Outdoor Diversion: Winter Hike to Lafayette and Lincoln

Summits: Mount Lafayette (5,260'), Mount Lincoln (5,089')

Trail route: Old Bridle Path, Greenleaf Trail, Franconia Ridge Trail, Falling Waters Trail

Trail conditions: Hard packed snow with some ice along the ridge and soft snow on the way down

Weather: Sunshine with cold temps and windy across the ridge

Total miles: 8.8

Total time: 7:00

The weather and trail conditions were looking good for a hike above treeline to Mount Lafayette and Mount Lincoln. This would be a grid hike since I needed these two summits for the month of February. I was glad to have some company today and would join Robin, Jill, Scott and Lisa for this hike.

There was plenty of parking in this usually full parking lot during warm weather. This is a very popular hike and there can be hundreds of hikers here on a summer day. Our first decision was to decide on whether or not to take snowshoes. A recent trail report indicated snowshoes were not necessary so they stayed behind.

We walked up to the trailhead and put on microspikes. Our next decision was what direction to hike the loop, we decided clockwise which would take us up Old Bridle Path to Mount Lafayette and across the ridge descending Falling Waters Trail. This would put most of the wind on our backs.

It was a nice hike up to the first views and then it was up across the Agonies to Greenleaf Hut. We took a short break and layered up before heading up to Mount Lafayette. There was one sketchy area just below the summit, a frozen snow field that required good traction. We got past this without a mishap.

The wind had been increasing as we got closer to the summit. When we reached the top it was a steady cold wind and there would be no lingering or basking in the sun up here. As we started our descent on the south side of the mountain there was a brief respite from the wind.

We continued along the ridge to Mount Truman meeting many hikers along the way. It was then on to Mount Lincoln where there was a significant decrease in the wind. We stayed long enough for a few photos then continued on to Little Haystack. After a short break on this last summit we started our descent on the Falling Waters Trail, it would be all downhill from here.

The trail had softened in the sunshine and warmer temps but it was still an easy descent without any postholing. The many waterfalls on the lower section of trail were frozen over. The water crossings were easy and there were no wet feet. At the last water crossing there was a wooden bridge and on the other side of that we completed our 8.4 mile hiking loop. From here it was a short walk back to the trailhead.

This can be a daunting if not downright dangerous hike given the extreme weather conditions that can be experienced above treeline and on the ridgeline. Today was the exception and although there was a steady, cold biting wind on Mount Lafayette it was short-lived and the sun felt warm as we crossed the ridge. Both weather and trail conditions were better than expected and we all enjoyed an incredible hike.

Today's hike brought my grid count to 561/576. I now have three more summits in two hikes this month to grid out February. I'm hoping the weather cooperates!

Enjoy the photos and videos!