Hiking the Franconia Ridge Loop in NH
On this day in early October, I hike one of the most popular loops in the White Mountains, which brings me to the summit of Mount Lincoln to complete my quest to hike the NH48, the peaks over 4,000 feet in elevation in NH. Continuing on the trail brings me to Mount Lafayette, which also happens to be the first of the 48 I hiked, many years ago.
chapters coming soon
#hikingadventures #nh48 #whitemountains
Пікірлер: 96
Thank you so much for a wonderful video! Your positivity during the entire hike was so uplifting! Congratulations on completing your 48th 4000 footer! I look so foward to doing this trail Saturday 6/15/24!
@RachelWhelton
Ай бұрын
Thanks. Hope you have a great time out there! It's so beautiful.
My favorite day hike. I like when your in the clouds a bit. Sometimes they drift by and you get a nice reveal.
@RachelWhelton
3 ай бұрын
Yes, I have learned the cloud thing is the payoff for hiking in less than blue sky weather.
Congratulations Rachel and well done. All the best in your future endeavors. Hike on!!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
Thoroughly enjoy watching your Franconia Ridge Loop trail. Yes, You did it so conveniently. I watched the other post - the “ Helicopter “ episode. Congratulation 👍🙏 Your video capturing, back ground musics and of all your soft Narration gives much soothing to watch your videos. Thanks you very much. Good luck for many more miles of hike and elevation. 🙏👍🤞
@RachelWhelton
3 ай бұрын
Thank you for such a nice comment! I am glad you like the videos.
Congratulations on completing the NH48!! Thanks for bringing us along during your adventures to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
@RachelWhelton
8 ай бұрын
Thanks! It was so fun and I have loved all the positive feedback.
Congratulations Rachel! What an accomplishment! Thank you for sharing this journey with us!🎉
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
Congratulations Rachel! 🥳 thank you for sharing your hikes. Wonderful wonderful content. I hope someday to meet you out on the trails. 😊 I met Adam Hoyt recently while hiking.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks. Yeah, isn't it fun and interesting to run into familiar faces out in the wild woods?! I'm resting but already eager to get back out there.
YAY! So happy for you, what an amazing accomplishment I have enjoyed joining you on this journey and have learned so much. Thank you!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much!
Congrats on finishing the 48! You picked the right day - weather was gnarly this weekend. On to the NE67!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks! Yeah, that NE67 list looks very cool. For a while I plan to roam about with fewer summits. But in the back of my mind there is room for the next plan to seed.
It’s been fun watching you………Congratulations
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Congratulations! A great summer and fall of hiking
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Awesome!!! I'm doing #30 for me tomorrow. Lincoln lafayette was my first also. Great job, good for you!!!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Funny how we can start off with such a challenging one. Maybe that is fuel to us as we go along to the others. If you did those, you can do them all. Best wishes on the trail!
@lisaaubin1600
9 ай бұрын
@RachelWhelton I've done most alone also. Really enjoyed it actually. I'm gonna stay in some huts and try camping on owls head. U inspired me to take it all in as much as possible. I'll do some through the winter and then finish up next year. Really happy 4 u!!!
Congratulations on your hike! This was interesting to me because my husband and I just came home from visiting that area.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Hope you enjoyed it. It's different up here through the seasons so when you come again you will see it in an entirely different way. Every time the seasons change I feel new energy.
@twilaburkholder5459
9 ай бұрын
@@RachelWhelton We enjoyed it very much and I enjoyed your hike too. We were there for our honeymoon in 1984, again for our 25th anniversary, and now for our 39th! We took the cogway up Mount Washington this time, we were never able to before because of snow.
Congratulations and happy hiking!!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Amazing job, congratulations on your completion of the NH48!! For me, that will have to be in another lifetime, which is ok because in this lifetime I get to enjoy the achievements of folks like you. What's next?
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks. Next I need a break from any list or summit. I plan to keep going north but I'll visit some rather random places that intrigue me.
Congratulations on the NH48! Even when it's not clear hiking with an undercast is always amazing feeling. Found your channel this summer when searching for Madison videos, since then I have had a similar hiking agenda completing Owl's Head and the Wildcats using your videos as previews.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Awesome! Thank you!
Congratulations Rachel! Its been fun watching along!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Congratulations Rachel on completing your NH48! Thanks for taking us along on your adventures.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Wow what an achievement! Thanks for taking us on your inspiring journey!🎉
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
48 of the 48. I now crown you Queen Of The White Mountains. Long live the queen.
@RachelWhelton
26 күн бұрын
Hey, Thanks. Right now I am the Queen of Crutches. But yeah, I hope to get back out there eventually. Thanks for the positive energy.
Congratulations!!!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!!
Congratulations on complete your NH48🎉 Happy hiking ⛰️
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Congratulations on your accomplishment! I looked forward to each video and seeing the difficult yet beautiful trails you were on. You did it!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Hooray! Yes, it is sinking in. Thank you.
Congratulations on your NH 48 finish!🎉
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!! 😊
You did it YOU DID IT WOOHOOOOO !!!! Big congratulations to you Rachel ! 52 with a view next ? NE 4000 footers ?
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you! 52 looks good, as does the NE67. But for the short term future, I plan to roam in the woods to curious places without concern for summits. I need to embrace wild freedom, carry heavy things, linger over coffee while leaves waft down to the cold earth.
Congrats. Good for you. Thanks for the wonderful photography throughout.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Many thanks!
OMG.... 😮 I'm glad the moose's went away.
Congratulations Rachel! I loved watching your 48 journey ❤
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks!!
Congratulations! Well done👍
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you! 😃
Congratulations!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Awesome... thats a hard day that loop, done it a few times myself.. hips sore after the last time LoL i'm getting older I guess. Wish you had better weather but nice work !!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Yes, I've seen some pictures from other people and I think "ooh I didn't get to see that view..." and my foot hurts now. So even though it felt easier than expected, I think it was partly adrenaline and now I'm still in recovery mode from the hard work.
@g.fortin3228
9 ай бұрын
@@RachelWhelton I actually prefer to do it in the other direction too. Not the norm I know but I like it better. Leaves are falling up north, I may just do Chocorua next week. Piper trail is nice in the fall.
Congratulations on the 48!!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!
Congratulations, Rachel! Great job reaching your goal and finishing strong. You seem to have transformed yourself over the summer into a lean (not) mean hiking machine and it's been great watching you do it. Your videos have been informative and entertaining at the same time and are a great resource for others like myself who are on similar journeys. I'll be looking forward to watching any future adventures that you wish to share.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks. It's true that I have gained significant fitness so now I don't want to stop going up there. I'll find some new adventures to keep moving.
BIG CONGRATS! We all knew you could do it. You’ve done so many peaks before this last one. Nice you ended your NH48 journey passing Lafayette where you started. Glad you got some peaks at views and that the hut was still open for you have a nice meal and rest on the way down. Hope you got someone to take you last peat picture on top of Lincoln. What? No 48 balloons? Looks like the trail has improved over the last year. I don’t recall that new looking bridge at the start (maybe it was just rebuilt with new wood). Glad they are rebuilding that trail, as it gets so much traffic all year round. So, what’s next on your adventures? 52WAV for me … Happy trails to whatever you do next…
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks. Yeah that trail will be look like a national park when they finish their management plans. 52WAV sounds great but for a short while at least, I need to have a blank and free agenda. I will visit some random intriguing places around the mountains.
🎉🎉
You did it!!!!🎉 Congratulations Rachel! I know what an accomplishment this is and felt so happy for you when you reached Lincoln! You are my inspiration to continue on my quest also for the rest on my list. I hope this isn’t the end of the hiking videos from you because I so enjoy you taking us along on your adventures. Winter hikes now maybe? Glad you kept your tradition of cereal for your snack! I was hoping you’d do that! Happy hiking to you!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you!!! It is a big relief and satisfaction to finish that list. Yes, I will still be out there hiking. Got some ideas churning. Got some crazy new skis called Altai Hok.
Congratulations Rachel! Very happy for you…. I’ve enjoyed watching you achieve your goal of completing the 48’s. You’ve actually inspired me to get out there and start my list….Just did Pierce and Eisenhower last week. Looking forward to your future endeavors 😊
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thank you so much! You picked some of the best hikes! Those are two mountains I would definitely like to visit again, and the trails for them are enjoyable.
Congrats, I think I may have been at lonesome lake when you where there. Went up lonesome lake and down the cascade-basin trail, ended up be very nice, but again, congrats to you on finishing! It’s a big deal!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Very cool!
Congrats 😀. Love you videos.
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks so much!!
@dawnsloan4860
9 ай бұрын
@@RachelWhelton can I ask a question about hiking alone. I too hike in NH and don't mind hiking alone. But there is a level of boredom for me on the longer hikes. Do you experience that and if so how do you work through it. (I have mostly long hikes left on my list, lol)
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
It's like dreaming except you're awake. I delete all kinds of long soliloquies off my camera where I think I am discussing something important but later I realize it was like watching grass growing in my brain. I bring my ear buds for a book but I never put them on because the conversation with myself never ends. @@dawnsloan4860
WOOT!
Congratulations on completing your last NH48 peak, which also happens to be my first! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us. Your videos provided me with a comforting sense of familiarity with the area and effectively alleviated my anxiety about exploring. I recently had the opportunity to hike the Falling Waters Trail Loop and stayed overnight at the Green Leaf Hut. Throughout the journey, I felt a wonderful sense of camaraderie and never once felt alone on the trail. The mountains are truly larger than life, and the effort required to witness those stunning views is undeniably worth it. Perhaps fate will lead our paths to cross on the trails one day. Until then, happy hiking!
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Wow, you have truly captured the meaning in this comment. As soon as I walked in the hut I felt so relieved and comforted and friendly to all the people. The normal barriers and worries from society are so much lower in a small group in a remote place.
@annebertrand4742
9 ай бұрын
@@RachelWhelton Over the past two years, as a 52-year-old woman, I've committed myself to enhancing my fitness. This effort has been driven by my desire for improved overall well-being and my aspiration to embark on backpacking adventures, and more. Completing this hike is precisely what I needed to help maintain consistency in my fitness routine this coming winter. I'd be truly grateful for your recommendation on the next trail to explore, considering the season and that I reside in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Thank you once again for being a tremendous source of inspiration.
Congrats again! What a transformation from your spring outings...so is it ominous to have Lafayette as #1 and #49 for round two?
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
No round two. Can't think about that. I do think about winter a lot these days.... But not in terms of lists.
Congrats! Completing all 48 is no easy great! I've got 18 more to do and I need to get my butt in great! Will you do them again all in winter?😮
@RachelWhelton
5 ай бұрын
I will not pursue the Winter 48 this year. I got burnt out from the list concept. Right now I am working on camping skills. In the spring and summer I might do the 52 With a View list. But who knows what lies ahead in future winters!
Nice job. Not all folks can climb Everest. Your outdoors
@RachelWhelton
6 ай бұрын
Ahhh, Everest. I read a lot of books and watch videos about it. I will never go there but you are right, the great outdoors offers challenge and beauty to everyone. You can choose the level and keep going higher if you dare.
Congratulations, AT 2024?
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
Thanks. As for the AT, that is on my husband's list but I think I would rather be the support staff and just see parts of the trail. Not sure I feel the calling to do the entire journey. You never know....
Ps, if you're still looking for something new to do, how about 52 with a view?😊
@RachelWhelton
9 ай бұрын
I've been looking at that one via their Facebook group. So maybe. But for now I need a break from lists. Total freedom to follow some curiosity for a while.
@stephaniestory9029
9 ай бұрын
I get ya! The 52 would be easy for you after all this!😊 I've enjoyed biking in the presidential as well. Happy trails!