The route

The route is approximately 10 miles and 3800 ft of elevation gain. We will start at the Old Bridle Path Trailhead, ascend the very icy Falling Waters trail to Little Haystack mountain, traverse the ridge south to Mount Liberty and hike down via Liberty Springs trail. To get back to the parking lot we will walk additional 3 miles along the interstate.

This hard hike is a chance to bag two 4000-footers, enjoy iconic views of Franconia Notch and Pemigewasset Wilderness and practice different types of traction (microspikes, crampons, maybe snowshoes) on a steep terrain. The part between Little Haystack and Liberty is not hiked super frequently and we might need to break trail, depending on snow fall the days prior.

Prerequisites

This is a difficult hike. We require that participants have previous hiking experience and have been on at least one winter hike. This trip requires a good level of fitness. Participants should be comfortable with hydration and nutrition on the trail and layer management. If you're not sure whether you meet the prerequesites but think you are a good fit for the trip, please contact the leaders!

Logistics

There will be a mandatory pre-trip meeting at 5:45 pm on Thursday to review gear and logistics. We'll send details by email after the lottery runs.

We will need a couple drivers for this trip! Please update your car status if you can drive (put "willing to rent" if you can rent — MIT provides discounted car rental, and we'll evenly split rental/gas costs).

Please budget for: $5 trip fee, $30-50 carpooling costs (if you are not a driver), any personal gear rentals (capped at $15), and any food you buy along the way. Financial assistance is available for MIT affiliates, please ask trip leaders if interested! We intend to use the MIT car cost calculator and share costs equally among participants.

It might be cold this weekend. We will monitor the weather and adjust plans accordingly