Looking into Zealand from Sugarloaf. 

Kate and Jordan admire the view from Sugarloaf. 

Mt. Lafayette from Sunset Hill, not far from the Robert Frost homestead. Frost enjoyed magnificent views of Franconia Ridge from his front porch. 

A huge boulder deposited during the last ice age close to the beginning of the Sugarloaf trail. 

Again from Sugarloaf. 

From Sugarloaf with Mt. Washington in the distant background. 

From Mt. Sugarloaf, a low peak with a big view.  

Just below Mt. Flume is the southern terminus of the Franconia Ridge trail. 5.5 miles back to the car from here. 

Leaving Mt. Flume, Kate and Jordan hike ahead.  

On the summit of Mt. Flume with Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette in the background. 

About a hour below the summit we face the Pemigewasset Wilderness 

Very early in our hike to Mt. Flume (on the Wilderness trail) a moose greets us. 

Mt. Flume October 1, 2004

Up in the mountains for a quick fall weekend we decide to climb Mt. Flume from the backside approach, via the Wilderness and Osseo trails. The Wilderness trail was uncharacteristically empty of hikers and we were rewarded with an up close encounter with a moose. Indeed we did not encounter another hiker until we were about to leave the summit. The day was beautiful, in the low 70s in the valley and very mild and still at the summit. The fall colors were just beginning to really show themselves. Two days later when we climbed Mt. Sugarloaf the colors were in full bloom.

Distance 11.2 miles; Climb: 3150 ft; Elevation: 4328 ft.