Over the river and through the woods...

The alarm on my Fitbit activated at 3:30 am. It was a hike day and today I was hiking up and over Mounts Liberty and Flume and through the Pemigewasset Wilderness out to Lincoln Woods.

It was to be a solo trip of 10.63 miles. I wasn't worried about the mileage because I hike this distance without too much difficulty. I also wasn't concerned with going solo, since I have hiked many, many hikes solo, and in fact really enjoy my time alone in the woods.

I was pretty excited about this hike. This would require dropping my car off where I was finishing the hike and getting a ride to the starting trail-head by my wife. (Hikers call that car spotting) There was no room for error or mishap, because my car would be 11 miles way (over two mountain summits and about 7 additional miles of wilderness.) This would also be one of the longest solo hikes.

We arrived at the pitch black and empty parking lot at the Flume Visitor Center where I put on my hiking boots, strapped on my backpack and put a headlamp on to battle the darkness of the trail. I said my goodbyes to Leslie and was off. The temperature was around 28 degrees, but I had on gloves, a hat and sufficient layers to combat the morning chill.


The first thing I noticed was that I really, really wished I had more coffee. The second thing I noticed was that it was very quiet and I was all alone. It is kind of spooky in the dark woods. You immediately imagine there are critters just beyond the beam of your light watching you.

Another thing I noticed was that the light on my headlamp was not very bright at all. I first thought that my eyes had not yet adapted to the darkness. That thought was quickly dispelled when the headlight went out completely, plunging me into absolute, total
 darkness. I should have checked the batteries!!!


We'll, being a responsible hiker, I had a back up head-lamp with fresh batteries. I also had replacement batteries and a small flash light. I believe in redundancy!

Once I swapped out the headlamps and put my gloves back on, I headed up the bike path to the hiking trail. My first objective was the Liberty Springs Tent Site where I planned to eat a snack and enjoy my hot tea.

The first thing you come to on the hike is the Bridge of Darkness (not sure what the name actually is, but this will do for now).

It looked very spooky to me. In the darkness, I couldn't see the other side, nor could I see the river below it. Since Leslie left about 20 minutes earlier, I had no choice but to cross it and continue on.

Eventually, the darkness gave way to the dawn, revealing that Old Man Winter had settled in the mountains. While the snow was un-troubling in the beginning, the higher I got, the more snow I would encounter, until it became necessary to put on micro spikes for additional traction.

The early morning forest has a quality all its own. As the light slowly creeps over the distant ridge, more and more details come into view.

There was barely a sound: just the wind and some birds, and the crunch of my boots on the crusty snow.

Up and up I climbed, at a steady pace. When I solo hike, I tend to push myself to make it both a good workout and enjoyable hike.

The higher I got, the more light there was. One tell tale sign that you are nearing the summit is that you can start to see light through the trees up ahead. That is a most welcome sight to a hiker, because they know the summit is near.

Eventually, I made it to the summit of Mt Liberty and was rewarded with unending, fantastic views. This was one of those rare December days, where the wind is light, the temperatures reasonable and the sky a brilliant blue affording unending views in all directions. Its for days like today that I am willing to wake at 3:30 AM and go hiking on less than 4 hours sleep. You can't really put into words what this view is like in person. Some of the views are below.

Mount Cannon

Mount Lincoln & Mt Lafayette (Franconia Ridge)

Mount Garfield

Once I took in the sweeping views from the summit of Mt Liberty, I headed toward Mt Flume to continue my journey. Mt Flume is only a mile from Liberty, so I made quick time of my hike over there and made the summit in no time at all. Once again I was rewarded with spectacular and expansive views that are as good as anywhere else in New England.

Even though I had already climbed two different mountains, my hike was far from over. I still had to go off the backside of Mt Flume on the Osseo Trail and walk approximately 7 miles through the Pemigewasset Wilderness to Lincoln Woods where my car waited for me.

One of the fun parts of the Osseo Trail is the several different sections of ladders. These ladders, although helpful in the Spring, Fall & Winter, can be a bit treacherous when snow covered.

Although you can't see it in this picture, some of these ladder sections can be very steep. This was one such section. There were several of these sections, which made for a slow decent.

The ladder section was what put this trail on the Terrifying 25 List. As you may recall from a previous post, we hikers love lists of mountains

to climb. This list is the 25 most "terrifying" trails in New Hampshire. That is why, even though I have done this hike before, I decided to do it again. With the weather I had, it was a great decision.

Another great thing with going through the wilderness was that there would be a good chance I wouldn't see another soul. I was not disappointed. I had the wonderful solitude I search for in my hikes.

I have seen many critters on my hikes throughout the years, from bears to moose to deer, turkeys, foxes, birds, bobcats and Gray Jays who will eat out of your had. This little red squirrel was very inquisitive and played peek-a-boo with me for about 5 minutes. I finally tired of the game and bid goodbye and continued on my way.

The hike out for the last couple of miles is very flat and forgiving, allowing tired muscles the opportunity to cool down before getting in the car. This particular part of the hike, Lincoln Woods Trail, is an old rail road grade, which remains flat all the way to the parking lot at Lincoln Woods.

The draw back is that it seemingly goes on forever without end! As my good friend and sometimes hiking partner likes to say "Every hike is two miles too long!"

Another con is that it is so flat, that many, many tourist use to stroll into the woods, which can make it seem crowded at times.

Finally, when you cross the river, you are done with the hike and there is much rejoicing. It was a fabulous time alone in the woods for 6 hours. I always feel peaceful and rejuvenated whenever I visit the forest.

Happy Trails and thanks for reading!!