Friday, March 8
Summits: Lafayette, Lincoln, Liberty, Flume
Start/Finish: Lafayette Place
Miles: 14.17
Elevation gain/loss: 5971′
After looking over the forecast, I knew that a big storm would be coming in Sunday morning that would negatively affect hiking and driving conditions. Therefore, I decided to prioritize hiking on Friday, even if that would take my hike into the night and give me less sleep and recovery time before my big hike on Saturday.
I parked at Lafayette Place and headed up Old Bridle Path, gunning to be off the ridge as close to sunset as possible. The mixed conditions slowed me down in some spots, but I made it to the Greenleaf hut by 5:30pm, and up to Lafayette before 6pm. Just before the summit, I slipped on an ice-covered rock and slammed my kneecap; that made me cranky. After the summit, the rocks were mixed with snow, and in my rush, I twisted my ankle on an unseen rock. Those two things together made me feel like I was failing and it frustrated me a lot. I managed to settle in after a bit of time to reset, but it was a reminder that rushing often makes things worse.
I turned on my headlamp around the Lincoln summit and pushed on to Little Haystack. Once I dropped below treeline, the conditions actually got better with consistent smooth, packed snow. At the Liberty Springs intersection, I dropped my snowshoes and did an out-and-back to Liberty and Flume. My legs were a bit tired, making me question whether I should have rested a bit more this week, but I kept a steady pace. My Presi last week reminded me that sometimes, slow is smooth and smooth is fast, especially on tougher terrain.
I was back at the trail intersection a bit more than an hour later, picked up my snowshoes, and then headed down Liberty Springs. Sadly, as I dropped in elevation the trail deteriorated. The snow quickly changed to exposed rocks and ice, with moving water everywhere on the trail. I kept a steady pace but wasn’t able to go quickly; I just accepted it and kept moving. I was glad to make it to the bike path, though my feet were soaked by then. I then quickly walked the ~1.75 miles back to my car, trying to stay on dry/non-icy pavement the whole way. I finished around 10:30pm, glad to change into dry clothes, eat some food, and go to sleep at Hancock Campground.
