What better way to ring in 2023 than with the freedom to enjoy the beautiful outdoors of New Hampshire? Mount Liberty, the 18th tallest peak in the White Mountains, is one of six mountains along Franconia Ridge. Its rocky open summit, at 4,459 ft, affords terrific panoramic views of the surrounding Pemigewasset Wilderness. We will ascend Mt. Liberty via the Liberty Spring and Franconia Ridge trails. After enjoying the panoramic views on Mt. Liberty, we will continue to Mt. Flume if time permits. A winter school classic!

Distance is 8.6 miles (round-trip) for Mt. Liberty or 10.6 miles if we hit Mt. Flume, with an elevation gain of ~3,000'. This will be a strenuous hike due to mileage and elevation gain, hence you are strongly recommended to have previous winter hike experience and to be a strong hiker. Specifically, experience on similarly difficult 3-season or winter hikes and fitness commensurate with a steep ~3,000 ft of elevation gain are a must. There is a small amount of above treeline travel, which will be an excellent intro for those who have not yet experienced the thrill and challenges of above treeline traverse in NH during winter.

Feel free to reach out to the trip leaders (Adam - agberger@mit.edu, Samantha - samantha.a.mandel@gmail.com, Bernando - bernard0@mit.edu) if you have any questions about whether or not you are prepared for this hike.

The current weather forecast (https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Liberty-New-Hampshire/forecasts/1359currently) shows cloudy to partly cloudy, fresh snow from Thursday, chance of light precip. (rain near base and snow higher), moderate wind, and wind chills at the summit right below 0F.

You'll need warm layers, microspikes, and potentially snowshoes. All of the equipment can be rented from MITOC! Keep an eye out for the final list before the lecture on Thursday.

Pre-trip meeting will be at MIT before the WS lecture on Thursday.

If you can drive your own car or are willing to drive a rental car, edit the “Lottery preferences” on your MITOC profile to show this.