Worth the Hike

The Franconia Ridge Trail, NH, September 10, 2016

The loop: from the parking lot at Lafayette Campground, up Falling Waters Trail, northward along Franconia Ridge Trail, down Greenleaf Trail, to Old Bridle Path and out.

I hiked the Franconia Ridge Trail this weekend with my family and tested my mettle. Famous to hikers in New England, the trail is a rugged, 8.5-mile loop with stunning views above tree line as it follows the ridge along four peaks. It took us nine hours to go up and down. We passed waterfalls, crossed streams, and clambered up unending stretches of boulders. I saw a fisher peek over a rock at me once when I stopped to rest, and just after I summited Mt. Lafayette, a squall of rain whipped in at me sideways. We stopped in the Greenleaf Hut for bowls of quinoa soup to fortify ourselves for the last three hours of the descent and share the camaraderie of the other hikers.

Fisher

I’m sore today still, but that hardly matters. I stepped into another world where I’m a tough, strong climber, where I lived each moment and conquered the mountain. I did it with my family.