Mt LaFayette & the Greenleaf Hut
September 1999
First glance at the Hut, after the Bridal Path miseries
In the 90s, the PhDs always tried to do at least 1 or 2 day hikes during the warm season, followed by a more ambitious event in the early fall; usually a camping overnight in some remote locale. We did this for a few years, but the cold hard ground loses its appeal at a certain point in your life. Then a new option appeared; we could do an overnight at one of the posh AMC huts.
I forget the details & reasons for our choice of the Greenleaf Hut.
The Franconia area has always been a favorite PhD place; site of numerous hikes, going back to the mid 80s. Cannon on the West & Lafayette, Lincoln, & Haystack on the east. The Falling Waters trail, the ridge loop, Indian Head, the Old Man, Echo Lake, the Flume, the Basin, Clark's Trained Bears; lots of stuff, lots of personal history.
The Greenleaf Hut sits on the western flanks of Mt Lafayette, on a massif which includes Walker Ridge & Eagle Cliff. There's a small glacial pond at the site, just below the cone of the mile high Lafayette.
So we set the date, reserved our places, & set out on a perfect morning for the unaccustomed affluent adventure. Meeting at our usual common ground in Canton, we relieved ourselves, collected our gear & proceeded in a single vehicle for the 2.5 hour ride up 93.
There was a brief stop in Concord for coffee, then continuing up for a lunch stop at Indian Head. 
Approaching Franconia Notch is always a thrill, with the big face of Profile Mnt. in view. Our starting point was the Lafayette Campgrounds, a familiar place, base for the various Ridge Loop trails. We began the hike, selected our trail; the Old Bridal Path, a horse carriage path used in the late 1800s to access a long abandoned hotel on Lafayette.
The lower wooded trail was pleasant & uneventful. The path follows the crest of Walker Ridge, occasionally allowing views into the ravine below Lincoln.
Cresting the top of Walker Ridge, the elevation afforded us some good views of the Notch. The final efforts included some rock scrambling (the miseries), but soon we achieved the Greenleaf site, and an impressive view of the bulk of Lafayette, and the Ridge toward Lincoln & Haystack.
After signing in at the Hut, and picking out bunks, we set out on the mile long hike above tree line to the summit of Lafayette. The Greenleaf hut receded in size into an insignificant structure as we climbed the cone.
At last, the summit; from this vantage point, the Hut was an insignificant artifact on the natural vista. The face of Cannon & the Kinsmans dominated the scene. We stood in the foundation of the carriage house. The familiar Ridge Trail proceeded south, with the lesser peaks of Lincoln, Haystack, & Flume all in line.
After posing on the summit, we descended & rested at the Hut for a while. The evening festivities were about to begin.
The communal dinner was a novel experience. The 6 member Hut staff was young & enthusiastic. Most of the other 25 or so guests were like ourselves; active yuppie types. We were thouroughly served and entertained. There wasn't a large amont of cross talk; most guests were in multi-member parties & stuck to themselves. A couple of available women at our table were friendly, but elusive.
Outside, the sun was going down. I remember thinking, "We should be off the mountain by now; how will we find our way down in the dark?" But, there was wine, and continued merriment. In a drunken stupor, I found myself conducting an astronomy lecture for the now retired staff, who invited me into their group repose on the rocks behind the hut.
Eventually, we too retired to the bunk rooms, braving the snoring & other discomforts of communal sleeping.
Daybreak arrived; another calm & clear day. Oatmeal and Sanka were served. 
As we prepared to depart, the group split on what to do next. Tom, Matt, & Dave wanted another go at the summit, and maybe a ridge hike. Borb & I intended to descend, taking the Greenleaf Trail, a quicker journey to a more northern destination in the Notch.
The former group set out again for Lafayette. This time there was a great surprise; an insane bull moose, lost & disoriented, was spotted near the summit.
Bob & I continued our early morning trek down thru Eagle Cliff, toward the lakes at the top of the Notch. Once down, we began the long but flat hike southward along the bike path leading back to the Campground.
We viewed the Old Man, a now fallen New Hampshire icon, who lost his face in 2003, after 12000 years keeping vigil on the Notch. A sobering muse on the permanence of anything.
The groups rejoined at the Campground, we packed & began the long ride home; saying goodbye to the Franconia Range. We've not revisited the mountain since. (2006)
