continually around my neck to try to keep cool.
The payoff was amazing though. At about 3 miles into the hike, there is a sign pointing to a "downlook" to the right _ offering stunning views of the Bonds. What a difference a day makes. On this day, there were endless views and nary a cloud. This is what I live for and hike for.
It's right around here that we started to break out above treeline. The sun is baking us but good, but we continue on. Then, probably about three hours into the hike, we reach the junction with the Flume Slide Trail. Now, that's a trail I don't want to have anything to do with, especially after all the rains we've had lately.
I remembered back to the last time I scaled Flume, and a couple emerged from the scrub to the summit, the woman caked in mud and dirt, a scowl on her face. They had taken the Flume Slide, and she was none too pleased. Note to self, stay clear of there! This is also confirmed by the description in the AMC guide, which describes it as an "extremely steep, rough trail, with polished rock slabs that are extremely slippery when wet (and they are nearly always wet, due to the many seep springs on these steep slopes). Well, alrighty then, no thanks! (There are some threads on this board about whether folks want to climb Everest ... I think you can guess my answer if I can't even stand the prospect of the Flume Slide Trail!)
From this trail junction, it's just a hop, skip and jump to the summit _ a mere tenth of a mile. I was stoked to have kept going on this hike even though there were times because of the heat that I just wanted to turn back.
Because when Tony and I popped up from below, we were greeted by amazing views of the Franconia Ridge and even way up to Mt. Washington, snow still clinging to its sides. There weren't as many people out as you would think on this day, just a handful. It was peaceful, a soothing breeze, and that bright sun that had been tucked away for all those days not that long ago.
Tony and I stuck around for about 20 minutes, basking in the sun and just plain goofin' around. I'm so glad that neither Tony nor I are so beholden to a danged peakbagging list, that we don't mind revisiting mountains from time to time.
Here are the pix
