Mt. Lafayette (5266)
Falling Waters, to Franconia Ridge trail
(Part of the Appalachian Trail) to The Old Bridle path.
Date: Monday, July 11’th 1999
Attending: Abby Trembly, Kevin Maycomber, Gabe, Simone, & John Chicoine
Miles: 8.9-mile loop Time: 9. hours, Little Haystack (4700), Lincoln (5089)
AMC huts, / shelters / camping site: Greenleaf hut
Weather: Sunny, 70 to 75
The 3 hour long car ride started @ 5:30AM: We got to the Falling Waters trailhead at 9:00. The trail parking lot is clearly posted on Rt. 93 just after the Flume parking lot. Simone and I packed the two Kelty Redwings with food, water, and vests for everyone.
This was Abby’s and Kevin’s first 4K hike. We knew that this isn’t a “first hike” kind of trip, but the views from the ridge are some of the best in the Whites. And if this is likeley to be the one and only 4K someone is going to bag, it’s one that will stick with a person for a lifetime. We all shared carrying the 25Lb. packs over the course of the day. Falling Waters trail is spectacular with more waterfalls than we could bother to shoot between the three cameras that made the trip. The summit of Little Haystack was a great spot for lunch and our first long break @ 12:30. By 1:00 we started the Franconia Ridge portion of the trip. 1.3 long miles above the tree line, walking the knife-edge the views over the Pemigiwassit wilderness were great. With the binoculars we could see the cliffs on Bond Cliff where we were just a few weeks before. To our west across Rt. 93, were the Cannon balls and the Kinsman’s. We met Beverly again,(The retired through hiker we met on our Bonds trip.). She was clipping brush just before the steep climb up Lafayette. She was staying at Greenleaf hut on the AMC’s tab while she spent a few days doing some trail maintenance. Our next extended break was on top of Lafayette, the 5’Th highest peak in the Whites. A few non-threatening clouds gave us a little shade as we started the next stretch down the rocky path to the Greenleaf hut. We got to the hut at a little after 3:00 and rested there until 3:30. Greenleaf provided us much needed fresh water and bathrooms for Simone and Abby.
Our final leg down the camel back of Lafayette on the Old Bridle Path trail was a bit steeper than I remembered. It took a full 2.5 hours to get to the footbridge where the Falling Waters trail and the Bridle Path complete the loop, just a quarter of a mile from the parking lot. We stopped at the river for the traditional foot washing and wash up. As we went splashing about knee deep in the river, washing sweaty brows, and pits,,,, Kevin didn’t seem to understand the appeal to this whole washing up and wading in ice water process. What fun is a tradition if it doesn’t cost you something.