Franconia Notch kicked my butt last Saturday

Went up the Falling Waters trail at 7am. Blue sky, perfect temp. Made it to the ridge in 2 hours flat. Then the fog rolled in hard. Couldn't see 10 feet. Spent 45 minutes just trying to find the Greenleaf sign. Had to bail down the bike path instead of finishing the loop. Anyone else get fogged out up there this month?

2 comments

2 Comments

claire_butler11d ago

Fog caught me like that on the Bonds last fall. I just sat down for 20 minutes, ate a snack, and waited. Cleared up enough to get my bearings and keep moving.

hernandez.morgan1d ago

Oh man, that's actually smart. But here's something that bugs me about the whole "wait it out" approach though. What if you're on a tight timeline and you don't have 20 minutes to spare? I've been in spots where the fog rolls in fast and you're trying to make a junction before dark or catch a shuttle. Sitting down feels risky then because the more time you waste the worse your situation gets if it doesn't lift. I think we talk a lot about patience in the mountains but not enough about when patience is actually the wrong call. Sometimes pushing through to a known landmark or tree line is safer than hoping the weather changes just for you.