Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield, 1/10/2009 - Views From The Top

LRiz · 01-12-2009, 10:15 PM

I had just arrived in Lincoln when I received the call from Drew...

Where are you? Change of plan. We're now doing Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. Can you be at the OBP trailhead by 8:30?

It was 6:00am. Although I knew that we'd most likely be changing our hiking plans last minute (given the suddenly stellar weather forecast), I'd decided to err on the side of caution and had given myself plenty of time to drive up north. Our original aim had been to tackle the Wildcats/Carters/potentially Moriah... and while the thought of bagging six whole peaks in one day did sound hugely appealing to me, the fact that we were now going to head above treeline... I was more than a little excited. 2.5 hours to kill? No problem... I hopped back into my truck and went on a minor coffee/Red Bull escapade. The moon was low on the horizon as I barrelled my way up 93, its peculiar orange glow fading ever-steadily as the first rays of sunlight crept up over the mountains. By the time that daylight had broken, it was clearly apparent that we'd made the right decision. Other than the glorious undercast that swathed the Cannon cliffs, there was not a single cloud in the sky. Time ticked by with unusual rapidity, and by 8:20am I was in Cath's truck, heading towards route 3 to pick up Drew and Eric and set up a car spot.

The temperatures were in the negative when we set off up the Falling Waters trail. Despite the cold and a recent achilles injury, I was in an especially upbeat mood... and was very happy to be in the company of my hiking friends after a long week at work. I'd always been told that Falling Waters was a difficult trail to ascend in the winter due to ice, and was rather taken aback at the smoothness of our ascent. The trail itself was lovely and covered in a fresh coating of snow (mostly broken out), which made for excellent snowshoeing for the entirety of the climb to Little Haystack. The water crossings, which I'd found to be extremely tough back in the early summer, were each capped by a solid ice bridge (much to my delight). It was also a treat to see Cloudland Falls in the winter, partially frozen yet still roaring beneath an undercoating of ice.

Surely but steadily we climbed. The tree cover dwindled and gave way to brilliant, brilliant deep blue skies. Reaching the treeline, my excitement gave way. Once Little Haystack was in sight, I bounded up the remainder of the trail and snapped a few pictures as Eric, Drew, and Cath made their way towards the summit:

I was surprised by how windy it was, especially given the relative calm we'd experienced in the woods. We all added some additional layers and (with the exclusion of Eric who remained in snowshoes) switched to microspikes before beginning our journey to Lincoln. Eric was full of energy and instantly took the lead. Still in awe of the stunning scenery surrounding us, I decided to linger towards the back and take pictures... which must have been quite frustrating for the rest of the group seeing as I simply wouldn't stop! The contrast between the whiteness of the rime-coated rocks and the richness of the splendid blue sky simply had me captivated.

Even the kissing rocks were out in full force:

After stopping for a quick snack (during which we chatted with another hiker making his way down the ridge), we made the final push up Lincoln. Upon reaching the summit, we all made sure to wave to Tim and Caveman across the Pemi, who were both in the midst of a Presi Traverse. Our next two targets - Lafayette and Garfield - were visible in the distance:

It was a little lonely being all the way at the back, so I made my way up front... and continued to take pictures! Thank goodness for glove liners...

Other than the occasional gust of wind, it was for the most part peaceful on the ridge. I remained in a constant state of awe and wonder all the way up to Lafayette, where once again my summit fever overwhelmed me and I sprinted right up to the top, hollering the entire time. Crazy, crazy girl. Another hiker was kind enough to snap a summit shot of our group, and I calmed down enough to let Eric take a picture of me by the trail signs:

...and on to Garfield we went.

LRiz · 01-12-2009, 10:16 PM

The winds started to pick up as we made our way down Lafayette. While it was apparent that no one had been down the Garfield Ridge trail ahead of us, the descent to the Skookumchuck junction was smooth with the exception of one or two icy spots (nothing that the microspikes couldn't handle

). Reaching the sign, we bumped into no other than MEB, Little Sister, Juniper, Gillian, and Ferrisjrf, which was a very pleasant surprise! After chatting for a while, we parted ways and continued along the Garfield Ridge trail. Phenomenal views surrounded us in every direction:

However, they did not last and we soon entered the woods only to be greeted by... foot upon foot of unbroken snow! The trail was saturated, the trees above us were saturated, and I knew at that point that the climb to Garfield was going to be especially tough. We switched into snowshoes and continued on our way. Luckily, the first stretch of trail was almost entirely flat/downhill, which made for lots of fun snowshoe sliding. In no time at all I was covered - head to toe - in snow. Nevertheless, I was having an absolute blast... that is, until we started to climb, and even then I was still having fun. As exhausting as breaking trail is (and as slow and terrible I am at doing it), it's something that I like to practice because I'm determined to build up my endurance. We all took turns up front, but Cath was by far the strongest, and did the most breaking during the climb. What we would have done without her during the most challenging part of the day, I do not know... and I cannot thank her enough. The sun was beginning to set as we slogged our way up the mountain... seemingly forever. My energy levels had zapped entirely, but I was still feeling positive because I could feel that we were close... and as soon as the foundation of the old fire tower was within eyeshot...

I don't think I could have possibly been happier nor more proud of our accomplishment. Garfield was my 24th single season winter summit, and I'd certainly earned it. Upon reaching the foundation, I was so tired that I flopped right onto a rock, and required a little assistance from Eric to make it to the very top...

Franconia Ridge reached up imposingly behind us, an impressive reminder of how much distance and elevation we'd covered during the day. As the sun disappeared behind the ridge, the colors on the Twins were just spectacular. I waved to Unadogger, MichaelJ, and Rocket (all of whom were on South Twin), but unfortunately was too tired to take a picture...

Within a few minutes I'd gotten quite cold. Bundling up, we all proceeded down the Garfield trail. Although it was not broken out, this did not pose a problem seeing as we were descending... and to top off a fantastic day, we happened to encounter a very handsome fox right on the trail:

...down and down we went, the sunlight fading and giving way to moonlight, the snow crunching delightfully under our feet.

What a wonderful hike it had been.

More pictures can be found here.

TrishandAlex · 01-12-2009, 10:59 PM

Woo-hooooo! Go go go!!!!!!!

rocket21 · 01-13-2009, 04:59 AM

Congratulations! Great photos and an excellent trip report, as usual!

una_dogger · 01-13-2009, 05:41 AM

What a great day saturday was! Driving through the notch that morning, I was amazed at how beautiful Franconia Ridge looked, pure white and peeking out above the towering mountainsides through the notch. I'm so happy for you that you were able to experience it this way -- it took me three traverses to do the ridge in sunshine; and I have yet to experience it in calendar winter.

Awesome fox sighting!!!

Go, LRiz -- you are halfway there!!!

bikehikeskifish · 01-13-2009, 06:08 AM

Outstanding, Larisa! Half-time!

Tim

MadRiver · 01-13-2009, 06:42 AM

Excellent photos and trip report as always. Love the fox! Saturday was such a magical day to be hiking.

BIGEarl · 01-13-2009, 07:43 AM

Larisa,

Nice T/R & pics. Well done!

MichaelJ · 01-13-2009, 07:43 AM

Most totally wicked excellent TR and pics and what a great day!

MEB · 01-13-2009, 09:35 AM

Awesome day to be out and above treeline. Nice running into you all at the junction. I was hoping someone in our group might want to head out over Garfield on the way back but no luck....well, I guess I really didn't want to either. Keep up the good work!

See you on the trails!

-MEB

Juniper · 01-13-2009, 10:16 AM

Nice TR and pics, LRiz! And it's good to know that you actually do get tired...eventually

Fat Tuesday · 01-13-2009, 05:17 PM

you're crushing it, L-boogie!! I'm rooting for you!

Dr. Dasypodidae · 01-13-2009, 06:01 PM

Beautiful pics and fine report, LRiz. Twenty-five peaks in 20 days; fifth fastest time on the NH4s is doable, so go for it!

w7xman · 01-13-2009, 06:13 PM

If I see one more trip report with pics like this from last saturday when I decided to go to the beach instead of the mountains, I'm bound to go postal. Just wow...great hike and even better pics.

That pano is one of the best I've seen in the Whites...seriously good!

Congrats on a great hike!

Silverfox · 01-13-2009, 06:43 PM

What a great day to be out

those are some great pictures on a Busy busy day...

01-12-2009, 10:15 PM	#1
LRiz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Will run for beer Posts: 249	Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield, 1/10/2009 I had just arrived in Lincoln when I received the call from Drew... Where are you? Change of plan. We're now doing Lincoln, Lafayette, and Garfield. Can you be at the OBP trailhead by 8:30? It was 6:00am. Although I knew that we'd most likely be changing our hiking plans last minute (given the suddenly stellar weather forecast), I'd decided to err on the side of caution and had given myself plenty of time to drive up north. Our original aim had been to tackle the Wildcats/Carters/potentially Moriah... and while the thought of bagging six whole peaks in one day did sound hugely appealing to me, the fact that we were now going to head above treeline... I was more than a little excited. 2.5 hours to kill? No problem... I hopped back into my truck and went on a minor coffee/Red Bull escapade. The moon was low on the horizon as I barrelled my way up 93, its peculiar orange glow fading ever-steadily as the first rays of sunlight crept up over the mountains. By the time that daylight had broken, it was clearly apparent that we'd made the right decision. Other than the glorious undercast that swathed the Cannon cliffs, there was not a single cloud in the sky. Time ticked by with unusual rapidity, and by 8:20am I was in Cath's truck, heading towards route 3 to pick up Drew and Eric and set up a car spot. The temperatures were in the negative when we set off up the Falling Waters trail. Despite the cold and a recent achilles injury, I was in an especially upbeat mood... and was very happy to be in the company of my hiking friends after a long week at work. I'd always been told that Falling Waters was a difficult trail to ascend in the winter due to ice, and was rather taken aback at the smoothness of our ascent. The trail itself was lovely and covered in a fresh coating of snow (mostly broken out), which made for excellent snowshoeing for the entirety of the climb to Little Haystack. The water crossings, which I'd found to be extremely tough back in the early summer, were each capped by a solid ice bridge (much to my delight). It was also a treat to see Cloudland Falls in the winter, partially frozen yet still roaring beneath an undercoating of ice. Surely but steadily we climbed. The tree cover dwindled and gave way to brilliant, brilliant deep blue skies. Reaching the treeline, my excitement gave way. Once Little Haystack was in sight, I bounded up the remainder of the trail and snapped a few pictures as Eric, Drew, and Cath made their way towards the summit: I was surprised by how windy it was, especially given the relative calm we'd experienced in the woods. We all added some additional layers and (with the exclusion of Eric who remained in snowshoes) switched to microspikes before beginning our journey to Lincoln. Eric was full of energy and instantly took the lead. Still in awe of the stunning scenery surrounding us, I decided to linger towards the back and take pictures... which must have been quite frustrating for the rest of the group seeing as I simply wouldn't stop! The contrast between the whiteness of the rime-coated rocks and the richness of the splendid blue sky simply had me captivated. Even the kissing rocks were out in full force: After stopping for a quick snack (during which we chatted with another hiker making his way down the ridge), we made the final push up Lincoln. Upon reaching the summit, we all made sure to wave to Tim and Caveman across the Pemi, who were both in the midst of a Presi Traverse. Our next two targets - Lafayette and Garfield - were visible in the distance: It was a little lonely being all the way at the back, so I made my way up front... and continued to take pictures! Thank goodness for glove liners... Other than the occasional gust of wind, it was for the most part peaceful on the ridge. I remained in a constant state of awe and wonder all the way up to Lafayette, where once again my summit fever overwhelmed me and I sprinted right up to the top, hollering the entire time. Crazy, crazy girl. Another hiker was kind enough to snap a summit shot of our group, and I calmed down enough to let Eric take a picture of me by the trail signs: ...and on to Garfield we went. Last edited by LRiz; 01-12-2009 at 10:42 PM.

01-12-2009, 10:16 PM	#2
LRiz Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Will run for beer Posts: 249	Part Deux The winds started to pick up as we made our way down Lafayette. While it was apparent that no one had been down the Garfield Ridge trail ahead of us, the descent to the Skookumchuck junction was smooth with the exception of one or two icy spots (nothing that the microspikes couldn't handle ). Reaching the sign, we bumped into no other than MEB, Little Sister, Juniper, Gillian, and Ferrisjrf, which was a very pleasant surprise! After chatting for a while, we parted ways and continued along the Garfield Ridge trail. Phenomenal views surrounded us in every direction: However, they did not last and we soon entered the woods only to be greeted by... foot upon foot of unbroken snow! The trail was saturated, the trees above us were saturated, and I knew at that point that the climb to Garfield was going to be especially tough. We switched into snowshoes and continued on our way. Luckily, the first stretch of trail was almost entirely flat/downhill, which made for lots of fun snowshoe sliding. In no time at all I was covered - head to toe - in snow. Nevertheless, I was having an absolute blast... that is, until we started to climb, and even then I was still having fun. As exhausting as breaking trail is (and as slow and terrible I am at doing it), it's something that I like to practice because I'm determined to build up my endurance. We all took turns up front, but Cath was by far the strongest, and did the most breaking during the climb. What we would have done without her during the most challenging part of the day, I do not know... and I cannot thank her enough. The sun was beginning to set as we slogged our way up the mountain... seemingly forever. My energy levels had zapped entirely, but I was still feeling positive because I could feel that we were close... and as soon as the foundation of the old fire tower was within eyeshot... I don't think I could have possibly been happier nor more proud of our accomplishment. Garfield was my 24th single season winter summit, and I'd certainly earned it. Upon reaching the foundation, I was so tired that I flopped right onto a rock, and required a little assistance from Eric to make it to the very top... Franconia Ridge reached up imposingly behind us, an impressive reminder of how much distance and elevation we'd covered during the day. As the sun disappeared behind the ridge, the colors on the Twins were just spectacular. I waved to Unadogger, MichaelJ, and Rocket (all of whom were on South Twin), but unfortunately was too tired to take a picture... Within a few minutes I'd gotten quite cold. Bundling up, we all proceeded down the Garfield trail. Although it was not broken out, this did not pose a problem seeing as we were descending... and to top off a fantastic day, we happened to encounter a very handsome fox right on the trail: ...down and down we went, the sunlight fading and giving way to moonlight, the snow crunching delightfully under our feet. What a wonderful hike it had been. More pictures can be found here. Last edited by LRiz; 01-12-2009 at 10:26 PM.

01-12-2009, 10:59 PM	#3
TrishandAlex Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: NH Posts: 1,291	Woo-hooooo! Go go go!!!!!!! __________________ http://www.trishalexsage.com

01-13-2009, 05:41 AM	#5
una_dogger Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Avatar: North Percy Posts: 2,986	What a great day saturday was! Driving through the notch that morning, I was amazed at how beautiful Franconia Ridge looked, pure white and peeking out above the towering mountainsides through the notch. I'm so happy for you that you were able to experience it this way -- it took me three traverses to do the ridge in sunshine; and I have yet to experience it in calendar winter. Awesome fox sighting!!! Go, LRiz -- you are halfway there!!! __________________ NE115~34/48 NH48x3~NE67~ADK46r # 6247~NEHH 99/100~~YAlpine 77/100~2010 BOSTON MARATHON bib # 26266~Terra the Traildog NH4L48 #106 May You Walk Gently Through the World and Know Its Beauty All the Days of Your Life~Apache Blessing doG is my CoPilot

01-13-2009, 06:08 AM	#6
bikehikeskifish Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 2,715	Outstanding, Larisa! Half-time! Tim __________________ Bike, Hike, Ski, Sleep. Eat, Fish, Repeat. Working on: NE67, NEHH

01-13-2009, 04:59 AM	#4
rocket21 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 1,856	Congratulations! Great photos and an excellent trip report, as usual!

01-13-2009, 06:42 AM	#7
MadRiver Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Thornton, NH Posts: 1,306	Excellent photos and trip report as always. Love the fox! Saturday was such a magical day to be hiking. __________________ Circus Boy: Nuff said!

01-13-2009, 07:43 AM	#8
BIGEarl Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Nashua, NH Posts: 1,216	Larisa, Nice T/R & pics. Well done!

01-13-2009, 07:43 AM	#9
MichaelJ Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Watch City Posts: 3,836	Most totally wicked excellent TR and pics and what a great day! __________________ May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds. - Edward Abbey

01-13-2009, 09:35 AM	#10
MEB Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Freeport, ME Posts: 621	Awesome day to be out and above treeline. Nice running into you all at the junction. I was hoping someone in our group might want to head out over Garfield on the way back but no luck....well, I guess I really didn't want to either. Keep up the good work! See you on the trails! -MEB

01-13-2009, 10:16 AM	#11
Juniper Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Ee Aww Posts: 188	Nice TR and pics, LRiz! And it's good to know that you actually do get tired...eventually

01-13-2009, 05:17 PM	#12
Fat Tuesday Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Dorchester, MA Posts: 122	you're crushing it, L-boogie!! I'm rooting for you!

01-13-2009, 06:01 PM	#13
Dr. Dasypodidae Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Thornton, NH Posts: 1,944	Beautiful pics and fine report, LRiz. Twenty-five peaks in 20 days; fifth fastest time on the NH4s is doable, so go for it!

01-13-2009, 06:13 PM	#14
w7xman Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Epping, NH Posts: 648	If I see one more trip report with pics like this from last saturday when I decided to go to the beach instead of the mountains, I'm bound to go postal. Just wow...great hike and even better pics. That pano is one of the best I've seen in the Whites...seriously good! Congrats on a great hike! __________________ "I've learned that everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but that all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it." ~Andy Rooney My Photography Facebook Page... My Blog...

01-13-2009, 06:43 PM	#15
Silverfox Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Meredith New Hampshire Posts: 726	What a great day to be out those are some great pictures on a Busy busy day... __________________ ..350

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode