Liberty Springs Trail to Mt. Liberty summit. I’ve been here before. A few times actually. Most recently was December 27, 2022. The original plan that day was to hike a smaller summit just to get out in the woods and not get home too late. Hiking anywhere in the White Mountains is a major time commitment, especially when you are a two+ hour car ride away.
I hiked this same trail last winter, and a couple or three times prior to that during summer, sometime between 2011 and 2018. But there’s something about this trail and this hike and this mountain that I always forget until I’m on it. Mt. Liberty via Liberty Springs Trail was my very first NH 4000-foot peak way back in 1998.
I was living in Sugar Hill and working in Franconia that summer at one of my favorite restaurants, The Woodstock Station, Inn, and Brewery.
You may have read or heard recently of a couple of tragedies on and around the Franconia Ridge Trail. The White Mountains, while beautiful, peaceful, and fun, can be unforgiving, especially in the winter or other times of severe weather. I hiked Mt. Washington this past June and was met with sideways ice smashing me in the face and 70 mph wind gusts. In June! Granted, it’s Mt. Washington whose claim to fame is the highest wind speed ever measured on the Earth’s surface at 231 mph (until 1996 from what I have read). You would think this would deter thousands of visitors per day during peak summer tourist season from visiting this summit, however it’s accessibility draws huge crowds. According to the Mount Washington Observatory, more than a quarter million people visit the summit each summer by car, train, or foot.
Similarly, the many trails that lead adventurers up to the Franconia Ridge Trail only require a slight turning of your steering wheel just off I-93 in Franconia Notch. So in 1998 a co-worker and I did just that. I was wearing denim shorts, a cotton t-shirt, cotton socks, and running sneakers. Between the two of us we had a sleeve of oreos and a disposable 16oz. water bottle. We had no inclination of what the weather would be and we were starting the hike at 4:00 in the afternoon.
The hike up to the Liberty Springs campsite was uneventful, however the sky was becoming dark with storm clouds as well as dusk. We were intercepted by the campsite attendant who provided me with a bandage for the blister that was forming on my heel. The attendant asked if we were going to summit and we said yes. Thinking back I believe I could sense the concern in this individual’s face and demeanor as we walked away.
We summited. It was beautiful. We ate some Oreos and drank some water and noticed the storm clouds approaching. The darkness would soon follow, however for some reason (inexperience, naivety, and idiocy) I don’t remember being concerned at all.
As we passed by the campsite the rain began to fall, and lightning lit up the sky, which we were thankful for because it was the only way we could tell if we were still on the trail. It was pitch black at this point. The rocks were slippery. I fell a few times. I was soaked and cold. It took us a few hours to get down the mountain and to our cars just around 10 p.m.
We did not tell anyone where we were going, what trail we were hiking, what mountain we were headed to, what time we were leaving, or what time we would be back. We are lucky we were not a headline in the Conway Daily Sun.
Almost 25 years and about 12 years of experience later, and you would never catch me unprepared on any hike ever again. In November 2021 I took a Wilderness First Responder certification course at Stonehearth Open Learning (SOLO) in North Conway.
For two weeks I listened to my instructor tell “funny” frightening stories similar to this, that unfortunately ended in injury and rescues. He would be appalled if I had recalled this story out loud. I mean he was already appalled by me, but this would have made it so much worse! The knowledge I have now about injuries and other medical events that can occur which could require rescue, and how difficult it can be to attempt that rescue, has had a great impact on my current hiking preparedness.
Now I hike with the best partner who is always equally (more) prepared than me. We tell someone our plan (sometimes from the parking lot with barely a signal, but hey) and we hike with a goal of being safe. A summit is never worth the risk of injury (or worse) or risking the same to the volunteers and professionals who would have to come rescue us.
Check out my resources page for information on hiker safety with the Hike Safe Card as well as other recommended reads, websites, and tips! Stay safe out there and happy trails!
Summit Up NH 
Leave a comment