Franconia Ridge Loop Prep

[Chris Hyatt]

Hey All

Been reading BPL for awhile and finally decided to join as member so this is my first post! I am planning a quick solo hike in late October in the Franconia Ridge, hitting Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty and Flume. Planning on 3 days Saturday through Monday and fly back to Florida on Tuesday morning.

First time I've been in this neck of the woods but I think I am covered from a gear standpoint. Let me know if any of you have any tips or things I should consider. Below is my gear list.

Main Pack ( > 50 L )
GoLite Jam Backpack – Men's – 3050cu in

Shelter System
GoLite Shangri-La 2 Tarp
Emergency Blanket For Ground Tarp
6 MSR groudhog Stakes
Nite Ize RR-04-50 Reflective Cord
Borah Gear M90 Side Zip Bivy

Sleep System
GoLite Unisex Z30 Quilt
1/2 Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sleeping Pad
Silk Liner
Cocoon Travel Pillow

Clothing Carried
Patagonia Nano Puff Pullover Insulated Jacket – Men's
Patagonia Merino 2 Lightweight Zip Top
Fleece Gloves
Drimax Balaclava
Patagonia Merino 2 Lightweight Bottoms
Marmot Micro G
Lukes Pertex Rain Pants
MicroFleece Hat
Wool Socks

Clothing Worn
Patagonia Capilene silkweight short sleeve
Prana Stretch Zion Pants
ExOfficio Give-N-Go Boxer Brief
Coolmax performance socks
Merrell Proterra Sport Hiking Shoe
Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles
Grease Monkey Max Fit Gorilla Grip Glove

Cooking System
Water bottle
Ultralight Backpacking Canister Camp Stove with Piezo Ignition
Utensils
Windscreen
Snow Peak Mini Solo Hybrid Summit Cookset
Mini-Bic lighter
Sawyer Inline Water Purification

Navigation
Map
Zip-Lock Freezer bag
Suunto A-10 Compass
iPhone

Lighting
Black Diamond Storm
Extra Batteries

Tools
IDL Tools T10 Keychain MultiTool
Repair Kit

Personal Health & Hygiene
Kleenex Tissue
Travel Toothbrush
Colgate Toothpaste
Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer for Outdoor Use
Climb On! Lotion Bar
Pills

First-aid & Survival
Adventure Medical Ultralight & Watertight .7 First Aid Kit
JetScream Whistle

Stuff Sacks & Organizers
Blue Stuff Sack
Plastic Trash Compactor Bag
Loksak Opsak Bag

Personal Items
Sunglasses
Mighty Wallet
Driver License
Credit Card
Car Key

[Jake D]

What is your usual mileage? That loop is a long day hike for many, 2 days max. I'd add something. If i was going to do 3 days i'd
Day 1: hike up Old bridal path to layfayette, across the ridge, drop pack at liberty, tag Flume, stay at Liberty Springs campsite.
Day 2 hike down liberty springs tr. across 93 along Cascade brook tr/kinsmans pond tr to Kinsman Pond campsite, tag N. Kinsman. (Kinsman pond shelter is awesome)
day 3 hike out the Fishin Jimmy trail, check out Lonesome Lake Hut

Mostly there isn't much camping on the northern section that I know of. Huts are expensive and sometimes need reservations. Campsites and shelters are $8/night if there is someone to collect it. huts are 100+

Gear is probably good. expect 30s

[Chris Hyatt]

thanks for the insight Jake. Typically do about 15 miles per day but I heard this area is challenging so I thought I'd be conservative. I'm not sold on this route. Just looking for a good long loop -preferably 25-30 miles. If you have a better choice, please let me know.

[Jake D]

(i've done these trails a lot so I have as much info as you want)

There is a lot of ridge walking which doesn't have the same difficulty as the trails off of it.

a good alternative would be the western Half Pemi loop to be a more continuous loop. This would also give a good warm up period since the first day would be relatively casual. (not sure why i didn't think of it before). Bear boxes at both campsites so no need to hang food.. but make sure you get all of it, squirrels are evil.

Day 1: Lincoln woods trail head up LW trail and Franconia brook trail to Mt Garfield / garfield campsite. wide railroad grade for the first 2-3mi, good to get the legs moving and pack adjusted. 13 Falls is a nice rest stop, better in the spring though.

Day 2: Across franconia ridge to Liberty springs campsite. No water across the ridge until the campsite. so pack accordingly. 2L is a good start.

Day 3: down Osseo trail back to Lincoln Woods.

If you don't have this map, I highly suggest it. (ems right off 93 going north from Manchester)
http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3669092

[Chris Hyatt]

Thanks Jake. I will check it out!

[Chris Hyatt]

My flight is out of Burlington early Tuesday morning so essentially this only really gives me Sunday and Monday to do this loop. Typically I do 13-15 miles a day and have done as much as 26 in a pinch but that is mostly in north Georgia and the Smoky Mountains. Not sure how they compare.

Do you think it can be done in two days? If so, what would you change about the itinerary? I am thinking just combining days 2 & 3?

Thanks again!

[Jake D]

That should work still. The hardest part is going up Lafayette from garfield. Going along the ridge has a few ups and downs but the treadway is good and you have great views the entire way.

for comparison, I did the entire 32mi pemi loop in a day in around 14.5hr. without running.

Take pics and report back too

[Chris Hyatt]

Wow! You have me motivated. I am modifying my trip. I think I'll do the whole thing. Let me know what you think.

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=95998&skip_to_post=814193#814193

[Jake D]

One problem is the Franconia brook campsite is on the other side of the river, so you'd have to find some place to stealth camp along there.. which is probably fine since you'll get an early start anyway.

Plus, that is a much different hike. Going across from Guyot to garfield is a lot of work. You have to descend down S. Twin which is 1000' in a mile or something then right back up about the same to garfield. They call the ridge from Garfield to Layfayette "The Agonies" lots of false peaks. Full loop has 10'000ft of elevation gain.

ie it took me 45min to descend S. Twin to Galehead hut, 2hrs to go from Galehead hut to Garfield peak.

and remember I did it in a day, in early August, with a 9lb day pack. And i've done all 48 of the NH 4000 footers, thru hiked the Long Trail etc in the last few years.

most people do the full loop as a 2-3 night.

[Chris Hyatt]

So I am coming in Saturday evening and need to head out to catch my flight early Tuesday morning. What would you recommend as a route to do the whole loop in two days and one night? Or should I just stick to what you already defined? I just looked at distance and they seemed close in mileage (not elevation) but figured why not so the whole loop if they are similar.

Thanks again for all the advice!

[Jake D]

The difference is the elevation. The original idea, the first day would be pretty casual with only a bit of elevation and getting yourself situated. Day 1 of the full pemi in 2 days would be pretty long.

profile of full pemi (from Guthook's page) Half pemi would look like the last 4-5mi but going upward towards garfield up the middle.

Pemi loop topo. you can see how the valley goes through the middle.

[Chris Hyatt]

Thanks again for the info! It is much appreciated. I've been reading more about the 2 day counter clockwise options and I know it will be brutal, but I think I am going to give it a try anyways.

I think if I can get a headstart Saturday evening and plan on 12-14 hour days, I can do it. Let me know if you have any other tips for me on this.

[Jake D]

Make sure you go across the big suspension bridge at Lincoln woods so you are on the correct side of the river, no crossings after that.

There is no water on either ridge. basically only at campsites and huts.. so plan accordingly :)

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