Bondcliff 4265' | Mt Bond 4698' | S Twin 4902' |
13 Falls | Franconia Falls
camped at Guyot and then off trail near Owl's Head
Something like 26/27 miles total, remote tour of the Pemigwasset Wilderness
Diverted from the plan heading S from Galehead Hut
Great weather with good friends, best hiking I've ever done. Ever.
Full on 3day backpack so I broke it down by the day
Thursday
Meetup in Salem early (me late by 15), breakfast at the Tiltn Diner, car at LincolnWoods by 8am.
Old railroad bed overgrown with moss and gravel in places, the Wilderness trail had us wishing for mountain bikes the first 4 miles in. Once on the Bondcliff trl we found our elevation, slow slog with heavy packs. 4.4 miles up rough country after 4.4 flat walking is still almost 9 miles, worth every step once we arrived at the epic Bondcliff.
Breathtaking Bond Cliff. Spectacular once in a lifetime Quest BONDCLIFF! Only sign of human existence from that cliff is some of the ski slopes on Loon. Handfull of folks came & went, let us rest at the cliffs -undisturbed- probably 2hours. Steeper then it looks up that ridge then awesome views of a weather system from Mt Bond. Clouds kept moving through for 2/3 minute stretches, views and sun would come and go but all were excellent.
Camped out on the large platform at Guyot (Gee-oh) campsite after an epic day1. Killed a small bottle of Jager between the four of us, helped with the aches and pains.
Friday
After an MRE breakfast and a water refill we hiked up and out of the campsite, turned right N towards the Twinway. The trail opened up near Mt Guyot, big sky and exposed walking. Day2 would get close to 90 degrees in July, exposed walking on a clear day became a blessing for photos but a drain on our energy/water supply. Then I started being Mr Smartguy and pointed out all the peaks we had originally planned for day3. A few of us had heavier then normal packs, one of us had cut their foot the day prior, so there were thoughts of an alternative route for our journey.....
South Twin was the catalyst of change on this quest, a great decider if you will. Took us longer then expected climbing up from the south, realized we'd need an extra day at our current pace. The view from S Twin was jaw dropping, Franconia ridge on one side and Mt Washington/Presidentials on the other, put into perspective how far I've come hiking these mountains. Skipped 4 peaks total on this trip, I enjoy the journey more then the destination I think, gives me a reason to return and share the experience again. Friends were hurting on a hot day, so after lunch and some discussion at Galehead Hut, we decided to exit out Lincoln Brook after a quick swim at breathtaking 13 Falls campsite.
Thirteen Falls is a remote waterfall park onto itself, several secluded spots for private swimming/diving. My companions needed the swim after an all afternoon descent into the valley, for we still had a hard trial ahead. 3.5 miles from the falls to our backcountry destination, the base of the remote peak Owls Head. Remote and mostly unused, this stretch was rough and unmaintained, lost our way more then once. But it was getting dark, fast. As cloud cover and canopy were killing daytime, we moved with a purpose trying to cover ground.
8:38pm, almost flashlight time, we met someone on trail that had heard us yelling, we had reached our stealth campsite at the base of Owl's Head. Nice folks who were hiking in from Lincoln Woods, showed us a great spot and we were out, all of us asleep within a few moments.
Saturday
Our adventure concluded with a march out on the Lincoln Brook trail after breakfast. We were all beat up but motivated, decided with no planned elevation for the day we could try to accomplish some of-trail hiking, or "bushwacking". Followed the left side of the river South about 1.5, ended up right at Franconia Falls. Easy. Barley a trail for a while there but following the river we were able to track footprints from folks we jhad passed hiking in, made for a fun experience, it was a little a little stressful there trying to find your way with 3 friends behind you.
Franconia Falls made that all better. Hot Day? Pfst.Try some icy mountain water. Epic waterpark just off trail made 13 Falls look like a kids party. Spent the remainder of the trip jumping off rocks and soaking feet in cold mountain water. After a quick railroad walk we were back at the car with a mission complete.
Awesome variety on this hike; exposed ridgeline, epic mountain views, cliffs, Galehead Hut, the waterfalls, the bushwhack, all of it awesome. And I feel great, no injurys and minor aches. Three days in the mountains culminating in an all-time great hike, it'll be tough to out do this one....
