Come join us for some frigid fun on Liberty and Flume this Sunday, Jan. 25th!

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 9.6 miles (round-trip) for Mt. Liberty & Mt. Flume (elevation gain ~4143’). See map: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-hampshire/mount-liberty-and-mount-flume-via-whitehouse-liberty-springs-and-franconia-ridge-tr

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 the trip leaders if you have any questions about whether or not you are prepared for this hike.

The current weather forecast (https://www.mountain-forecast.com/peaks/Mount-Liberty-New-Hampshire/forecasts/1359) looks FREEZING this weekend. Sunday on the Mt. Liberty summit currently shows a high of 0F, low of -4F, and wind chill of -20F!

Given the temps, we will plan to hike at a relatively quick pace and take minimal, efficient breaks. You'll need warm layers and microspikes. Equipment can be rented from MITOC. Keep an eye out for the final list this week.

Pre-trip meeting will be at MIT after the WS lecture on Thursday.

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.