Early Fall at Lonesome Lake

A fine afternoon in the Whites

With the New England Patriots playing at one in the afternoon on Sunday (keep the crowds at home, haha!) and a very sunny forecast for the mountains, I figured what better time for the pup and I to head up to one of my favorite spots in the Whites, Lonesome Lake?

The most obvious, popular route to the lake and AMC hut that sits just above its shores is the Lonesome Lake Trail from the Lincoln Woods campground along I-93. However, with my plans not getting me on the trail until 2:30 p.m., I knew that that parking lot, as it usually is on weekends, would be packed with cars spilling out into every nook and cranny of space along both sides of the interstate. Therefore, I decided to take what I consider a much more scenic and enjoyable route starting at the Basin pull-off just south of the campground.

The Basin itself is usually busy as it was that afternoon with people stopping to take in the wonderful cascades and waterfalls along the short walking trails in the area, but few venture further into the part of the Basin that I find the most rewarding: The Basin Cascade Trail. It's one of my favorite trails I've hiked in the Whites. Not long after starting this trail that my pup and I were away from the main tourist section and walking up alongside the Cascade Brook, which actually starts at Lonesome Lake. The ascent on this trail was dry, moderate and gradual, but full of plenty of exposed roots and rocks along the way to keep me vigilant about each step.

Early view from the slabs along the Basin Cascade Trail

As always, what I loved most about this trail was just how close we were to the brook the entire time. There are several spots along the beginning where you can walk right out onto open rock slabs with the brook tumbling down beside you as you stare back at some beautiful views of mountain peaks back towards the notch. From there, the brook dipped into a small gorge below us that is home to Kinsman Falls. Past this first waterfall, the brook was right at our side again as we made an easy crossing of it. From here, the second half of the trail was slicker and muddier compared to the start, but continued a moderate climb up to the second major waterfall along the way, Rocky Glen Falls

Kinsman Falls

Rocky Glen Falls

Just past Rocky Glen Falls was the trickiest section of the hike, the second major stream crossing to take the Cascade Brook Trail up to the lake. There was once a bridge just south of where we crossed that made this crossing a piece of cake that has long been washed away. It looks like there a no plans to ever rebuild it, but the water was running low enough this day to make the rock hop across very manageable. Be advised that in higher water, this crossing can be a bit precarious.

Early section of the Cascade Brook Trail

The Cascade Brook Trail, also a portion of the Appalachian Trail, started mostly flat and much less rooted and rocky compared to the Basin Cascade Trail. There was very little elevation gain up until the junction with the trail leading up to the Kinsman Pond shelter and Kinsman Ridge. From there, the trail began its steady, moderate to moderately difficult ascent to the lake. What was a flat easy trail transformed into a mangled, rocky climb. It was never as tough as climbing boulders on the Presidentials, but compared to the rest of this hike it was the most difficult stretch. However, the reward was certainly worth it...

The Franconia Ridge

Lonesome Lake was peaceful and serene upon our arrival. We only saw one other family and one or two other solo hikers the entire time we were there. The nosiest thing in the area were the ducks quacking at each other in the water. The skies were clear with just enough clouds to paint a beautiful scene above the view of the Franconia Ridge.

The hike packed a one-two combination of great view gained by way of a great set of trails. It is a less used route to the lake, but one I consider much more enjoyable for the extra mileage and more gradual ascent compared to the Lonesome Lake Trail. It's a trip I highly recommend if you have yet to check it out.

Enjoying the early fall colors on the way back down the Basin Cascade Trail

Here are the time breakdowns from my hike:

• Start at the Basin parking area - 2:10 p.m.
• Junction with the Cascade Brook Trail - 2:51 p.m. (1.3 total miles)
• Arrive at Lonesome Lake - 3:37 p.m. (2.7 total miles)
• Left Lonesome Lake - 4:06 p.m.
• Junction with the Basin Cascade Trail - 4:42 p.m.
• Back at the Basin parking area - 5:45 p.m.

Hiking the Moose

The views stretched for...feet today...

It had been a couple weeks since I had taken my pup on a hike, so I knew he would primed and ready for a big day. I decided to take him to one of my favorite peaks in New Hampshire and what would be his biggest mountain to date, Mt. Moosilauke. Having hiked it via the Gorge Brook Trail at the start of my quest to tackle the NH 4000 Footers back in 2014, I wanted to try a different route to the top, so I decided upon the approach from the Glencliff Trail to add in the South Peak summit I had yet to visit.

We started a little after 8 a.m. up the Glencliff Trail parking area. This is same route northbound AT hikers take as they head into the heart of the White Mountains. The beginning conditions were as good as I could ask for on such a well-used path. For the first mile and a half the trail was almost completely dry with easy, soft footing and only a spare root or rock jutting out of the ground here or there. The grade at the start was mostly moderate with a few steep pitches that made my pup and I have to catch our breath before continuing.

At about 1.5 miles in we reached a couple brook crossings that then gave way to a wetter, muddier, rockier, and..."rootier?" (we'll go with it) trail. In several spots the footing was squishy at best, and it seemed that every rock and root on the ground had just enough moisture on it to make every step a slippery decision. The stretches of soft ground from earlier had given way to a relentless battle of stepping on, over, and in between all these obstacles that were to be our trail for most of the rest of the way up. Even as we reached a long stretch of little elevation gain, having to meticulously plan each step subbed in as a new annoyance.

About 2.5 miles in we reached the stretch of trail known as "The Agony," (knowledge nugget from Stephen D. Smith's NH 4000 Footer Guide) and we quickly learned how well-deserved that name was. This half mile full-on ascent was a rocky rampart with little relief along the way. It was the steepest stretch of trail the whole day, composed mostly of large rocks and boulders. It was like climbing a collapsed, jagged staircase from a not-so-funhouse. We were happy to leave it behind once we reached the junction with the Moosilauke Carriage Road 3.0 miles into the hike.

Up in the alpine zone

At this junction there is also the short spur trail to the South Peak, but I decided to save that for our return trip back down. Therefore, it was up into the alpine zone and onto the main Moosilauke summit. Up to this point it had been a mostly sunny hike, but during this 0.9-mile stretch the clouds and wind descended upon us, limiting our visibility to only 100 ft. or so in front of us. I made sure my pup stayed in close range ahead of me as the scrub trees gave way to the completely bare home stretch to the summit sign. This section of the trail was a relief after "the Agony" with only about 300 ft. of elevation left to gain over that 0.9-mile run. It was still muddy even in it's flat stretches, but the rockier portions of this trail were dry and easy to navigate. Being an old carriage road, it was weird to see such wide sections of trail so high up in the Whites!

New highest summit for this guy!

The summit was a blustery blanket of clouds which my pup enjoyed much more than me. We only spent enough time for me to snap a picture of my furry friend on his new highest summit hiked before we headed back into the scrub trees for some relief from the wind.

I appreciated the orange trail signs on a day like today

Before heading back down the Glencliff Trail, we took the 0.2-mile spur path over to the South Peak summit. This trail started as a soft, damp stretch of mud before entering a quick, steep, rocky push to the top. It was a very tight single-track ascent, made ever more enjoyable by another calamity of rocky steps forming the climb while conifer branches snatched at me and my trekking poles.

We had a little more luck with views at the South Peak, with a few distant mountains briefly poking in and out of the clouds rolling by us. My camera sadly deleted the pictures I took of these peaks, but know that the views here were better than its higher counterpart.

A wee bit blustery on the South Peak. I had to keep my hat from flying into the valley below!

After taking in the South Peak for about 20 minutes we headed back down towards our car. Having dealt with so many stretches of soggy trail, the descent was just as rough as the climb to start the day. At this point, the bottom of my hiking shoes were more mud than tread, making for slippery steps on roots and rocks the whole way down. I was happy to reach the dry, soft trails we started the day with to give my feet and knees a break as we trekked towards the parking lot.

Some nice limited views on the home stretch

Minus losing the photos I took and the lack of views from the main summit, it was good day up in the Whites. When we got back home, my pup was ready to head outside again, so apparently 8 miles of hiking and 3300 ft. of elevation gain wasn't enough to wear him out! Having now taking the Glencliff and Gorge Brook Trail to the top, I definitely prefer the Gorge Brook for its more moderate ascent. The next time I head up to tackle the Moose, I bet I'll be taking that one again.

Here are the time breakdowns for our hike:

• Start at Glencliff Trail parking area - 8:05 a.m.
• Junction with Moosilauke Carriage Road - 10:18 a.m. (3.0 total miles)
• Moosilauke summit -  10:50 a.m. (3.9 total miles)
• South Peak summit - 11:25 a.m. (5.0 total miles)
• Left South Peak summit - 11:45 a.m.
• Back at Glencliff Trail parking area - 1:41 p.m. (8.2 total miles)

An Epic Day in the Clouds: Tackling the Bonds

Sometimes the views don't make the adventure. That was certainly the case for my brothers and I as we set out on a 15.4 mi. trek on Sunday to knock out four official NH 4000 Footers (Zealand, Bond, Bondcliff, and West Bond) as well as Mt. Guyot.

Our journey started from the Zealand Falls Hut where we had arrived the night before for a two-night stay after hiking in over Mt. Hale. During breakfast, we were anxious to hear the latest weather report from the Mt. Washington Observatory to see how bad the outlook was for the day. We knew from checking forecasts prior to hiking into the land of no cell service that Sunday was looking sketchy with some moderate to heavy rain and strong winds expected. We were happy to hear the hut croo say that the heaviest of the rain wasn't expected until the evening. We decided we had the window of opportunity we needed to get in all the peaks, so we finished up breakfast and set off from the hut around 8 a.m.

We could see the clouds starting to thicken in the sky as we stepped out of the hut and took in one of the few good views of the day. The sun was still showing through and cast a wonderful light on the first signs of fall down in the valley. From there, we began the steep trek up the Twinway Trail. Going in this direction, we were headed southbound on the Appalachian Trail and gaining a lot of elevation over not a lot of mileage. We passed several thru-hikers headed for Crawford Notch along the way. It was a steep, (dry) rocky climb for most of the way until we came to the crest of the Zealand ridge and headed for the Zeacliff viewpoint. We got there just in time to take in our last view of the day with the White Mountains stretching out all around us and the clouds gathering with ever increasing speed.

Our best view of the day from Zeacliff

From the viewpoint we continued on the Twinway Trail along the ridge now gaining elevation at a much gentler pace. The trail had smooth easy footing by way of bog bridges, smooth rock faces and single track dirt runs for a good portion of this section before becoming increasingly steeper and rockier as we headed up to the side trail for the summit of Zealand.

It was at this point that the winds also picked up as well, causing us all to add an extra layer to battle the gusts that would be bothering us for the rest of our trip. The clouds also descended upon us as well and became part of our path the rest of the way out and back.

Ladder heading up the Twinway Trail to Zealand (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

The final climb up to Zealand was probably the easiest ascent of the day, both because of its gradual elevation gain and it was the point our legs were at their freshest. The side trail to the summit was well marked with a small cairn and a sign on a tree pointing us the right way. Going the direction we were headed you can't miss it. We quickly headed over to the summit to bag peak number one for the day, and then it was on to Guyot.

From the summit of Zealand the trek picked up in strenuousness as it was a steep drop off the summit followed by a steep climb up to Guyot, almost like hiking along the letter "V." There were points along this section we had to get on all fours to clamber up rock slabs and keep our balance along sections of the trail that were just rocks piled on more rocks.

When we broke the treeline at the Guyot summit, we were finally hit with our first truly strong gusts and wet weather of the day. As we turned left to head down the rough, rocky start of the Bondcliff Trail, we were bombarded by winds so strong that we couldn't hear each other without shouting even when standing side-by-side. We couldn't tell if the water smacking us was rain or just the moisture in the clouds whipping by, but either way, we would be getting damp the rest of the way.

Once we got back into the trees the descent was quick down past the Guyot campsite and trailhead for West Bond (we decided to save that for our return route). The climb up to our high point of the day, the summit of Mt. Bond, was a gradual rocky approach, now a little slippery with rain starting to fall. The winds on the summit of Bond were stiff and made our stay up there brief. The mix of the wind and rain made the chills set in quickly whenever we took a respite above treeline, so we tried to save most of breaks for warmer, more wooded sections of the trail.

My older brother, Paul, descending Mt. Bond onto the Bondcliff ridge

Once over Bond we steeply descended onto the Bondcliff ridge, coming out of the trees onto a very slippery, rocky welcome to full exposure. Everything on the ridge was well soaked from the rain and winds. We had to keep our tired minds focused on following the cairns and finding good footing, but we all slipped and stumbled a few times. Luckily, none of us got any injuries along the way.

My brothers working their way along the ridge

The thick cloud cover hid the iconic cliff of the Bondcliff summit well, and we falsely hoped we had reached the summit several times, only to see another, higher section of the ridge appear before us. After three or four false summits, we were finally rewarded with a view of the cliff on our right and climbed up onto the summit to cap the furthest point of our adventure.

This is as close as we were getting to the cliff with those winds! (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

 On our way back to the Zealand Falls Hut, all of our trails were now soaked and sopping wet. The side trip to West Bond was a quick twenty minutes each way, and the winds on its exposed summit were probably the harshest we felt during the entire trek. We trudged over slippery boulders, thick mud, deep puddles, and ever increasing rain until we finally returned to our starting point at the hut, ducking under the porch just as the clouds really let loose a downpour. All told we completed this hike in 15.4 unbelievable miles in 9 hours and 45 minutes, crossing the 5 mountains along the way a total of 9 times. We arrived back at the hut a mere 15 minutes before dinner service, soaked from head to toe.

With the mix of the terrain and the weather, this was the most challenging hike I've taken on in my quest to summit all of the 4000 footers, and I am so happy my brothers were part of this chapter. I wouldn't have picked this day to hike these mountains solo, but the three of us now have an amazing story of unbelievable accomplishment we will most certainly look back on every time we get together.

Photo credit: Paul Vinson

Mt. Mist and a Walk Along a Lesser Known Stretch of the AT

From the summit of Mt. Mist

This past Saturday I was looking for a good hike to test out my backpacking pack as I would have it loaded for my Labor Day weekend hiking adventure with my brothers coming up in a couple weeks. The forecast called for a cloudy, viewless day, so I started scouring my maps for a trail that didn't necessarily pack a chance at a view, but did pack the mileage I was looking for. Scanning around the White Mountains, I landed on a portion of an old favorite–the Appalachian Trail. In particular, I had set my sights on the portion just west of Glencliff, NH, right before the push to the grand summit of Mt. Moosilauke and the rest of the Whites begins. This portion is highlighted by the viewless, wooded summit of Mt. Mist, as well as a side path that takes you up to the top of Webster Slide Mountain with its views of Wachipauka Pond.

AT Sign along NH-25

I arrived in the parking area on the side of NH-25 a little after 9 a.m., driving my first of 6 or 7 thru-hikers as they were walking towards Glencliff. All of the thru-hikers I passed on the trail were in good spirits as they were starting their morning journeys into the mountains. One that I spent a little time chatting with at a small lookout along my way had traveled from Oregon to start the AT in West Virginia, having covered over 800 miles to get to where we met. When she told me it was her first trip into the Whites, I told her it was going to be a challenge worth the reward. Here's hoping the mountains live up to the lofty expectations I set forth (They ought to. They are the Whites after all.)

The dense, thick greenery of this portion of the AT

 I started my journey up the Wachipauka Pond Trail/AT around 9:30, and I was quickly in a quiet, dense, lush green wonderland. This section of the AT was a tight single track in many spots, with plenty of bushes smacking me in my legs, arms, and face along the way. Shortly into my hike there was sharp right turn that led to a steep pitch to get along the side of Wyatt Hill. After that quick climb, it was mostly a gentle rolling walk on the trail with a little rock hopping in a couple boulder-strewn sections until I met up with the junction of the Webster Slide Trail. I decided to save that fun climb for my return trip, and at this point I continued southbound on the AT towards Mt. Mist.

From this junction to the summit, the mountain lived up to its misty name, with the trail turning damp and foggy shortly after I continued. It was a bit more of a moderate climb leading up to the summit, with the lookout I mentioned earlier coming unexpectedly about halfway between the aforementioned junction and the summit. The thick cloud cover rendered the view to be a 50/50 split of thick green trees and equally thick gray clouds.

As good as my view got from the lookout on the way to Mt. Mist

When I got back to the Webster Slide Trail on my return trip from Mt. Mist, it was time to really climb. This trail started as an easy tease of a gentle rise to start followed by a short flat stretch. However, this trail then quickly gained elevation on a level that makes you start questioning your life decisions. It was never steep enough that I was on my hands and feet, but I was pushing my quads to their limits stretching from step to step. It was a relief to reach the flat top of the mountain, begin my final stretch to the summit ledges of the mountain, prepare myself for the views of Wachipauka Pond and then proceed to walk into...a cloud.

The views stretched for...feet from the ledges of Webster Slide Mountain

 Yup, I enjoyed a chuckle and a viewless lunch on the summit of Webster Slide Mountain as the mists of the giant cloud rolled past me. I couldn't be too upset as I hadn't expected any views that day. I still found joy in the peace and quiet of having that cloudy summit all to myself. It's an awesome feeling when, in a moment where every thought could be entering your mind, in all that stillness, nature makes them all just slip away. It was just me, the trees, and that big ol' cloud, simple and sweet. Maybe there wasn't beauty in the distance, but there was beauty in that moment.

To all the AT hikers I passed and everyone else tackling that massive endeavor, all of whom will probably never see this post, good luck on the rest of your respective journeys. I hope you enjoy New Hampshire's section of the trail as much as those of us that live here do. Until next time, happy hiking everyone!

(Almost) Halfway Through the NH48: The Kinsmans

View of the day: Franconia Ridge from North Kinsman lookout

The day started out as many early departures to the Whites do. The clouds above were showing the last warm hues of the sunrise. The first rays of sunlight were just hitting the tips of the trees as I merged onto I-93N headed for the mountains. The interstate, which was bustling with end-of-the-work-week traffic the night before, was now sparsely dotted here and there by a few other cars along the way, an early precursor to the solitude I looked forward to on the trail up to my next two 4000-footers (#'s 22 and 23 overall for me): North and South Kinsman.

For this hike, I chose to take what is described as the "scenic" route by many up to the Kinsmans, the oh-so-well-named Kinsman Mountain Trail off of NH-116 in Easton. Heading south on NH-116, the parking area can be easily missed, but the best way to know you're there is when you pass the Tamarack Tennis Camp. The parking area is almost immediately on your left after you pass a very small pond, also on your left, at the camp. A short gravel road led into a much larger parking area than I expected, with easily enough room for about 10 cars at the main area, and probably 15-20 overall including the edges of the gravel road.

For being the lesser-used route to the summit, I was surprised there were already 7-8 cars in the lot when I arrived. This had me worried that my hike up wouldn't be as singular as I had hoped, but in the entire 3.7 miles up to the ridge I only passed one small group of hikers the whole time.

Old sugar house about 0.6 mi. in on the Kinsman Mountain Trail

Roughly the first 1.5 miles climbed at a easy to moderate grade, starting off as an unjulating trail in open forest that led to an easy, sometimes sandy woods road walk that passed a neat sugar house on my way to entering the bounds of the White Mountain National Forest at 1.1 mi. From there, it was off the woods road and onto the usual exposed roots and rocks of the White Mountains leading up to some beautiful brook crossings between 1.5 and 2.1 miles in.

A few small cascades from a brook crossing

After 1.5 miles the trail's pitch steepened, but nothing that had my legs screaming at me. Plus, crossing several brooks along the way made it an enjoyable climb. At 2.1 miles in I reached the junction with the short side trail to Bald Peak. It is well worth the extra 0.4-mile round-trip to get a good early visit on your way up to the ridge. It's also a good place to take a breath and get ready for the trek to get even steeper.

Nice view from Bald Peak

From the junction with the side trail to Bald Peak the Kinsman Mountain trail started on a flat grade that quickly progressed into what felt like a long trudge up to the ridge. It was in this 1.6 miles to the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail that I could really feel the ascent working its dubious deeds on my legs. With it also being a particularly toasty day even in the mountains I had to take several more stops than usual to take a swing of water and catch a breath to keep going up.

Once at the ridge, just when I wanted the climb to level out, it got to a semi-crazy level of steep. The 0.4 miles to the summit of North Kinsman was a steeper-than-steep, "gauntlet of scrambles" as I wrote in my trail notepad. As I looked at each little section I climbed up, I had to chuckle and simply say "Well that'll be fun on the way down."

Panoramic standing views from South Kinsman

The lookout on North Kinsman was crowded when I first arrived, so I decided to head on, nab the South Kinsman summit, and hope for smaller crowds to take in the view on the way back. From the north to south summit it was a steep drop to a wooded col, followed by slow, steady, moderately difficult rocky climb to the south summit. I stayed there eat some lunch and take in the semi-awesome standing views, before I headed back to the North Kinsman lookout.

Hazy mountains fading into the horizon as seen from North Kinsman

The North Kinsman lookout had thinned out when I arrived back on the summit, so I sat down and took in the highlight of the day: the fantastic view of the Franconia Ridge and hazy blue mountains fading into the horizon. With only another couple with my there for a good while, I let the rolling clouds and jagged summits paint a wonderful backdrop for a peaceful rest. I was glad I was able to enjoy this view after a tough but enjoyable day of hiking. The climb was probably just on the difficult enough side that the Kinsmans will be a one-and-done set for me, but if so, I was treated to some beautiful views for the effort.

Below is the breakdown of my hike:

• Start at Kinsman Mountain Trailhead - 8:00 a.m.
• Entered White Mountain National Forest bounds - 8:35 a.m. (35 min., 1.1 mi.)
• Junction with Bald Peak side trail - 9:18 a.m. (43 min., 2.1 mi.)
• Bald Peak Summit - 9:24 a.m. (6 min., 2.3 mi.)
• Junction with Kinsman Ridge Trail - 10:38 a.m. (1 hr. 12 min., 4.1 mi.)
• North Kinsman summit - 11:00 a.m. (22 min., 4.5 mi.)
• South Kinsman summit - 11:35 a.m. (35 min., 5.4 mi.)

And the return route:

• Left South Kinsman summit - 11:59 a.m.
• North Kinsman lookout - 12:35 p.m. (36 min., 0.9 mi.)
• Left North Kinsman lookout - 12:57 p.m. 
• Junction with Mount Kinsman Trail - 1:12 p.m. (15 min., 1.3 mi.)
• Junction with Bald Peak side trail - 2:05 p.m. (53 min., 2.9 mi.)
• Left WMNF bounds - 2:57 p.m. (52 min., 3.9 mi.)
• Back at Kinsman Mountain Trailhead - 3:15 p.m. (18 min., 5.0 mi.)

Five Miles to Amazing: Mt. Garfield

The panoramic majesty of the Garfield summit view

What a hike. I don't know if I can really say more, but I'll try...

The reward at the end of my 5-mile trek to the summit of Mt. Garfield still takes my breath away. The trail up to the summit was nothing too spectacular to write home about, but that summit view was something else. It was as if all of the White Mountain National Forest was sprawling out before me, and it basically was!

I brought my dog along for his 5th 4000-foot summit, and we started our journey at the most popular trailhead for Mt. Garfield, the aptly named Garfield Trail. It was a 4.8 mile hike up this trail to the final 0.2 miles on the Garfield Ridge Trail/Appalachian Trail for the quick, steep ascent to the summit.

From one of the beautiful brook crossings around 1 mile in on the Garfield Trail

The climb up the Garfield Trail is a slow, steady elevation gain that is much different from the treks I was used to up my previous 4000-footers. Never during the whole 4.8-mile trail did I feel I was really digging in and making a steep ascent. Most of the trail was just a steady pace through differing forests as the elevation got higher and higher. There were no real views along the way until some partial ones popped through the trees around 4 miles in. The most memorable part of the Garfield Trail were the lovely brook crossings around a mile in. In the span of 0.2 miles, we had 4 delightful water crossings, with the little cascades rushing by providing a wonderful soundtrack to the early portion of our hike.

The Garfield Ridge Trail: Where Things Got Steep

The toughest part of the hike was the final 0.2 miles to the summit on the Garfield Ridge Trail. As the books described, it was certainly a steep ascent, gaining nearly 400 ft. of elevation in that short distance. It made from some major strain on the knees up and down, and my dog having to make a few small jumps here and there that I'm sure didn't feel good on his knees either. However, as I described at the beginning, this momentary strain was worth the remarkable reward at the summit.

Owl's Head and the Franconia Ridge from just below the Garfield Summit

With Mt. Garfield being up in the northwest corner of the White Mountains, virtually all of the big mountains of New Hampshire sprawled out before us in a panorama that was tough to beat. I was blown away by how many ridges I could see and summits I could identify. I loved how the sprawling blue peaks fading into the distance reminded me of the Smokies from my time living in East Tennessee.

Smoky summit views

After this hike, I can't believe this mountain isn't mentioned more with the likes of hiking the Presidentials or the Franconia Ridge here in New Hampshire. Sure, it doesn't come with the epic ridge walks above treeline, but the view from the summit certainly rivals its bigger counterparts. Moreover, i's slow and easy elevation gain makes it the easiest 4000-footer I've tackled so far, and much easier than the Presidential or Franconia summits. As long as you're good with the long mileage, I highly recommend it as one the first 4000-footers to tackle when you want to start tackling all 48.

It was one heck of a bang-for-your-buck hike, and one I will definitely be going back to. My wife and I have already talked about returning in the fall if the weather is in our favor. Garfield, you won me over!

Here are the timing breakdowns from this hike:

• Start at trailhead for Garfield Trail - 8:26 a.m.
• Brook crossings along Garfield Trail - 8:52 a.m. (26 min., 1.0 mi.)
• Junction with Garfield Ridge Trail/AT - 10:58 a.m. (2 hr. 6 min., 3.8 mi.)
• Mt. Garfield Summit - 11:12 a.m. (14 min., 0.2 mi.)
• Left Garfield Summit - 11:58 a.m
• Junction with Garfield Trail - 12:06 a.m. (8 min., 0.2 mi.)
• Brook crossings along Garfield Trail - 1:55 p.m. (1 hr. 49 min., 3.8 mi.)
• Return to trailhead - 2:15 p.m. (20 min., 1.0 mi.)

Mt. Liberty (and Flume) for the 4th of July

A gorgeous view expanding behind me on Mt. Liberty's summit

Fitting, right? I'd been itching to hike my first 4000 footers of the summer and heck, why not Liberty on the 4th of July? The forecast called for mostly clear skies all the way to the top and perfect temps, so I set off to Franconia Notch to wrap up the last 2 peaks along the ridge I hadn't yet done from the ol' list.

Having had a nightmarish experience on the North Tripyramid Slide Trail last summer where I learned just how much I don't like the idea of slipping and careening to my doom, I stayed far away from the Flume Slide Trail on this trip, instead opting to take the Liberty Springs Trail up and back down. I arrived at the hiker parking area just north of the Flume Visitor Center around 7:30 a.m. and was quite shocked by how few cars were there. I guess more people chose staying home and grilling than setting out and grinding their legs up to the beauties of the White Mountains. In the end, I didn't hate the rare solitude all the way up and onto the ridge. I even got Flume to myself for a little bit!

Annnnnyway, the start on the Whitehouse Trail to the bike path and then onto the Liberty Springs Trail (part of the Appalachian Trail, always a bonus!) was an easy warmup with little elevation gain. The trail was still pretty soggy in a several spots from the weekends heavy rains, with the deep, dark, squishy mud resembling smashed chocolate cake in the middle of the trail.

Quite the nice entrance onto the Appalachian Trail

After meeting up with the bike path, it was quick walk to meet up with the Appalachian Trail. The bridge over the Pemigewasset River felt like a grand entrance onto a short section of one of America's most famous trails (so grand I had to stop and take that photo of it). I'm so used to just soldiering on deep in the woods that when I come upon a small moment like this, I like to pause and take it in for a second. Man made beauty fitting seamlessly into nature's beauty is a wonderful thing to see.

After joining up with the Liberty Spring Trail on the other side of the bridge, it started out with the same characteristics as the Whitehouse Trail: easy elevation gain and lots of mud to walk in and around. It wasn't until just after the major brook crossing (the brook was roaring from the rains, so the rock hop was slightly more precarious) that the trail really started to climb. What had started out as mud, mud, and more mud finally gave way to boulders, boulders, and believe me plenty more boulders. The ascent from that point up to the Franconia Ridge was steady, steep, and unforgiving. There were a couple very sparse flatter stretches to catch a break. However, having read up on the trail beforehand, I was prepared and quite frankly looking forward to the challenging climb. Telling myself that I wanted to round the next corner and see another giant rock staircase (which was usually the case) was motivation to just keep burning my quads to the top.

Major brook crossing

The usual view on the slightly steep ascent to the ridge

After finally passing the Liberty Spring Tentsite and getting up on the Franconia Ridge, I knew the views weren't far away. Once on the ridge, it was a quick 0.3 miles to get up to the summit of Liberty where I was met with the amazing 360-degree views of the White Mountains I had been hoping for. I would try and explain what it's like on top of the ridge lines in the mountains, but (prepare for the cliché) there simply aren't words for it. The feeling and the view up there is just something magical. Part looking down at what the heck you just climbed up to get there and part looking out at so many mountains all around you adds up to a special time on the ridge.

Random action shot just below the Liberty summit

Looking at Flume Mtn. from Liberty

From Liberty it was on to Mt. Flume, which lies 1.25 miles further down the Franconia Ridge. The drop off the back of Liberty's summit was the steepest part of the day, which made for a fun quick climb back up on my return trip. After dipping down into the col between the two, the climb up Flume was another steep climb, this time with smaller rocks on slick reddish dirt that resembled hiking up scree rock on a slide trail...minus the whole fearing for your life part.

Gorgeous view to the South and West from Flume

Flume had another great view, and brought me up to 20 out of the NH48, but Liberty took the cake for me on this trip. It was a summit I was sad to leave. Plus, the trek up the Liberty Spring Trail was an enjoyable challenge that made the reward of the views up top that much sweeter. Liberty Spring is a trail I definitely think I'll do again some day. I've now been up on the Franconia Ridge twice, and both times I've wished I could have stayed much longer than I did. Some of the best views in New Hampshire await up there, and I hope to get back soon.

Below are the time breakdowns from this amazing trip:

• Start at hiker parking area for Whitehouse Trail - 7:37 a.m.
• Junction with bike path - 7:57 a.m. (20 min., 0.6 mi.)
• Junction with Liberty Spring Trail/AT - 8:03 a.m. (5 min., 0.2 mi.)
• Junction with Flume Slide Trail - 8:22 a.m. (19 min., 0.6 mi.)
• Liberty Spring Tentsite - 9:46 a.m. (1 hr. 24 min., 2 mi.)
• Junction with Franconia Ridge Trail - 10:01 a.m. (15 min., 0.3 mi.)
• Mt. Liberty Summit - 10:15 a.m. (14 min., 0.3 mi.)

From Liberty to Flume and back:

• Left Liberty Summit - 10:38 a.m.
• Flume Summit - 11:19 a.m. (41 min., 1.25 mi.)
• Left Flume Summit - 11:46 a.m.
• Back at Liberty Summit - 12:28 p.m. (42 min., 1.25 mi.)
• Back down at hiker parking area - 2:44 p.m. (2 hr. 16 min., 3.7 mi.)

I used Steven Smith and Mike Dickerman's insanely thorough guidebook of the 4000 footers to help me plan this trip. You can get a copy for yourself and support the Appalachian Mountain Club by doing so here.