Location: Liberty Spring, Franconia Ridge Trail (out&back)

Date: 06/28/14

Start/Finish Time: 2:30 AM – 5:00 PM

Total miles: 10.2

Weather: Clear and Sunny morning, slightly cloudy afternoon.

Comments: Abby, Patton, and I drove up to the mountains after work. It was a bit later Friday evening and we wanted to try and make the sunrise on mount Liberty. We started hiking at 2:30 and we saw no one the entire way up. The trail was fairly easy to navigate at night, and the only water crossing was easy. We were tired from the day, but we made great time as we reached the summit. We were all by ourselves as we arrived exactly one minute before the sun came poking out over the top of mount Washington. It was a great feeling to catch such a lovely sunrise.

 

We sat at the summit for a couple of hours with no one else around. Abby and I had an egg sandwich and let our sweat logged clothing dry in the freshly risen sunshine. By this point we were exhausted. The previous days work, and the night hike had taken its toll. My idea was to start hiking towards Flume and try to find a camping spot to rest a few hours. In the col there was a wonderful little spot that we were able to find where we stayed until about noon.

After our little rest we packed up and made our way to Flume. We got to the top in no time and there were lots of people there to greet us. We had to make our visit short because the sun was out in force and we were running low on water. Keep in mind that the last water source I noticed was near the liberty campsite so fill your bottles here before taking to the ridge.

We decided earlier not to take the Flume slide trail in the dark. I feel as though it was a good choice for Patton too. Not quite sure how he would have fared. That turned our hike into an out and back so we made our way back over liberty were we got one more eyeful of the ridge line in the afternoon sun. The walk out was uneventful and we made great time making it out of the woods around 5. On the way home we stopped at Woodstock Inn brewery and filled our growlers for a celebratory beer at the house. Pemi pale ale and 4000 footer IPA you just can’t beat it!

Camping: The camping spot we found in between Liberty and Flume was amazing. Just make your way for Flume and right before you start ascending look to the left for a clearing. Once you find it you can walk a decent ways in and set up camp. great spot for sure. 

Lost/Found: I lost my Gerber pocket knife on this trip I hope someone makes good use of it. It will be missed. 😦

Dog Notes: Grab water for you dog at the campsite before hitting the ridge. The days are hot and you are likely to need it. 

Difficulty: 6/10 

View Rating: 10/10 Nailed it. See for yourself HERE.