Lincoln and Lafayette

We had my parents watch the kids for the weekend, and camped at a KOA up in Littleton, NH. We woke up “early” Saturday to get to the trailhead a little before 7. There were already plenty of people parked there. People hit the trails early up there. We started hiking around 7:15 and hit Old Bridal trail just quickly before turning on to Falling Waters trail. That trail took us all the way to Little Haystack. Little Haystack is over 4,700 feet tall, but not considered one of the official 4,000 footers because it is less than 200 feet above the ridge to Mt. Lincoln. Falling Waters was a a nice, easy to follow trail. There were some water crossings that were a little difficult to cross due to high water levels still. We were able to pass them while staying dry though. The entire way up to Little Haystack was a pretty relentless climb. This is where Amanda was a little surprised at the magnitude of the hike. I was a little surprised myself. Looking back, I shouldn’t have been. I should have realized how steep the climb would have been based on the elevations and studying topographical maps ahead of time. But, I went into it thinking we would be able to handle it without issue. We did handle it, but it wasn’t easy. The view from Haystack was tremendous. We took a quick water break and lost a layer as it was starting to get really warm. Then, from there we got on the Franconia Ridge Trail to head towards Lincoln.

I was having a great time. It was a beautiful day, the views from the ridge were outstanding, and I was able to share it with Amanda. She was enjoying the views, but the hike was taking a toll on her. Her legs were hurting. I’m not sure how my legs weren’t to be honest. Sometimes my adrenaline kicks in to overdrive and I’m not even thinking about anything other then the task at hand. Amanda has told me sometimes I can be a bit intense with my excursions and that a lot of other people aren’t like that. We have disagreed on this in the past, but I’m starting to see her point.

Hiking along Franconia Ridge was surreal. Just getting to walk along this narrow ridge that connects 3 large peaks overlooking the forests was incredible. It was sunny and hot, so we were sweating and going through a lot of water. There was a good amount of climbing over rocks, with the occasional use of hands needed. I enjoy that type of challenge. It’s not too difficult where it seems dangerous, but it’s difficult enough to make you work a little harder. Once we got to Lincoln, we hung out for a little bit, got some water and a snack, and then hit the trail again to get up to Mt. Lafayette. You can look in any direction from Lincoln and have a wide open view of the entire forest, except one direction. That’s the direction of Lafayette. Only one higher point in this area, and it was time to get up there. Amanda was hurting at this point. She wasn’t happy with me that I started her off on such an intense hike. Her hips were really bothering her and it was tough for her to go up and down steep sections. I was starting to feel bad, but all I could do was try to motivate her to look past the pain and digging deep to finish the hike. In hindsight, maybe not the best way to handle it. But it’s the only way I know how. Just grit your teeth and keep moving.

Getting to Lafayette was fairly short compared to what we had already done. It was steep and plenty of rocks to maneuver up and around. This was hard for Amanda, but we finally made it. We were at the 6th highest peak in New Hampshire. It was a beautiful day and it felt great. As much as Amanda was hurting, she was enjoying it up there as well. We had another snack, hung out for a little bit longer, and then decided it was time to head down. Surely, it would be easier on the descent than the ascent.

We took the Greenleaf trail off of Lafayette and down to the Greenleaf Hut. This was the first hut I have come across, so we stopped here, took our packs off and hung out for a bit. It overlooks a small lake on the mountain and was just awesome to hang out at. We had been using spikes at various times throughout the hike, and getting to the hut was no exception. Plenty of narrow sections of trail that were just covered in packed snow/ice still. We talked to a solo hiker for awhile at the hut, who has hiked all over the country. It’s so cool hearing about other’s adventures. From the hut, it was just take Old Bridal Path to the truck.

The descent was not easy at times. Steep and slow. There was one section where we were basically down on our butts sliding down rock. I thought the descent would feel better for us, but that was just my inexperience talking. The descent can be painful on the knees. Amanda’s legs and hips were hurting, so the steep sections were particularly difficult. But we made it. We were pretty quiet the entire way down and just made it happen.

We were back at the truck around 3. Not the fastest hike, but we weren’t trying to be fast. We took plenty of breaks and took it nice and easy. Really got to enjoy the ridge on such a fantastic day. When we showed up in the morning, there were plenty of spots available. It was busy, but there was plenty of parking. At the end of the day, there were cars crammed everywhere, including in grassy areas that were not supposed to be parking. It was definitely a busy day out there. We hung out for a bit, had a beer and then head back to the campsite.

When we got back, we just relaxed for a bit before starting dinner. Amanda wasn’t feeling good, so she went inside to lay down and I went for a walk around the campsite. It started to rain and then there was a great rainbow over the water as I got back to our site. Amanda was down for the night. The day just wore her out. I felt really bad at this point. I thought the hike would be perfect for our first one together because of the amazing views. I underestimated the hike and pushed her too hard. It ended up being a short night. She never even came out for dinner, and I ended up turning in early as well.

Maybe it wasn’t the fairytale, perfect day. There were lessons to be learned from it, but overall we had a good day. Amanda got to see what this new obsession of mine is all about and we got to see the White Mountain National Forest from one of the most spectacular places.