Our original plan was to hike/run a Pemi Loop on Saturday. However, with the weather forecast I knew it was going to be a stress-hike, always looking for water with the heat and humidity. We opted for a Saturday Franconia Super Loop: Liberty, Flume, Lincoln, Lafayette and run back on the paved Pemi bike trail back to the car parked at Flume Visitors Center.
The hike up Liberty Springs was bug-free and humid. In the trees it was steamy! We would hike through hot patches and cold patches; there was no wind. The trail was pretty wet down low and then patches as we got higher.
As we climbed to the ridge we were hoping it would cool off and the wind would increase. The Higher Summit forecast was wrong all day, we thought. It was hot and muggy. It had to be around 70 on the ridge. We saw some monorail on the trails that made a few sections slippery and straddling it seemed to be the best option at times.
We saw people coming down from camping up high and we saw hikers coming from the south on the Osseo Trail. Small packs, big packs, all the crazies who were out on this day were having fun despite the hot temperatures.
When we got to Liberty it was undercast – so cool to see.
After Flume and Liberty we headed north on the Franconia Ridge Trail. Hiking towards Little Haystack is no joke. That is one tough climb. And it doesn’t even count as a 4,000 footer. If approached from the north, it is less than a 200 foot climb from Lincoln, however it is a killer hike from Liberty. The clouds cleared and we had beautiful views of Cannon, Owl’s Head and the Bonds.
As soon as we got to the top of Little Haystack we thought we were home free; hiking on the ridge makes you forget all your troubles. However, I was getting low on water and was eager to get to Greenleaf Hut and refill. On top of Little Haystack we talked to a US Forest Service Ridge Runner. She said the wind last night and this morning on Lafayette was fierce and loud. The High Summit forecast was correct up until late morning, when the winds all but died.
It was a slow hike up to Lincoln and then Lafayette. Our legs were toast but the views were fantastic.
We stopped for a break at the top of Lafayette and tried to piece together where we lost the trail in April when we were in white-out conditions. We both looked around the summit and remembered that we started to head to Lincoln the wrong way. We made the right decision to turn back that day.
The summit was warm today. The sun beat down on us despite the wind that picked up a bit. We headed down to the hut, resupplied with water, and down to Lafayette parking. The trail was very wet and my feet were feeling soggy. At the parking lot, we took the tunnel under the highway and headed back to our car on the paved Pemi bike path. About a mile on the path, my right foot started to hurt, badly. When I took off my shoe, the bottom of my foot was soggy and a blood blister was on the ball of my foot. I couldn’t walk anymore; it hurt too much. I’ve never had blisters or anything like this in all the years I’ve been hiking. Greg offered to run back to the car (2.1 miles) and pick me up. I said no the first time he offered, I could do this, I could figure it out. Then I tried to walk again, and accepted his offer. Thanks for saving the day, Greg.
It was a good hike on a terrible weather day. 2 for 2 Mount Lafayette. Too hot, too cold, but we got it done. I’m happy to be done and hobbling a bit with the blister on my foot. Training begins for a Semi-Pemi in June, Full Pemi in July and a double Presidential Traverse in August.
