[at-l] Day Hike in NH

[art at crystalacresnh.com (Art Cloutman)]

Some students and teachers from the school from which I retired are 
staying at my place for the weekend to do some hiking in the Whites. 
Yesterday we hiked as section of the AT along Franconia Ridge.  There 
was snow and ice above 3,000 feet but not much.  Rime ice on the 
rocks and trees made the mountains in the area truly account for the 
name White Mountains.  Mount Washington could be seen crowned in 34 
inches of powder left over from a storm that passed through 5 days 
before.   We hiked up the Falling waters Trail to Little Haystack 
where we picked up the AT for 1.7 miles over Lincoln and Lafayette 
then we follow the Green Leaf trail down to the Green Leaf Hut which 
is now closed for the winter.  There have been recent renovations to 
this hut including the addition of a wheelchair ramp.  Federal 
Regulation?  I have no idea how a wheel chair could get up any of the 
trails leading to this hut.  The snow was not melting on the ridge so 
temperatures must have been in the 20's.  Great views in all 
directions.  The kids were wonderful.  They looked out for each other 
and did not get too spread out along the trail.  There were more 
french speaking  hikers from Canada on the trail than Americans.  We 
got down off of the ridge as the sun was setting and made it back to 
our vehicles just as it got dark enough for headlamps and just as it 
began to rain.  A stop at a pizza joint and then a 1 hour ride home 
for showers and a well needed sleep.

Gabby
-- 

Life is Good!!!
Art Cloutman