GetFit #1: Franconia Brook Falls

Seven guys headed out from the Lincoln Woods trailhead to make our way to Franconia Brook Falls. Three of the seven had not visited this well known swimming hole and natural waterslide. The trip in lead us past the trail erosion from Tropical Storm Irene. The trail was set to be closed to repair the damage the following week. We got this hike in just in time. It was a great day for this hike, sunny, warm, but not humid. The trip in was relatively quick and we made our way up past the waterslide to the popular swimming hole. There was a larger than normal amount of waterflow for August, and this was obvious from the sound of the water flowing down the river. There was not as much rock ledge to spread out on but we found a nice spot just upstream from the swimming hole. After changing into our swimsuits, and making our way into the water, we found the water was a little on the cold side. Can you say shrinkage... We continued to frolic in the water and eat our lunch, enjoying the sunshine and water, and some eye-candy around the swimming hole. The clouds started to roll in so we decided to head back, but not before Dennis had a chance to go down the water slide. With the higher than normal amount of water, he was launched down the chute and over the edge into the pool below. I warned him to swim toward the edge after being dumped into the pool to avoud getting caught in the whirlpool below. He said he was a good swimmer and proved it as he shot through the water like a dart and quickly reached the edge of the pool. The rest of us decided against the waterslide due to the cold water and the high volume. We made our way back to the parking lot without the weather turning foul. After the hike, we enjoyed some appz & drinks at the Common Man in Lincoln before heading home. The next in the GetFit series is Lonesome Lake, which has a bit more elevation gain and some great views of Franconia ridge.