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Lafayette - 7/3

Angus

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2005
Messages
961
Points
16
This will be short -

left the trailhead parking at 5:25 AM and arrived at summit at 7:25 - the morning was cool and crisp with very clear skis. No one was on the trail and only a few folks were up at the greenleaf hut when I went by. The views from the top were spectacular - I had never been up on the summit except during a raging snow storm so it was great to look around especially east out into the Pemi Wilderness area. After a quick bite to eat, I hiked across the ridge in a southly direction passing over mt. lincoln to little haystack (not sure if that's right) and came down falling waters trail. Again, there was no one on the ridge trail the whole way. I stopped and investigated a few spots but would love to get back up to investigate further.

It is commonly recommended not to descend falling waters and i'd concur - it's rocky, wet and steep. further down, the water falls were running with a good amount of flow and were quite spectacular (the water crossings were slippery).

on the way down, I finally met my first hiker about a 1/4 mile below the tree line. she'd been camping off the trail the previous night and had lost her dog that morning coming back to the trail - hopefully she found him.

By the time, I was 1/2 way down falling waters, it was bumper to bumper traffic going up.

I arrived back at the trailhead parking at 10:15.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of bugs - I came unprepared and was obviously happy not to be harrassed.
 

ski_resort_observer

Active member
Joined
Dec 26, 2004
Messages
3,423
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Location
Waitsfield,Vt
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www.firstlightphotographics.com
Alpine starts are definately the way to go as your hike proved. I did Laf maybe 40 years ago, the memories are still sweet.

In my younger days living next to the Tetons if we were going to bag a summit in the same day we left the parking lot at 1-2AM for all the same results you experienced plus in the Rockies only fools reached the summit past noontime.
 

riverc0il

New member
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Jul 10, 2001
Messages
13,039
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Location
Ashland, NH
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www.thesnowway.com
nice commitment to an early start time! certainly paid off as you enjoyed one of the busiest day hikes in the whites without meeting hardly a soul for 2/3 the hike! sweet!

i have done the loop both ways and concur counter clockwise is the preferable way to travel the loop. not so much because of descending near the falls, but i enjoy gradual descents whereas i prefer steep ascents so counter clockwise delivers both. plus, coming down from lafayette, you get a good last above treeline part of the descent whereas you go right into the trees from little haystack.
 
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