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Trip report

Mount Flume and Mount Liberty Loop

4000 Footer DATE: 09/23/2023 - 09/23/2023

Trip/Event Location: Lincoln, NH
US

Trip Leader(s): Carl_B

Max # People: 12

Trip Guiding / Event Fee: No, I will not be asking participants for money

Difficulty Level: Strenuous

Celebrate the first day of fall 2023 with a hike of Mount Flume and Mount Liberty! This loop is 9.3 miles with 3,576’ of elevation gain. Please note this is a strenuous hike.

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Copy/Repost Hike

Driving directions to the location and spot to meet at:

We will be leaving from The Basin parking lot. If coming north on I-93, there will be a turn-off for The Basin about two miles north of the Flume Gorge Visitor Center in Lincoln, NH. Please note there is additional parking if needed on the west side of I-93, if driving north to south. There are bathrooms at the parking lot for anyone that needs them.

Trip Report/Photos

Ten GO hikers celebrated the return of fall to the White Mountains with a spectacular hike of Mts Flume and Liberty. We met at The Basin parking lot and welcomed Jim (trail name “Rolo”) to his first GO event. He recently completed his second thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, and we enjoyed hearing stories from his adventure throughout the day. The Liberty Springs Trail and the first half of the Flume Slide Trail ascend gently, allowing everyone to warm up their legs and socialize easily. When we started the Slide, the team did a great job watching out for each other and offering support. Even with three days of no rain, the Slide was quite wet. It was wonderful to see the care that everyone took to ensure those ahead of them and behind got up safely. We used the established side trails that run along the Slide freely, and a small cohort of us made up their own trail (accidentally) towards the top. :)

Once we broke treeline on the Osseo Trail, the view towards the summit of Flume, and Liberty further in the distance, was breathtaking. The weather could not have been better with a warm sun washing over us and a light breeze to keep us cool. We had lunch on the summit of Liberty before making our way down the Liberty Spring Trail. We passed a few thru-hikers on this leg of the trip. About half of the way down, a friendly day hiker that we had passed a few times through the day had a rough fall about 50’ in front of us. Our group came to her aid without missing a beat--even before her own husband made it there to help her! We had one person with us who trained as a paramedic and another as a nurse. We offered basic first aid and left her in the capable care of her husband. Great job JT & Fred!

We finished the day around 3:30 p.m. About half of the hikers went back to Bobcat’s house in Sugar Hill for pizza, Pad Thai, a cheesy monkey bread. An odd combination to be sure, but delicious nonetheless. Thank you to everyone who joined us for this adventure!