Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette, August 21, 2014, Franconia Range, White Mountain National Forest

Waterfall on the Falling Waters Trail, thus the name

In all these years of traveling to the Whites, I have always been awed (like thousands of others) with the Franconia Range. Lafayette is the biggest, most prominent peak in the range, and I was looking forward to getting to the top after long admiring it from afar. K and I had plans the previous year for an overnight stay at Greenleaf Hut, just below the summit, which would then serve as the base for the short climb to the summit. However, the unpredictable early Spring weather (snow on Memorial Day) bagged that idea. A year later, with a good weather forecast and potential for t-storms the following day, I decided that the time was finally right.

View to Mount Lafayette from Mt. Lincoln Summit

Starting out at 6:45 AM, I opted for a long loop hike up the Falling Waters Trail, which proved an excellent choice as the trail travels alongside and underneath a series of picturesque cascades. Though not nearly as steep as some other trails, Falling Waters is a steady, rocky climb as it gains elevation via a series of switchbacks. Despite the comparative ease, I took more than my usual number of breaks. My brother had recently lost his trusty Brittany, Dilsey, a great little dog who tackled a number of 4,000 footers herself. A little trailside memorial shrine on the shoulder of Mt. Lincoln seemed appropriate.

Trail Shrine to Dilsey

After a brief rest at the Mt. Lincoln summit, which of course commands excellent views in all directions, I pressed on along the rocky Franconia Ridge trail to Mount Lafayette. The day was so perfect - cool, little wind, and long views -- that I opted for a longer stay at the top of Lafayette. There, I encountered three Appalachian Trail thru hikers who arrived one after another at the summit and threw off their loaded packs to rest and catch up with one another. I talked to them for a bit about their forthcoming route through the Whites, having been on much of this section of the AT myself. Before parting, I offered up some of my remaining foodstuffs -- clif shots, power bars, and even a left-over protein shake. They graciously accepted.

Descending from Lafayette Summit, Greenleaf Hut in Distance

Gotta spread the Trail Magic.

After bidding farewell, I started my descent and finally had a chance to visit Greenleaf Hut, one of the most exposed of the high huts. I could see how the ridge would be no place to travel in poor weather. I stopped in to refill my water bottles and then hopped down the Old Bridle Path, passing a number of people sweating over "Agony Ridge" on their way up.

Back at the parking area, I realized that Lafayette marked my 37th 4,000 footer.

Hard to believe that there are only 10 to go.

Peaks: Mount Lincoln and Mount Lafayette
Elevation: 5,089 and 5,260 feet  (Gain: 3,900 feet)
Distance: 8.9 miles
Route: Loop, Falling Waters Trail to Franconia Ridge Trail to Greenleaf Trail to Old Bridle Path
Conditions: Pleasant and clear

Mount Flume and Mount Liberty, August 19, 2014, Franconia Range, White Mountain National Forest

Mount Flume (and the famous slide) from Mount Liberty Summit

Last year, I made the rough climb from Greeley Ponds to the Osceolas, which one writer calls one of the toughest trails in the Whites. Scratch that. Flume Slide Trail in the Franconia Range is equally hard. After a pleasant, gradual ascent that skirted the lower face of Mt. Liberty from the hiker parking area just north of the Flume Visitor Center, I finally reached the notorious "slide." From there, one faces a 1/2 mile of unrelenting, hand-over-hand climbing up a steeply-pitched rock face - the remnants of an age-old mountain slide. Since the slide occurred many years back, the area around it has long since been overtaken by forest. This proved a godsend, as the trees provided much-needed hand holds on the dicey climb. 

Looking down on a section of the slide

At one scramble point, my Nalgene bottle got knocked from my pack and bounded down the slide. It traveled so far, in fact, that as it disappeared from view I could still hear hear the sound of it clattering off the rock face far below. I seriously considered leaving it... I had another full bottle... but decided to stow my pack and go find the damned thing. As it turned out, it came to rest all the way at the bottom. After re-climbing the slide, I enjoyed pleasant summit views from both peaks and descended just in time to meet the hoards coming up the significantly-easier Liberty Spring Trail. 

Fortunately, I had left early enough (6:30 AM) to have the summits to myself. Plus, a 12:45 PM exit time meant that there was still a chance to hit Polly's.

Mount Liberty, View from Summit of Mount Flume

Peak: Mount Flume and Mount Liberty

Elevation: 4,328 and 4,459 feet (Gain: 3,750 feet)
Distance: 9.9 miles
Route: Loop, via Whitehouse Trail to Liberty Spring Trail to Flume Slide Trail to Franconia Ridge Trail to Liberty Spring Trail to Whitehouse Trail
Conditions: Pleasant, Sunny, Clear

North and South Twin Mountain, August 18, 2014, Twin Range, White Mountain National Forest

Summit Push, South Twin Mountain

Bogged down on our latest home rehabilitation adventure, K and I recently realized that we had not gotten away to the mountains together since last autumn's excursion to the Abruzzo. Clearly, the house work had put our priorities elsewhere. Understandable? Certainly. But we REALLY needed to get out of dodge.

The Beater on The Streeter

A little cabin on the northwest shore of Streeter Pond in Sugar Hill proved the perfect getaway. A little old, a little smelly, a little lopsided (it's slowly being reclaimed by the pond), the so-called "Beater on the Streeter" offered great opportunities for wildlife observation. Otters liked to hunt crayfish right off our cabin dock; osprey and blue heron swooped upon and stalked fish; and a bald eagle terrorized pretty much everything.The only non-carnivorous action, come to think of it, involved a big old moose. We watched him peacefully eating plants along the opposite shore for a good 1/2 hour. A great sighting on a great trip.

Log Crossing, Little River, North Twin Trail

Needless to say, it also involved some ascendant outings. I choose the hulking Twins for my first solo trip of the week. Awakening at 5:00 AM to the sound of rain on the cabin roof, I decided to change my plan from a hike in the Franconia Range to a run up the Twins. I hit the North Twin Trail really early - 6 AM - and immediately met the light, soaking rain that turned the trails into slop. The crossing of the Little River proved more difficult that I expected for August -- a balancing act on a pair of slippery logs wedged across a raging channel. After that, it was a long, gradual climb up rocky trails that had been turned into cascading streams from the steady rain. The rain subsided by the time I reached the summit of North Twin, but the high elevation spur trail to South Twin proved to be a veritable mud fest. I slogged on, rewarded by a socked in summit and not a single view on the day.

Slop on the Spur

Meeting not a single soul on the ascent, I encountered only three upward-bound hikers on my way down. I guess that a total wash out is one way to avoid the August hoards in the Whites.

North Twin Ledge, Just Below Summit Cairn

Peak: North and South Twin Mountain
Elevation: 4,761 feet and 4,902 feet (Gain: 3,700 feet)
Distance: 11.2 miles
Route: Up and Back, via North Twin Trail and North Twin Spur
Conditions: Fog and steady rain, 50 degrees F, zero visibility at the summits