#little haystack

[cscreates]

Some people go to the forest for the pure pleasure of being there.

[mainewanderlust]

Hike: 2014 Franconia Ridge Loop

Hike: 2014 Franconia Ridge Loop

Franconia Loop

Date Hiked: 24 September 2014

For the last three years I’ve brought a good friend of mine camping and hiking in the White Mountains National Forest. It is typically one of my favorite trips to the Whites for the year because he doesn’t often get out of the city and he brings an enthusiastic and fresh outlook on the trip which I sometimes neglect to do myself. This year we didn’t…

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[letsfacethetruthand]

The Franconia Ridge, consisting of Lafayette, Lincoln and Little Haystack. Appalachian trail material.

[psychlist]

December is never complete until the Nobles Outing Club makes its yearly trek up north to attempt a complete loop of the Franconia Ridge hike: ascending Little Haystack via the Falling Waters Trail, crossing the Ridge over Lincoln and then to Lafayette, and then descending via the Greenleaf Hut Trail and Old Bridle Path. As fate would have it (for the umpteenth year in a row), trail and weather conditions kept us from completing the full loop, limiting us to a summit of Little Haystack and a short exploration of the Franconia Ridge before we turned around to head back to the bottom.

Following two storms earlier in the week that left new snowfall, we found ourselves breaking trail for most of the hike, slowing us down as we slogged ever upward. About two-thirds of the way up, two hikers passed us, having climbed rapidly in our wake; I was pleased to see them slow significantly once they took the lead and broke trail for us! As we neared tree line, the howling wind became more distinct and we layered up just before emerging from the slow scrub pines, a great idea given the driving winds and the small chunks of snow and ice that pelted our bodies as we scrambled the final 200 yards to the summit of Little Haystack. As usual, the winds came from the west and northwest, and we took refuge on the far side of the summit, behind a small outcrop of rocks. In some years, taking shelter here allows us to forget about the crazy ridge conditions altogether, but this was not one of those days; the wind continued to find its way to us even as we hunkered down to take some photos and create our game plan. 

Despite the high winds and gray skies, we had great (though diminishing) visibility up high, able to look north and south along the Ridge to see Lincoln, Liberty, and Flume, and west across the Notch to see Cannon and the Kinsmans. I snapped a bunch of photos of the group and the surrounding terrain before tucking my camera away.

Cold and tired, our students agreed that they would hold off on attempting a full loop, not wanting to push our margin of safety on a day like this. We ventured out onto the Ridge for about 300 yards just to give them a taste of life above tree line before turning back and heading down to our van. 

On the way down, we took the short spur trail out to Shining Rock, a large sheet of ice at this time of year. Descending in the powder, we moved quite rapidly, everyone's spirits high as we expended less effort in much calmer conditions. For many in our group, this was their first trip with the Outing Club, and for most, this was their first winter summit. For me, this represented another opportunity for me to share my love of outdoor adventures with colleagues and students, perhaps creating in them a lifelong attraction to the often-undiscovered rewards that Nature offers during this time of year. 

[halfwaytosomewhere]

so our hike yesterday was 10 miles long, and then we managed to take the wrong trail back and had to walk an extra 2.5 miles back to the parking lot

i think i'm dying from soreness my legs don't know how to function anymore 

[psychlist]

hiking franconia ridge

I took these photos on 35mm film back in early November during a hike with students up Falling Waters Trail, across the Franconia Ridge, and then down the Old Bridle Path. It took a while for me to develop the roll, and today I finally managed to scan a few of the negatives.

I like this vantage point, below rows of icicles slowly melting and drip-drip-dripping onto a patch of ice below. There used to be a branch hanging precariously overhead here, snapped and barely connected to the body of the tree, but it seems that over the past year or so, someone decided to take it down and make the trail a little safer for passers-by. This was one of the first views we got of Franconia Notch as we ascended Falling Waters Trail and got close to treeline. On a clear day, Cannon Mountain with its steep cliff wall would loom across the Notch, but on this hike, we were above the clouds; everything else, below. This is a view looking over the Pemigewasset Wilderness. This black-and-white image adds to the feeling of winter, isolation, and desolation. Wisps of clouds rise up, as if to engulf all life up here. Sebastian brought a hot thermos on the trip and insisted that we bring hot chocolate with us. He managed to find someone else to carry the thermos but made sure to enjoy the rewards of Nathan's labor. Here, Sebastian, Braden, and Brendan enjoy a hot drink at the summit of Little Haystack before we begin the traverse over to Lincoln and then Lafayette. Another look at the sea of clouds, with other peaks just barely visible. Here we are at Lafayette, resting behind a stone wall, looking weary and completely uninspired for the trek back to the van. No hot chocolate here to take Brendan and Nathan's minds off of the long journey that still lies ahead. Looking back on Little Haystack as we crossed the Ridge, I caught this image during a rare break in the thick cloud cover that we experienced all day. I love the contrast of the dark rock against the snow that has begun to accumulate, and in the background, one can see some of the other peaks in the area. These mountains are simply majestic, and I cannot describe the feeling of being up above treeline in the Whites other than to say that it is truly awe-inspiring.

[michaeledwardson]

some pictures from the hike today. clearly there will be more. I'm too tired to type. That was the most physical activity I've done in a long time. It was rewarding, I loved the view and walking that much felt good. Spending the day being lazy in the lake tomorrow.