Leonard Walstad

North Pack and Beyond

Snow is thin on North Pack today. There is ice on the steeper sections, but it was good to be on the summit.

Looking west to Mt. Monadnock

We headed south toward Pack Monadnock, but time was short so we reversed direction in the saddle.

There was a nice view to the north as we descended North Pack.

View to the north as we descend North Pack

We were on the trail for 2:23. Minor delays caused by ice on the ascent. Lunch (for both of us) on the top.

Franconia Ridge Hike – June 2009

Madeleine and I hiked the Franconia Ridge from Mt. Lafayette to Little Haystack in late June, 2009. Our route to the top was via the Old Bridle Path trail. We stopped for a quick lunch.

Lunchtime on the Old Bridle Path

We reached the Greenleaf Hut after an amazing hike up the ridge to 4200′. There are no pictures because we were hiking in fog.

Madeleine at Greenleaf Hut

Now, the AMC huts aren’t exactly what you might expect when you hear “hut.” Besides being dry (we were in the cloud at the time), there is very good food, light, and running water.

Madeleine reading in the Greenleaf Hut.

The next morning, we headed for the summit of Mt. Lafayette. Conditions were poor. Visibility was 200 ft and winds were gusting to 60 mph.

Madeline is at the summit of Mt. Lafayette.

Leonard at the summit of Mt. Lafayette.

From the summit, we headed south along the Franconia Ridge. The view was limited.

View from the Franconia Ridge to the west.

We reached the southern end of our trip along the ridge at Little Haystack.

Madeleine at Little Haystack

From there, we headed down the Falling Waters trail to complete our loop.

You can watch the video:

The Google Earth view is available at: Google Earth Bulletin Board