Same route as the “Fabulous Flume and Lovely Liberty” trip - we will start 20 minutes later than the other group to stagger start times.

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 highly recommended. We may also take snowshoes as fresh snow is forecast on Thursday (if it doesn’t refreeze with the following rain) 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:

The trip size is currently at max 8 (including leaders). We may extend the limit to 10 people based on car availability, interest, and participant skill level.

There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting at the MITOC Office at 9pm 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, 5.20 am: Meet at MIT student center turnaround and start driving to Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot

Sunday, 7.20 am: Stop at Dunkin’s at Lincoln for hot water fill and quick breakfast.

Sunday, 8:05 am: Arrive at the trail-head at Liberty Springs Trailhead parking lot

Sunday, 8:20 am: Hike starts. Up Flume Slide Trail to Mt. Flume, then over to Mt. Liberty.

Sunday, 1:50 pm: Turnaround time

Sunday, 5:20 pm: Return to car, drive back to Boston (option to stop for dinner on way home)