Franconia Ridge Loop

Had a break in my commitments at school and figured it'd be good to get up north for an adventure before things pick up again. I'd been eyeing the Franconia Ridge loop as an easy day trip that I hadn't made before. While my training has been relatively consistent compared to years past, I wasn't quite ready to go full bore on a mountain run. Instead, I set the goal of moving quickly but comfortably. I asked Ginger if she'd be willing to pace me for the loop and she enthusiastically agreed.

The weather forecast was sunny in the valley, but called for cooler temps and lingering fog at elevation. Wishful thinking had me hoping that things would clear up, but in reality I knew I was likely going to miss the views. The bonus was, it'd be much more comfortable than the 90F heat we've been having recently!

I opted for the counterclockwise loop, heading up Falling Water and descending via Greenleaf and Old Bridle Path, figuring this was the most practical route based on terrain features. The trails were busy, but not crowded, and I was able to move efficiently without too much delay, adding in periodic breaks for Ginger to grab water and for photos. As expected, not much for views, but was fun nonetheless. Certainly lots of room for improvement on the round trip time.

Franconia Ridge Loop
Splits:
Little Haystack 1:23
Lafayette 1:59
Greenleaf Hut 2:25
Trailhead 3:26

After a break this week, I'm planning to get more structured with my training, which will hopefully enable a few more northern running objectives before transitioning to ski season.