BIGEarl
Well-known member
July 12, 2008: Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume – Franconia Ridge Trail Traverse
Trails: Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Osseo Trail, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Lafayette, Truman, Lincoln, Little Haystack, Liberty, Flume
Hikers: Bob & Geri, Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
The day started at Lincoln Woods (our ending location) where I met Trail Trotter to leave a vehicle, which we would use to drive back to the start to retrieve the vehicles left there at the start of the hike. Right on schedule Sue pulled in, I transferred my things to her car, and we headed for the Tramway Lot in Franconia Notch to meet Bob & Geri and start our hike. In Lincoln I asked Sue to go back to Lincoln Woods so that I could be sure my truck was locked and that made us a few minutes late to the trailhead. The conditions were cool with a light breeze and much more overcast than was forecast, but I assumed the morning sun would take care of that.
The plan was to get started at 7:00am. Promptly at 7:15am we set off for our traverse from Franconia Notch to Lincoln Woods. I haven’t been on the Greenleaf Trail for over three years and was interested in a change from the usual routes. With no objections we set off on the Greenleaf to the summit of Lafayette. I remember the trail being rough, but that was on the descent. The roughness provides great footing for climbing and we made good time as we worked our way to the day’s first stop at the Greenleaf Hut. Geri took the lead for most of the day and set a terrific pace that I was completely happy with. Thanks. Along the way we came through Eagle Pass near Eagle Cliff. It is a very interesting place. There were nice views of the cliffs and surrounding areas. After leaving Eagle Pass we enjoyed a dense, moss-covered area that probably doesn’t see much direct sunlight. The moss was very thick and looked pretty comfortable, but nobody was ready for a nap. We continued the hike and soon reached the Greenleaf Hut – it was time for a quick break and to top off with water. I had two one-liter bottles for Gatorade that I mixed at the hut, along with a three-liter reservoir of water which was plenty for me. The weather station at the hut indicated 93% humidity – a very sweaty day.
After a few minutes we were off for Lafayette. We made our way through the short sheltered section leading from the hut and were soon above the treeline. There were still many clouds blowing through, some high and some low, but frequently they opened up for great views and enough sun to eventually add some color to all of us. On the way to the summit we met Rocket21 headed down completing the Lincoln – Lafayette loop. The summit was a crowded place. It seemed people were on every flat rock enjoying the day. We got a few pictures and headed for Lincoln and our lunch.
As we continued south we met an endless stream of hikers headed north. Franconia Ridge was a busy place but the weather was good and it’s Saturday (to be expected). At Lincoln we found a comfortable place on the south side of the summit area and stopped for some lunch. There were a few people on the summit when we arrived. By the time we were ready to leave the place was mobbed. We packed our things and headed out – there was still a distance of nearly ten miles to Lincoln Woods. Our next stop, Mount Liberty via Little Haystack.
A short distance south of Lincoln we passed through the area called the Gargoyles. There is a number of interesting rock formations here. Then, the short walk to Little Haystack. Situated at the junction of the Franconia Ridge and Falling Waters trails it was a busy place as well. People hiking the Lafayette – Lincoln loop pass through here on their way up or down. I don’t believe we slowed on our way through this area and simply continued our hike south. Soon we were back in the spruce and losing elevation on our hike to Liberty. The southern sheltered part of the Franconia Ridge Trail seemed as busy as the exposed section around Lafayette and Lincoln. The most surprising part of this section was the mosquitoes – or complete lack of them. We were in the thick spruce but there were no biting insects. Very nice! Before we knew it we were at the Liberty Springs – Franconia Ridge trails junction. Only 200 feet and a quarter mile and we will be on the summit of Mount Liberty. A couple quick pictures and we were gone.
In no time we were making the final climb to the summit. On liberty we stopped for quick refreshment and to enjoy the views. Finally, the crowds were getting smaller. Up to this point we have been moving well and staying on book-time plus our breaks. Since we still had over seven miles to Lincoln Woods we limited our break and were soon headed for Mount Flume.
On the way between Liberty and Flume we met another familiar face – LarryD with Mrs. LarryD. We stopped for a quick visit and were off for our final summit of the day. The hike between Liberty and Flume is a little over one mile with 450 feet in elevation. We quickly made it through this section, reached Flume, and stopped to enjoy the place. As it has been all day, the summit was open with great views. The distant peaks were hidden in haze but we still could enjoy looking back to Franconia Notch, past Kinsman Ridge, over the Pemi, and south past the Sandwich Range. Pretty nice.
All that was left was to hike the Osseo and Wilderness trails back to Lincoln Woods representing a little under six miles and no elevation. We set off on the Osseo trail and found a place where there was evidence of a great amount of tree damage this past winter but the trails crew did their usual fantastic job in clearing the trail. We found no blowdowns along the way. Soon we were on the log bridges and I knew the ladders (more like wilderness staircases) were just around the corner. Off the ladders we made our way through a few switchbacks and were soon on the final long ramp that leads to the Wilderness Trail. After the last pitch down to brook level we made a stop for Geri to cool off and clean-up a little in the stream. We all picked up mud along the way and probably should have joined her. Then we were off to the Wilderness Trail a short distance ahead and then Lincoln Woods. This final hike out had a book time of roughly three hours but when we left Flume I was pretty sure we would improve on that a little. In fact, without pushing at all we completed this section in 45 minutes under book time – not bad for the end of a long day.
At Lincoln Woods we had a welcoming committee. HikerBob was there with cold drinks. Frosting on the cake.
As always, thanks to Sue for a fun day out. And, thanks to Bob & Geri for a great hike down the ridge (it's been a while since our last hike together). Let’s try to space these hikes a little closer together.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Osseo Trail, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Lafayette, Truman, Lincoln, Little Haystack, Liberty, Flume
Hikers: Bob & Geri, Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
The day started at Lincoln Woods (our ending location) where I met Trail Trotter to leave a vehicle, which we would use to drive back to the start to retrieve the vehicles left there at the start of the hike. Right on schedule Sue pulled in, I transferred my things to her car, and we headed for the Tramway Lot in Franconia Notch to meet Bob & Geri and start our hike. In Lincoln I asked Sue to go back to Lincoln Woods so that I could be sure my truck was locked and that made us a few minutes late to the trailhead. The conditions were cool with a light breeze and much more overcast than was forecast, but I assumed the morning sun would take care of that.
The plan was to get started at 7:00am. Promptly at 7:15am we set off for our traverse from Franconia Notch to Lincoln Woods. I haven’t been on the Greenleaf Trail for over three years and was interested in a change from the usual routes. With no objections we set off on the Greenleaf to the summit of Lafayette. I remember the trail being rough, but that was on the descent. The roughness provides great footing for climbing and we made good time as we worked our way to the day’s first stop at the Greenleaf Hut. Geri took the lead for most of the day and set a terrific pace that I was completely happy with. Thanks. Along the way we came through Eagle Pass near Eagle Cliff. It is a very interesting place. There were nice views of the cliffs and surrounding areas. After leaving Eagle Pass we enjoyed a dense, moss-covered area that probably doesn’t see much direct sunlight. The moss was very thick and looked pretty comfortable, but nobody was ready for a nap. We continued the hike and soon reached the Greenleaf Hut – it was time for a quick break and to top off with water. I had two one-liter bottles for Gatorade that I mixed at the hut, along with a three-liter reservoir of water which was plenty for me. The weather station at the hut indicated 93% humidity – a very sweaty day.
After a few minutes we were off for Lafayette. We made our way through the short sheltered section leading from the hut and were soon above the treeline. There were still many clouds blowing through, some high and some low, but frequently they opened up for great views and enough sun to eventually add some color to all of us. On the way to the summit we met Rocket21 headed down completing the Lincoln – Lafayette loop. The summit was a crowded place. It seemed people were on every flat rock enjoying the day. We got a few pictures and headed for Lincoln and our lunch.
As we continued south we met an endless stream of hikers headed north. Franconia Ridge was a busy place but the weather was good and it’s Saturday (to be expected). At Lincoln we found a comfortable place on the south side of the summit area and stopped for some lunch. There were a few people on the summit when we arrived. By the time we were ready to leave the place was mobbed. We packed our things and headed out – there was still a distance of nearly ten miles to Lincoln Woods. Our next stop, Mount Liberty via Little Haystack.
A short distance south of Lincoln we passed through the area called the Gargoyles. There is a number of interesting rock formations here. Then, the short walk to Little Haystack. Situated at the junction of the Franconia Ridge and Falling Waters trails it was a busy place as well. People hiking the Lafayette – Lincoln loop pass through here on their way up or down. I don’t believe we slowed on our way through this area and simply continued our hike south. Soon we were back in the spruce and losing elevation on our hike to Liberty. The southern sheltered part of the Franconia Ridge Trail seemed as busy as the exposed section around Lafayette and Lincoln. The most surprising part of this section was the mosquitoes – or complete lack of them. We were in the thick spruce but there were no biting insects. Very nice! Before we knew it we were at the Liberty Springs – Franconia Ridge trails junction. Only 200 feet and a quarter mile and we will be on the summit of Mount Liberty. A couple quick pictures and we were gone.
In no time we were making the final climb to the summit. On liberty we stopped for quick refreshment and to enjoy the views. Finally, the crowds were getting smaller. Up to this point we have been moving well and staying on book-time plus our breaks. Since we still had over seven miles to Lincoln Woods we limited our break and were soon headed for Mount Flume.
On the way between Liberty and Flume we met another familiar face – LarryD with Mrs. LarryD. We stopped for a quick visit and were off for our final summit of the day. The hike between Liberty and Flume is a little over one mile with 450 feet in elevation. We quickly made it through this section, reached Flume, and stopped to enjoy the place. As it has been all day, the summit was open with great views. The distant peaks were hidden in haze but we still could enjoy looking back to Franconia Notch, past Kinsman Ridge, over the Pemi, and south past the Sandwich Range. Pretty nice.
All that was left was to hike the Osseo and Wilderness trails back to Lincoln Woods representing a little under six miles and no elevation. We set off on the Osseo trail and found a place where there was evidence of a great amount of tree damage this past winter but the trails crew did their usual fantastic job in clearing the trail. We found no blowdowns along the way. Soon we were on the log bridges and I knew the ladders (more like wilderness staircases) were just around the corner. Off the ladders we made our way through a few switchbacks and were soon on the final long ramp that leads to the Wilderness Trail. After the last pitch down to brook level we made a stop for Geri to cool off and clean-up a little in the stream. We all picked up mud along the way and probably should have joined her. Then we were off to the Wilderness Trail a short distance ahead and then Lincoln Woods. This final hike out had a book time of roughly three hours but when we left Flume I was pretty sure we would improve on that a little. In fact, without pushing at all we completed this section in 45 minutes under book time – not bad for the end of a long day.
At Lincoln Woods we had a welcoming committee. HikerBob was there with cold drinks. Frosting on the cake.
As always, thanks to Sue for a fun day out. And, thanks to Bob & Geri for a great hike down the ridge (it's been a while since our last hike together). Let’s try to space these hikes a little closer together.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
