Mother nature reminds us mere mortals once again that we are at her mercy. We may have dodged Hurricane Harvey in Southwest Louisiana, but we have not escaped the repercussions of this disastrous storm. Our “almost Banff turned New Hampshire” trip has been cancelled, due to the fact that we can’t fly out of Houston (as originally scheduled) and there were no good options out of New Orleans. That & the fact that our own city might see some serious flooding if this rain doesn’t let up.
I could sit here feeling sorry for myself & racked by guilt for feeling this way while loved ones in Texas are experiencing such devastation, but I won’t. Instead, I’ll share our “not-to-be” Labor Day trip to New Hampshire in hopes that someone may enjoy a beautiful hike in the White Mountains.
Day 1: Fly into Manchester, NH. Rent a super sexy car (since it’s no longer a REAL itinerary, I’m allowed to dream a little). Drive north about 1hr to Thornton.
Day 2: Hike Franconia Ridge Loop (8.9miles). If cloudy, save for another day as this is one of the epic viewpoints for the White Mountains & not to be wasted.
Day 3: Hike Mt. Pemigewasset (3.6miles). Park at Flume Visitor Center & take the Franconia Notch Bike path north to catch the trail. After a picnic lunch, hike the Flume Loop (1.8miles), which is a moderate hike through Franconia Notch State Park with nice water views & a boardwalk.
LODGING: We had a nice cozy AirBnB reserved, directly on the river between Thornton & Goose Hollow. Any place in the Thornton/Lincoln/Woodstock area would make a good jumping off point for exploring this region of the White Mountains.
ALTERNATIVES: If weather is bad or the body is simply not willing to hike that day, there are some lovely scenic drives. Or enjoy some fine dining & great views on theCafe Lafayette Dinner Train(Eric & I did this on our honeymoon).
