My original plan for the day was some off-trail snowshoeing in the Gale River valley, with a late morning start. But there was no evidence of recent hiking activity at the Beaver Brook ski trails, and the slog up snowmobiled Gale River Road did not appeal, so I decided to take a break from a recent steady diet of bushwhack trail-breaking and do some on-trail snowshoeing. Old Bridle Path came to mind, as that is an excellent snowshoeing trail when it has a softly-packed track after a recent snowfall, before it gets pounded into submission by heavy traffic. With an 11:00 am start, I figured I'd go as far as time permitted, at least to the outlooks and perhaps to Greenleaf Hut. Once on the trail, I was very pleased to find the aforementioned softly-packed snowshoe track - thanks to whoever broke it out!
Plenty of snow in the woods as OBP ascends along the edge of Walker Ravine.
Heading up to the first outlook, two miles in.
The classic Franconia Ridge vista.
Mt. Lincoln, with the technical climbing route known as "Lincoln's Throat" under the summit. It's also a classic backcountry ski descent, starting beneath the icy slabs.
Looking up Agony Ridge and Walker Ravine to Lafayette's summit.
The head of Dry Brook ravine under Little Haystack. The slide on the right fell during the 2017 Halloween storm.
The craggy cone of Mt. Liberty peering over.
Not a big snow winter so far, but the blazes are creeping down to snow level at 3400 ft.
The pitch known as "Red Rocks" - a slippery basalt dike in summer - is the steepest spot on the trail.
Slides, slides, everywhere slides....
Looking back down the ridge from the great viewpoint at the top of Red Rocks.
Cannon and the Kinsmans, with ice-locked Lonesome Lake nestled on its plateau.
OBP crosses two more viewing areas as it scales the humps known as the "Agonies," so named by AMC hut crew members hauling big loads up to Greenleaf Hut. The original version of OBP dates back to the 1850s. It was restored in the late 1890s but was soon obliterated by logging. AMC reopened it in 1929, a year before Greenleaf Hut was opened. What a scenic trail it is!
A solo snowshoer passed me on the approach to Greenleaf Hut. The only two hikers I had met up to this point were two solo descending barebooters who had chewed the soft snow up. More snowshoes meant a smoother trail for my descent, and all told the tally for the day was 7 snowshoers and 3 barebooters. The track was nearly perfect on the descent.
Some big drifts in this section.
With some dilly-dallying at the outlooks on the way up, it was well after 2:00 pm by the time I reached the hut.
Lafayette and Eagle Lake.
After a break at the hut, where there was literally no wind, I decided to keep heading up and check the conditions at treeline.
Only awkward postholed boot tracks led down to Eagle Lake.
Looking back up at the hut. I contemplated turning around, but kept going and not far above the lake some snowshoe tracks reappeared, as if by magic.
The snow was wafer thin and crusty along the first open section above the lake, but the MSRs were gripping well.
Back into the woods for a nice stretch.
Approaching treeline, I encountered two descending pairs of hikers, who assured me that the trail was snowshoeable to the summit, with crusty snow and minimal ice. They reported the wind as cold but not brutal at the top. Good news!
Breaking above treeline in mid-afternoon sun.
Looking out towards Vermont. Distant skies were hazy, but I could pick out Killington Peak.
Ever-changing perspectives on the ridge.
Great to be above the trees.
Look at that sky!
One of the few icy patches on the cone, thankfully at a level spot. Even in winter, it's important to stay on the defined footway and not trample frozen alpine vegetation.
Approaching the prominent rock buttress below the summit.
Lafayette Brook ravine was already in shadow.
Bulbous North Lafayette.
Frosted rocks.
Steep pitch around the buttress. Solid grip with the Evo Ascents.
Final pitch to the summit.
Cold up here, with a temp about 5 above and wind at around 20-25 mph.
With a 3:30 arrival, it was a short summit stay, but long enough to take in the matchless views over the Pemi Wilderness.
Bondcliff in its winter glory.
Owl's Head, front and center.
Garfield and the Twins.
And, of course, the classic vista down the ridge.
Arctic summit.
The upper part of the descent was invigorating, going into the wind.
But the wind died down once below the rock buttress, allowing more appreciation of the views.
This cairn marks the lower edge of treeline.
Golden hour in the woods....
...and on the ridge.
Latecomer's delight. This beauty was shared with two young women who were heading up for sunset.
Nice angle on Carpenter's Ridge, the sharp western spur of Mt. Lincoln. Frank O. Carpenter opened a trail up this ridge in 1897. In his guidebook to Franconia Notch and the Pemigewasset Valley, he wrote that the trail made "this splendid peak accessible to climbers with strong muscles and cool heads." The trail was soon obliterated by logging.
North Lafayette above Eagle Lake.
Parting shot from the hut.
Fir woods aglow.
Post-sunset view of Kinsmans and Moosilauke.
The ridge at dusk.
The Fir woods aglow photo is amazing! Great reminder that some of the most beautiful moments in the mountains can be very intimate.
ReplyDelete"Fir woods aglow" - oh my. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSo many slide paths... So little time...
ReplyDeleteGreat stuff as always,
Andrew