Frolicking up Fliberty

Leaders
Caitlin Fitchett (B coC), Kyle Bertram (A coB)
WIMP
Jolien van Nieuwenhuizen
Program
Winter (outside IAP)
Type
Hiking
Terrain level
B
Trip date
Sunday, December 3rd, 2023
Difficulty rating
Difficult
Prerequisites
1) Have attended the WS Safety Lectures in a prior year. 2) Proper winter hiking boots and microspikes. 3) Prior basic winter hiking experience is required.

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 7.6 miles (round-trip) for Mt. Liberty or 9.8 miles for Mt. Flume, with an elevation gain of ~3,000' for Liberty or ~4,000' for Mt. Flume. 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 any of the leaders if you have any questions about weather or want to discuss the difficulty of the hike in more detail

The current weather forecast shows temperature around ~35F at the base and ~25F at the summit with windchill in the teens.

You'll need warm layers, winter boots and microspikes. There will not be an opportunity to rent gear from MITOC for this trip.

Participants should either chat with Caitlin at the leader training or reach out directly to the leaders if you are not at the training.

5 am: Head out from Boston and start driving to Liberty Springs Trailhead.

7 am: Quick stop at Dunkin’s at Lincoln.

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

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

1:30 pm: Turnaround time

5:00 pm: Return to car, drive back to Boston

Ride Share Link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1CBIjAXDTmztrNFuDS1aln2j8LBjGOeY3TNnfgUGXW8s/edit?usp=drivesdk

Signup

Algorithm
first-come, first-serve
Maximum participants
8
Signups opened at
Dec. 2, 2023, 1 p.m.
Signups closed at
Dec. 2, 2023, 5 p.m.
Notes
  1. What year did you attend Winter School Safety Lectures?
  2. Do you own winter boots and microspikes? (If you have snowshoes, please bring them!)
  3. Do you have prior winter hiking experience in the White Mountains?
  4. Have you hiked similar distances and elevations recently (9mi, 4000ft)?
Signups for this trip are closed.