Hostel Weekend: Lafayette-Lincoln Loop

We arrived at the Lafayette Place parking area around 8:00 and after waiting for a member for about 15 minutes who did not show up we headed out on the trail. When we arrived at the Bus Stop, a rocky ledge 2/3 way to the hut, we could all see what was waiting for us. The ridge was clear at that time.  Farther up, at Red Rocks, we paused for more views down, with a nice view of Cannon and the ridge we were climbing. We saw the ridge being rained on and in a few minutes light showers came upon us.

The AMC's Greenleaf hut was still open and we took a well-deserved rest inside to get out of the showers. We warmed up inside, and had lunch. They were selling yummy snacks and hot coffee. About 15 minutes later the showers stopped and the ridge reappeared. It was colder and breezy so we put on some layers and continued on.

We passed Eagle Lake, with some nice views back to the hut and of Cannon Mountain and headed up to the summit. There were some more views back down. Finally, we made it to the summit of Lafayette. It was breezier up here with 360 degree views. There are foundations of the old horse barn on the summit, but we didn't need the extra shelter. We put on more clothes, had a snack, took some pictures, and headed south, towards Lincoln.

We were in the clear on the trip across the ridge. There were clear views into the Pemi peaks like Garfield, Owl’s Head and the Bonds. Clouds began to form over Lafayette and a cloud bubble over Little Haystack. On Lincoln, it was cold and windy, so we just paused a few minutes and continued. By the time we made it to the rocky section near Little Haystack it had gotten warmer again. The final section of the ridge is spectacular.

We gathered at the Little Haystack trail junction for more food and a brief rest.The views of the ridge leading back to Lincoln were inspiring. We could see where we had been. It was clear in the Notch and we could see the Cannon Cliffs.

On the way down we stopped at Shining Rock, a huge slab of granite with water flowing down it most of the year. This was our final rest stop for the trip. We descended the Falling Waters trail, enjoying the great waterfalls and cascades in the fall leaves. We finished around 4:45 and headed back to our house for dinner. Steve and Rich stopped in briefly to say hello…the had hiked the Tripyramids and camping at the next Campton Campground. 
 

Pictures by Jon Normand
Trip Report by Mike Boisvert

Jon and I are running this hiking weekend from Rock ‘N River [Mike and Jon’s house] in the White Mountain National Forest for this getaway! It’s all about all of us having fun together! Lodging is optional to participate but we think you’ll have more fun, cut down driving back & forth in one day, and get to make new gay outdoorzy buddies better if you spend the weekend.

LAFAYETTE-LINCOLN LOOP HIKE

Mt. Lafayette [5,260’] and Mt. Lincoln [5,089’] provides exhilarating panoramas rivaled by few mountains anywhere in the East! There is also knife-edge excitement of Franconia Ridge and the calming waters of beautiful Cloudland Falls on the descent. Mileage is 8.9 miles with 3,900’ elevation gain.

We will be meeting at the Mt. Lafayette trailhead for 8:00 AM and the directions are posted below. We’ll ascend using the Old Bridle Path and at 1.9 miles reach the first of three spectacular open ledge viewpoints looking up to the huge barren crest of Franconia Ridge. At 2.9 miles we’ll reach the Greenleaf Hut for a rest and top off our water bottles. At 4.0 miles we’ll reach Mt. Lafayette.

We’ll then turn onto the Franconia Ridge Trail at the summit of Mt. Lafayette for a delightful walk over legendary terrain. We’ll reach Mt. Lincoln at 5.0 miles and then Little Haystack at 5.5 miles. We turn onto the Falling Waters Trail with a steep descent for close to half a mile to the Shining Rock junction.

At 7.4 miles we reach the single bridal veil of gorgeous Cloudland Falls. We then view the charming Swiftwater Falls and later glide by Stairs Falls.    

Vertical Gain: 3,900 feet [Strenuous]
Distance: 8.9 miles 
Approximately 7.5 hours outing duration

GEAR

The weather starts to get chilly this time of year so make sure you have a wool hat, gloves, insulating layer such as fleece and protection from the elements with a rain shell. Bring lunch, snacks, and water.  

APRES- HIKE

Later on we’ll relax on our deck for beer/wine/snacks to enjoy the spectacular views, have a family style BBQ and a campfire under the stars! It’s BYOB all weekend. If you will not be spending the weekend with us and would like to join us for the BBQ [$10 to reimburse our food costs], let us know so can ensure there is enough food for everyone.

LODGING OPTION

Rock ‘N River has 2 rooms with 4 bunks each. The bunks include linen/blankets and there are plenty of towels in both bathrooms to use for showers. We can only accommodate 8 members indoors for the weekend so RSVP quickly!  Members who reserve both nights instead of one night will be given priority…so if you only reserve one night you may ultimately not have a place to stay.  Rock ‘N River will be open take in arrivals Friday night at 7PM. Saturday & Sunday mornings we will start the day with coffee and bagels.

RATE

The rate of $25 for Friday night and $35 Saturday night [includes BBQ]; or $60 for the entire weekend. Includes a bunk bed with a breakfast each morning, BBQ Saturday night and full access to the amenities at Rock ‘N River.