Franconia Ridge

 Southeast View
I was concerned about cloud cover in Vermont today, so I headed to Franconia Notch to do the usual Falling Waters -> Bridal Path loop. The day did not disappoint.

I took a light pack and no snowshoes. I used crampons on the ascent, barebooted the ridge and put on crampons again on the descent.

Temps on the ridge were barely below freezing - maybe 25°F. By the time I got back to the car around 1pm it was surely in the high 30's in the valley. Winds were around 20mph on Lafayette but things were so calm and sunny I was only in my base layer with the sleeves rolled up and no hat from just below the summit until the car. It was actually a leisurely hike (5.25 hrs) with lots of time for photos and sitting around looking off into the distance.

Photos posted here.

I didn't encounter another hiker until Lafayette and had lunch on the Pemi side of the summit, under blue skies, in the sun (tMail, it was the exact same spot we ate the last time we were up there). Today was NOT a good test of winter gear. It was similar to a warm day in late April and had all the promise of spring.