Join us on one of the first winter hiking trips of 2023, where will will climb up Mt. Flume and hike or slide down Mt. Liberty. Our plan is to start from the Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot, then hike the extremely steep Flume Slide Trail to reach Mt. Flume (4328'). Continuing on to Mt. Liberty (4459'), we then leave the beautiful Franconia Range views behind by hiking or sliding down the Liberty Spring Trail if we have enough snow cover (a classic slide!)

Distance is about 9 miles, with an elevation gain of 3700'. See the route map here. Note that this hike is different from the Liberty/Flume hike advertised for Saturday as our route will head up the steeper Flume Slide Trail instead of out and back on the Liberty Spring Trail. This will be a strenuous hike due to mileage, elevation gain, and slope, where applicants should have previous winter hiking experience, be able to maintain a >1 mph pace on winter terrain, and preferably have attended previous years of Winter School lectures.

We will be using crampons and ice axes on the Flume Slide trail. The steep part at the top Flume Slide Trail can be icy, so prior crampon and ice axe experience is helpful (but not required). We may also take snowshoes as fresh snow is forecast on Thursday and the trail may not be well broken out.

Weather:

It will be sunny but cold on Sunday and there will be some exposed sections at the summits, so we will need a full set of layers and skin exposure protection. See Mt. Liberty weather here. For sliding down the Liberty Spring Trail you should also have microspikes and waterproof, hard-shell pants.

Logistics:

There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting on the lobby of the 5th floor of W20 at 6pm on Thursday, January 12th to rent or check equipment and adjust crampons. Make sure to bring the hiking boots you will be using in the trip.

Details will be sent out after the lottery runs.

We reserve the right to select participants based on previous experience. Winning the lottery does not guarantee a place on this trip. Thank you for your understanding and please email us with any questions!

Trip Itinerary:

Sunday, 5 am: Meet at MIT Kresge turnaround and start driving to Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot

Sunday, 7 am: Stop at Dunkin’s at Lincoln for a quick breakfast.

Sunday, 7:45 am: Arrive at the trail-head at Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot

Sunday, 8:00 am: Hike starts. Up Flume Slide Trail to Mt. Flume, then over to Mt. Liberty.

Sunday, 1:30 pm: Turnaround time

Sunday, 5:00 pm: Return to car, drive back to Boston (option to stop for dinner on way home)