Matt and I picked the frozen Mount Liberty as the destination of our pursuit
I arrived in New Hampshire with one thing on my mind, going up a mountain in snowshoes. I yearned to see the view of the frozen nature below the mountain from a summit in winter. To look down upon the icy world after hours of toil up the typically long and steep slopes of the White Mountains would be beautiful. I knew that this was an adventure that I wanted to experience.
Having never hiked in the Whites in winter, my concern for the conditions were reasonably (at least in my opinion) high. Matt and I picked the frozen Mount Liberty as the destination of our pursuit for a number of reasons:
- It is one of the first mountains that you hit when you go up I-93.
- The drive to the trailhead is simple (it actually shares the parking lot with the Flume Gorge, a personal favorite of ours).
- The hike is a reasonable duration—less than 10 miles round trip.
- It was one of the mountains on Matt’s list of peaks in the White Mountains that he had yet to summit.
With all this taken into consideration, we had made our goal weeks before I was set to travel out to Hampton Beach to see Matt. As the day of our hike approached, the weather forecast was oscillating like a new diver with no sense of buoyancy. A week before, someone reported that there was a snow base of three feet on the mountain. This meant that the conditions were going to be perfect for snowshoeing!
The day of the hike arrived, and the weather was looking to be absolutely frigid. There was also three feet of snow forecasted to come down between Saturday and Sunday. We could not have been more excited. We did have a decision to make as to our hike: were we going to do an out and back along the Liberty Spring Trail or were we going to make it a loop and come back via the Flume Slide Trail?
The Flume Slide Trail sounded like it could be an epic hike. It ascends more than 1,500’ in just a little more than a half mile. We would be going down that path on our way back, which would likely allow for some glissading. Glissading is essentially sliding down a frozen snowy trail using your crampons or snowshoes to steer and brake. It is commonly done with an ice axe in hand (which we did not have) to use as an emergency brake if the slide gets out of control. It is one of those experiences that really makes you appreciate the hike that you did up the hill.
It ascends more than 1,500’ in just a little more than a half mile
Everywhere you looked was white and plastered with snow
The name of the trail was a bit ominous and was weighing in the back of my mind. A “slide” is typically considered to be a portion of a mountain that is prone to avalanches. Being from the Midwest, avalanches are a foreign subject to me, but I understand the gravity of this natural event. The decision to go down that trail would likely come at the top of Mount Liberty when we would need to decide if we would summit Mount Flume as well.
The hike up Mount Liberty was a snow-filled adventure. We spent the initial portion of the trail—which happened to be along the Appalachian Trail—hiking along in our boots. Enough people had been through since the last snow that we didn’t need to posthole our way up the mountain. There was already a packed trail for us to follow. We found ourselves immersed in a snowy winter wonderland. Everywhere you looked was white and plastered with snow. The further we went up the mountain the more laden the branches were. Pine trees that had boughs that typically stretched to the sky were bent low with the weight of three feet of snow.
At about the 3.5 mile mark, right as we hit the Franconia Ridge Trail, we stopped to put on our snowshoes. Looking back, this probably wasn’t the best time to do this. My hands and feet were already frigid from the ambient temperature that was hovering around 5 degrees for most of our hike. Now that we were on the ridge, there was less tree coverage, and we were exposed to the winds that were sweeping across the mountain. The Franconia Ridge Trail follows along the saddle between Mount Lincoln and Mount Liberty, and the exposure was placing the real feel closer to -15 to -20. We had come prepared, wearing face masks and ski goggles in order to minimize our skin exposure, but in order to put on my gear I had to take off my gloves for a few minutes to strap the snowshoes on. This left my fingers in a terribly cold state.
It was only moments after putting on my snowshoes that I stopped to take this photo. As I mentioned, this portion of the trail had fewer trees. I believe that these are white pine trees that are covered in lichen. The ferocity of the weather is evidenced on the tree, as the frozen conditions emblazoned the snow to the windward side. Every tree in this section of the trail was like this. We were less than a quarter of a mile from the summit, and the icy conditions did not predict a friendly greeting at the top.
If you want to hear how the summit of Mount Liberty was, check out the post “Mount Liberty Snow Covered Summit”. Tune in each month to hear more about Matt and I’s adventures. We want to bring you the wild, and are always looking for the best way to bring nature to everyone. Feel free to reach us at [email protected] or [email protected]. We look forward to bringing you closer to nature!
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[…] Camelback Mountain is a frequently hiked ridge line in Phoenix. From the first few steps of the Cholla Trail, you get a scenic view of the city. It's a great respite in close proximity to one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The trail isn't the longest, but it has a steep rate of ascent. In just 1.3 miles, you'll ascend nearly 1,200 feet. This reminds me of the steep hike up Mount Liberty. […]
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[…] the article “Franconia Ridge Frozen Pine”, I mentioned that we had to make the decision on whether or not to return via the Mount […]