greenleaf

Having been to Madison Spring Hut, Lakes of the Clouds up on Mt. Washington, Lonesome Lake and Galehead over the past few years, we have decided we would really like to visit all the huts. The pictures from the post entitled "white mountains" (see below) are from our overnight at Greenleaf hut in the Franconia Range. It is one of the most westerly locations in the hut system and looks down on Rt. 93 far below as it winds through Franconia Notch.

Greenleaf is one of the busiest huts in the system because it is part of a beautiful loop hike. We hiked up to Greenleaf on the Old Bridal Path trail 2.7 miles with a 2,200 foot elevation gain. It took us about two and a half hours. The next day we summitted Mt. Lafayette ( 1 mile with 1,000 foot elevation gain) and then traversed the Franconia Ridge (see photos). It was windy! From there we summited Little Haystack and went down the Falling Waters Trail. It is not as remote as the hike to Galehead.

It was funny to be up in the mountains above Rt. 93 and Franconia Notch and not far from where the Old Man profile used to be. When I was a kid with my father behind the wheel of the family car, we sped past these mountains on our way north to our summer place in Southern Quebec. There was never time to stop or identify the landmarks or even visit "the Flume", a short walk from the highway. My parents were anxious to get to their beloved hilltop in Canada. Craning my neck to see the Old Man and the mountains on all sides, I never imagined I'd climb to those peaks one day.