What better way to ring in 2024 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!

Roundtrip distance is 7.6 miles (round-trip) for Mt. Liberty (elevation gain ~3200’) or 9.5 miles if we hit Mt. Flume (elevation gain ~ 3600’). See map: https://caltopo.com/p/711F2.

This will be a strenuous hike due to mileage and elevation gain, hence you are strongly recommended to have previous winter hiking experience and to be a strong hiker. Specifically, experience on similarly difficult 3-season hikes and fitness commensurate with a steep ~3,000 ft of elevation gain are a must. We plan to hike at a moderate-fast pace. 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 winter.

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

The current weather forecast (https://trailsnh.com/weather/n/357730264/Mount-Liberty-NH-Summit-Forecast) predicts a cloudy, windy, and cold day (0 degrees at the summits). We’ll update this as we get closer to the weekend.

You'll need warm layers, insulated hiking boots, microspikes, and 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 at 6pm before the WS lecture on Thursday. More details will be sent to trip participants after the lottery runs.

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. Participants will share car costs.