Description

If you didn’t make it to Mount Lafayette yesterday, you will today.

This stage is under seven miles long and doesn’t look impressive on a map, but looks are deceiving.

After summiting Mount Lafayette, you’ll be challenged by the frequent ups and downs and rough trail conditions of the Garfield Ridge Trail.

Expect at least 5 hours of hiking time over 2,700 feet (823 meters) of elevation gain.

But the view of the surrounding Pemigewasset Wilderness from the top of Mount Lafayette, the highest peak in the Franconia Ridge (5,260 feet / 1,603 meters), is superb and makes the pain worth it.

Cap the day off at the Galehead Hut, the most remote of the AMC huts, surrounded by untouched wilderness. www.pygmy-elephant.com