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Franconia, NH, Lincoln, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
Looking up the Falling Waters Trail
Throughout much of the week, the forecast looked fairly decent for this day. One day out, however, things didn't look quite as favorable. Nonetheless, we decided to give the Franconia Ridge a go. I personally was a bit concerned about my injured foot, however an ever-evolving taping technique seemed to minimize the pain for this hike.
Arriving at a somewhat empty Lafayette Place parking area, we geared up and headed out on the Falling Waters Trail. Fortunately, the trail had seen a little bit of traffic since the previous snowstorm, thus making it fairly good going. With the water crossings snowbridged and the rocky portions of the trail covered, things were much smoother than in the summer. The frozen waterfalls were particularly neat to see.
Just prior to the treeline, we stopped and geared up. Emerging from the trees, we knew we were going to be in for a somewhat rough ridge traverse, should we decide to continue.
Other than brief glimpses toward Liberty, Flume, Cannon, and Owl's Head near Little Haystack, there wasn't much to see. Just after Little Haystack as well as just before Mt. Lincoln, we encounted some bitter wind gusts, hurling snow in our faces. Though things didn't look to be getting much better in the distance, we decided on Lincoln to push onward and upward. While things were harsh leading up to and beyond Mt. Truman, perhaps the worst wind was around Mt. Lafayette. The nearer we came to the summit, the less visibility we head. Though some folks had snowshoed in the opposite direction minutes earlier, there was no sign of their tracks - without previous knowledge of the trail, it would have been a tough trek.
The worst winds of the day were just beyond Mt. Lafayette - as we started to descend the Greenleaf Trail, the wind was directly in our faces, hurling snow and limiting visibility. This continued for a bit, before we dropped a few hundred vertical feet - suddenly, some clouds lifted and we had some nice views and sunshine.
Finally at the hut after traversing the vague, snowcovered slopes above treeline, we had some lunch and regrouped a bit. Beyond the hut, the Old Bridle Path was a fairly tame, sunny, and much less windy stroll. Nonetheless, we were very grateful to see the bridge marking the Falling Waters Trail junction - only minutes away from hopping into a vehicle and cranking the heat!
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Old Bridle Path trailhead
Looking toward Mt. Lincoln from near the summit of Little Haystack Mountain
The Franconia Ridge Trail on the way to Mt. Lincoln
Lack of views on Mt. Lincoln
The Franconia Ridge Trail on the way to Mt. Truman
Lack of views from the Mt. Truman summit
Looking up the Franconia Ridge Trail near Mt. Lafayette
Lack of views from the Mt. Lafayette summit
The Greenleaf Trail below Mt. Lafayette
Back to Little Haystack Mountain Profile
Back to Mt. Lincoln Profile
Back to Mt. Truman Profile
Back to Mt. Lafayette Profile
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