8/11/24
Old Bridle Path & Greenleaf Trail: 4.0 miles /
Franconia Ridge Trail: 3.5 miles /
Liberty Spring Trail: 2.3 miles /
Flume Slide Trail: 3.3 miles /
Franconia Ridge Trail: 3.3 miles /
Falling Waters Trail: 3.2 miles /
Lonesome Lake Trail: 1.4 miles /
Fishin’ Jimmy Trail: 2.0 miles /
Kinsman Ridge Trail: 4.6 miles /
Hi Cannon Trail & Lonesome Lake Trail: 2.4 miles
Total: 30.0 miles (12,500' elevation gained)
MMD Recap:
- 2024 MMD headed to Franconia Notch. This year's route originally was 34 miles a midnight start on Friday/Saturday, but the remnants of Hurricane Debby came through Friday evening until dawn on Saturday turning the trails into a mess and raising river crossings considerably. MMD stands for more and more difficult not more and more dangerous, so I decided to postpone the start until Sunday at 5:30AM and everyone was rewarded with a beautiful day in the notch.
- The day started off with a steady climb past Greenleaf Hut and above treeline to Mount Lafayette's summit. From Lafayette, everyone boogied at differing paces across Franconia Ridge past Mount Lincoln and Little Haystack before dropping back below treeline. Meanwhile, Sarge and I headed up Falling Waters Trail and across Franconia Ridge in the opposite direction to get a few pictures as the runners passed us by.
- Once back below treeline everyone made their way to the Liberty Spring Trail junction and descended a few thousand feet to the Flume Slide Trail. On Thursday I ran the course solo and just below the Liberty Spring tent site I crossed paths with a guy who asked if there was a store to buy food up ahead, I told him he was way off and the closest place to get food was in town, that was a first!
- I had not been on the Flume Slide Trail since the last MMD in Franconia Notch in 2020 and I had forgotten how forgiving the first two miles was until reaching the foot of the slide. However, the slide is still as gnarly and steep as ever, ascending 1,400' in 0.7 miles to the junction of Franconia Ridge Trail. The slide itself is completed in the woods so unlike most slides in the Whites there are no views and it's a real slog and usually wet. There is now a prevalent eroded herd path for almost the entire length of the slide for those who get in over their heads. My first time hiking the slide in 2009 there was maybe one or two ten-to-twenty-foot go-arounds at the two tough spots when the slide was too wet to safely ascend. Everyone, except for Jason made it through the slide unscathed, he unfortunately had a small fall gashing up his forearm but luckily just ended up with just minor bumps and bruises and was able to continue on.
- After gaining the ridge the runners headed over the summit of Flume and Liberty before making their way back along Franconia Ridge to Little Haystack before descending Falling Waters Trail all the way down to an aid station I had setup at Lafayette Place Campground. When I ran down this trail on Thursday, I passed well over 100 hikers heading up so I warned the runners to be patient when they were descending what is commonly referred to as Falling Peoples Trail.
- The aid station was a big success for the runners. It was at mile twenty and had water, soda, Gatorade, and several types of munchies for everyone to pick at. Fruit, especially watermelon was the top aid station snack. I was shocked that out of everything, Pop-Tarts were not taken as a food restock for the remainder of the route, big upset there.
- The last ten miles consisted of a short burst up to Lonesome Lake where runners could top off water at the hut before heading up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail up to Kinsman Ridge. Once on the ridge, runners did a quick out and back to North Kinsman's summit then continued across the Cannonballs to Coppermine Col before one last steep blast up to Cannon Mountain's summit. From the Cannon Mountain tower it was all downhill back to the campground via the Hi-Cannon and Lonesome Lake trails.
- At the campground runners were welcomed with hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, cookies, and plenty of other food to stuff their faces with after a grinding day in Franconia Notch. MMD 2024 was a rough and rugged routes seeing participants finish anywhere from 8 hours 30 minutes to 12 hours 30 minutes.
- the day turned out great with an enthusiastic easy-going group who made organizing this fun gathering incredible easy to pull off!
Group shot, 5:30AM start. All quiet at Lafayette Place with Franconia Ridge rising high above us
After 2.9 miles Old Bridle Path reaches Greenleaf Hut and Greenleaf Trail
It's 1.1 miles from the hut to the summit of Mount Lafayette. Looking back at Greenleaf Hut and Cannon Mountain
Sarge takes in the views from Mount Lafayette
Runners have now formed their own groups of two or four and are spread out over a mile + at this point
Sarge paces Ryan across the ridge
Will, Andy, Chad, and Joe run the ridge with Kinsmans and Cannon across the notch
Sarge taking in the views from Mount Lincoln
Ascending the steep Flume Slide
Summit of Flume looking north to Liberty, Lincoln, and Lafayette
Mount Liberty Summit with Cannon Mountain in the background
A well-placed ladder heading back to Little Haystack along Franconia Ridge Trail
Sarge at the alpine zone sign on Falling Waters Trail
Cloudland Falls on Falling Waters Trail
Lonesome Lake
Cara gets a great picture of Joffrey on North Kinsman summit looking across at Franconia Ridge were they spent the morning going up, across, down, up, across, and down!
Franconia Notch from Cannon Mountain summit tower
Lonesome Lake from Hi-Cannon Trail
Post run cookout!
Elevation over distance profile
