Marlene picked Blue and I up this morning at 6am. She dropped us off at the trailhead by 6:30 and we hiked in glorious sunshine all day long! We also climbed over 5,300 feet and dropped 3200’. So it was quite the day!

I was the first on the trail because many spider webs were found. Today was Franconia Ridge which is the most frequented section on the Appalachian Trail. Franconia Ridge is a 6-mile traverse and one of the most highly rated day hikes in the country. There are numerous ponds, and fascinating alpine plants to look for. And the ridge covers Little Haystack Mountain 4755’, Mount Lincoln 5082’, Mt. Lafayette 5246’ and linked with Mount Garfield 4467’. It is ridge walking at its best.

Our morning climb was over 3500’ in five miles. It went on for hours, well at least it seemed that way. The trail, I must say, was about the best maintained trail I’ve been on since Connecticut. It has rocks in good places with stepping up rocks that were reasonable, and the water crossings were manageable. I believe that this trail is used by so many day hikers, that they do their best to keep it up. Nevertheless it was steep and we climbed for three to four hours.

Little Haystack Mountain was our first view. While not officially a 4000-foot peak due to lack of prominence, Little Haystack is part of the long ridge above treeline, and it tops out at 4755’. The last 300’ was a rock scramble like all peaks around here. And it left me breathless. Blue and I met up with several thru-hikers including Card Shark and Digi, along with Cali-Roll who I hiked with back in Connecticut.

After taking a few pictures, we headed up the Ridgeline to Mount Lincoln. Lincoln 5082’ is the second highest peak on Franconia Ridge, Mount Lincoln is a tall, open ridge well above tree line. This was the first time we were in sub-alpine areas. The fragile flowers were over 50 years old and they asked hikers to stay on trail as one boot print could kill them.

Today was such a perfect day to be hiking Franconia Ridge due to the weather. We could see all the peaks nearby, with little clouds off the horizon. Blue and I both said that this was the best day hiking to this point. We stopped at Mount Lincoln for a snack and continued to Mt. Lafayette.

Mount Lafayette 5246’ is the highest peak in the White Mountains outside of the Presidential Range, and the high point of the long alpine Franconia Ridge. Once we reached the peak, Blue and I found a rock ledge and sat for lunch. A bit later, Mary Poppins showed up. She started an hour after us and was playing catch-up. We all hung out and finished the day hiking together.

The trail led down to a saddle before climbing back up to our final peak of the day. A steep and difficult climb from either direction, Mount Garfield is the connection between Franconia Ridge and the Twins range. After descending nearly 1800’, we climbed up 1000’ in a mile. It was brutal for the end of the day. On top of Mount Garfield is a decommissioned Fire Tower which many hikers spend the night at. The views were amazing and we could see all the peaks that we climbed today.

Our final chore for the day was making it to camp. Straight down to Garfield Ridge Shelter and Camping Platforms. There are five wooden platforms to pitch tents on. I have mixed feelings on these platforms. It takes some time to get used to pitching your tent on them. I gave up and pitched my tent on the ground. It was a long day and my patience was limited.

Today was less than ten miles but the elevation was the key. We climbed four peaks and had marvelous weather. God blessed us with sun on the most important day. Tomorrow another storm is brewing so we will be grateful for today. And what a great day to have clear skies. Best day ever!