Franconia Ridge Loop Trail in Midweek

Four GO members (Tim, John, Rick, and Carlos) were able to take a mid-week day off and hike the Franconia ridge without the crowds of a summer weekend.  The day started somewhat ominous with heavy clouds and for a very brief moment, a drizzle.  We hiked up the Falling Waters Trail in the clouds, and were starting to wonder if the spectacular views from the ridge would be clouded over.  As we got to treeline at Little Haystack, however, the clouds parted miraculously, and bright sunshine greeted us.  We sat on the lee side of some rocks to have a leisurely lunch away from the bitter wind of the summit.  There were two huge black ravens near us, who were fairly relentless in their attempt to get a handout from us.  One of them perched very near Tim's pack, and appeared to be guarding it.  The raven looked imposing enough that our brave Tim asked for backup, and with John's help managed to retrieve his pack.  That was a very close call, worth it of a Hitchcok film.

The hike along the ridge, although a bit nippy because of the wind, proved spectacular.  The views were as grand as always, and we took our time taking it all in, and photographing it for posterity.  At Greenleaf Hut we all had a wonderful potato leek soup which hit the spot, and helped us get a second wind for the descent down the Old Bridle Path down to our cars.

We finished this great day with a meal at the Woodstock Inn & Brewery.  John was having some problems with his knees on the way down, but some ibuprofen and the food appeared to have fixed him up.  

The Franconia Ridge Trail is one of the "classic" White Mountain hikes because of the outstanding views from its exposed alpine ridge.  It is a fairly strenuous hike, as it covers a total of 8.8 miles, and goes over one four thousand footer (Mt. Little Haystack) and two of the highest peaks in the White Mountains:  Mt. Lafayette (5,260') and Mt. Lincoln (5,089').  Little Haystack at 4,780' does not count for the Four Thousand Peakbagging Club, because it is dwarfed by both Lafayette and Lincoln, and yet the ascent to it from the parking area is a whopping 3,000 feet, and thus quite a challenge in it of itself.

This is a very popular hike and it is usually very crowded on summer weekends.  We will be doing this hike on a Wednesday to hopefully avoid the crowds.  We will do the "classic" loop, which involves hiking from the parking lot up the Falling Waters Trai to the ridge, then across to Lincoln and Lafayette, then down to the AMC Greenleaf Hut, and from there down the Old Bridle Path back to the parking lot.  Bring plenty of water, layers of clothes for the chilly summits, and good sturdy hiking boots.

Rain will cancel.