Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Lincoln, 05/02/07

[threecy]

Mt. Lafayette, Mt. Truman, Mt. Lincoln, Little Haystack Mountain

Date Hiked: 05/02/07

Trails(s) Hiked: Old Bridle Trail, Greenleaf Trail, Appalachian/Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail

Difficulty: Moderate/Difficult

Conditions: Sunny, packed snow on Old Bridal Path, postholy Falling Waters trail

My first hiked NH 4K and my first hiked 5K were both scheduled for Thursday. However, after waking up and seeing that the weather reports were botched (Wednesday was forecasted for some rain at one point, and then mostly cloudy more recently), I decided to take a half day at work a day early.

I arrived at the Lafayette Place parking lot around 12:30 and suited up. Taking the Old Bridle Path up, I was feeling pretty beat early on. Though I started wearing a sweatshirt, I quickly shedded that.

Being the highest peak I've ever climbed to date, I certainly was a bit worried, especially considering that I hadn't climbed anything significant in a few weeks (and anything at 4,000' in months). The trail was snow covered within the first mile, however the heavy traffic it recieved all winter allowed it to be barebooted without postholes. I considered putting on my Stablicers, however there were sustained stretches with only exposed ledge/rock.

Once I reached the first view points, I finally was in the groove - the Greenleaf Hut seemed to come up rather quickly at this point.

Stopping there quickly to take photos of its boarded-up glory, I continued up Mt. Lafayette, this time via the Greenleaf Trail. My pace quickly slowed due to the amazing scenery - I kept turning around and looking out at Cannon and the Green Mountains in the distance. Upon nearing the 5,000' mark, I had to stop and go into my pack (in one of the windiest parts of the hike, conveniently), to fetch out my sweatshirt again and to grab my ski poles (for navigating the small snowfield in front of me). Soon enough, I was on top of Mt. Lafayette, my first NH 4K and my first ever 5K.

The views were excellent - the Green Mountains to the west, Cannon-Kinsmans-etc. to the southwest-south, the rest of my hike due south, and Mt. Washington to the east. I spent a decent amount of time looking out this way, as two Air Force jets were putting on quite a show zipping around the Bonds.

The ascent (descent?) to Mt. Truman (labelled on the maps available at the base area, but not on TerraServer) was somewhat quick. I was a bit nervous heading over a snow headwall - knowing that if I postholed closely enough to the edge, I'd be in for quite a slide! With the exception of a small spruce trap (my first ever, do I get a medal?), the snowy portions of the trail were pretty well packed.

Mt. Truman offered similar views, with the added bonus of looking up at both Mt. Lafayette and Mt. Lincoln.

I didn't stick around long, as the wind was whipping and I wanted to git r dun.

The ascent to Mt. Lincoln was probably the trickiest of the hike, as there was some scrambling/climbing involved (not nearly as challenging as the Chin via the Long Trail on Mt. Mansfield, but certainly the steepest part of the hike), along with a little bit of black ice.

Mt. Lincoln offered better views to the south than Mt. Lafayette, despite its slightly slower summit elevation. While huddled behind a rock, eating some trail mix, I noticed a recent large mudslide off the back of Mt. Lafayette (not the rockslide on the maps). If this is indeed new, my guess is that it was within the last two weeks. If it's old, I'm an idiot.

From Mt. Lincoln, the next part of the hike was over the Gargoyles, a narrow ridge to Little Haystack Mountain. Some neat rock features about halfway between the two peaks made for an interesting hike. Due to the exposure and slightly lower elevation, there was very little snow on this stretch.

Arriving at Little Haystack Mountain, there were still nice views of Mt. Washington, Mt. Lincoln, and the peaks to the south, however Mt. Lafayette was no longer visible (Mt. Lincoln in the way).

It was finally time to head out. I took the Falling Waters Trail back to the parking lot - probably not a great idea! It was posthole city on the top part - I created a few myself too, a cold wakeup each time since I was wearing shorts. Heading toward the water crossings, the snow depths were decreasing, leading me to think the worst was over. Wrong! While walking parallel to one of the brooks, I caught my foot on a rock and went first on a buttslide, and then caught a second time, throwing me headfirst on my knees down the hill - ouch! I think there were four total water crossings - each one a bit more challenging than the previous. The last one was a bit of a doozy, as the rock crossing was pretty well submerged on one side.

Finally, though, I was back to the parking lot, and home in time for the Sox game.


AT/Franconia Ridge Trail, heading toward Mt. Truman and Mt. Lincoln


Looking south from Mt. Lincoln

[thetrailboss]

Mount Truman?

Paging Dave Metsky for a consult!

[threecy]

Ya I know, I was surprised as well...but its in the trailmaps they stock at the trailhead. Certainly not enough vertical prominence to be a countable 4K.

[Greg]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

Mount Truman?

Originally Posted by Metsky's site

Upon climbing the small knob on Franconia Ridge some call Mt. Truman, we saw Paul & Mark approaching the summit of Lincoln.

Source

Originally Posted by MWO

Mount Lincoln, in the Franconia Range, was named to honor Abraham Lincoln, though at least one early guidebook suggests that the name was originally given to the small summit between Mount Lafayette and today's Mount Lincoln. (A few people refer to this small peak as Mount Truman, though this name is far from official.)

Source

http://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=6910

[threecy]

Somebody does his homework!

[thetrailboss]

Originally Posted by threecy

Ya I know, I was surprised as well...but its in the trailmaps they stock at the trailhead. Certainly not enough vertical prominence to be a countable 4K.

Shows how much some valued Truman as a President!!!


Not to get political or anything...

[threecy]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

Shows how much some valued Truman as a President!!!


Not to get political or anything...

So long as they don't give the peanut farmer credit for the Carters, no big deal!

[Mike P.]

Don't ruin a great trip report with a topic banned on this site or we'll have you shovel the Mt. Clinton Road......

A+ for Greg doing the research, you beat me to it.

I've heard the Truman words from Dave's mouth directly... just forget if it was at the hut or some other venue. Have been on those peaks several times, hope to get there in October or November this year.

[threecy]

Originally Posted by Mike P.

Don't ruin a great trip report with a topic banned on this site or we'll have you shovel the Mt. Clinton Road......

Politics? It was a peanut farming joke!

[thetrailboss]

Originally Posted by Mike P.

Don't ruin a great trip report with a topic banned on this site or we'll have you shovel the Mt. Clinton Road......

Cough cough....read the disclaimer.