Transitioning from Track to Trails on the Franconia Ridge Loop

After spending the spring—and most of my life—focused on the roads and track, last week marked the beginning of my transition to mountain running as I prepare for my goals on the trails later this summer.

Earlier in the week I introduced climbing back into my training with a morning uphill threshold treadmill session, then an evening power-hiking double. Two days later, the goal was simply to spend a few hours moving efficiently in the mountains on tired legs. I decided to run the iconic Franconia Ridge Loop, which I had only ever completed at hiking speeds before: once as a high schooler working on my first round of the 48, and once this past winter during my single-season winter 48.

The traditional version of the Franconia Ridge Loop goes counter-clockwise. It ascends via Falling Waters Trail to Little Haystack, then turns left and follows the Franconia Ridge Trail over Mt. Lincoln to the summit of Lafayette. After summiting Lafayette, the loop descends down Old Bridle Path. In total, the loop is approximately 8.1 miles and 3,800 feet of vertical. With nearly two miles of continuous alpine ridgeline and panoramic views, it’s easy to see why Franconia Ridge is considered one of the classic hikes and trail runs in the White Mountains.

The first mile of Falling Waters is surprisingly runnable before the trail quickly becomes rockier, steeper, and wetter. The last time I had done the loop, all of the water crossings and rocks were covered by snow, so I didn’t realize how slow-moving the way up can be. It was nice to take in the views of the waterfalls and enjoy the scenery. I did find it difficult to lock into a climbing rhythm on the steeper sections. Part of it was that my legs were pretty tired from my first real uphill stimulus on Tuesday, but the technicality of the trail also really forces you to slow down. I tried to just power hike and focus on my forward lean, and this helped a lot. Coming from a track background, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about efficiency on flat ground but almost none thinking about uphill form. Simply leaning a little farther forward while power hiking made climbing feel much smoother. Eventually the trees started to open up and I knew I was approaching the ridge.

When you come out of the trees, the climb brings you toward the summit of Little Haystack, where you’re normally greeted with 360-degree views. For me, the summits were going in and out of the clouds, but I was able to sneak some views of Liberty and Flume to my right, Lincoln rising to my left, and the Pemigewasset Wilderness expanding in front of me for a brief second before some clouds blew in. I continued on toward Mt. Lincoln, which felt amazing because the grade eased for a bit and there was a strong, refreshing breeze up high.

I spent most of the 1.6-mile ridge alternating between running and hiking, with the clouds drifting in and out just enough to reveal brief views before swallowing them again. There’s a reason this is one of the most popular loops in the Whites. Even with clouds rolling over the summits, running above treeline for nearly two miles with open views in every direction never gets old. By the time I reached Lafayette, the clouds had completely moved in, so I just tagged the summit and turned down Old Bridle Path since there was no view left to see.

The first section of the descent brings you from the summit down to Greenleaf Hut, and most of it is very rocky and technical above treeline. Once you dip back below the trees for a bit, it smooths out a little until you reach the hut. Descending has always been one of my favorite parts of mountain running, and I had a blast picking my way down the rocks. Old Bridle Path is definitely better to descend than Falling Waters, although there were still some slow sections. The descent went by quickly, and before I knew it I was close to the bottom, where sections of stairs started popping up frequently. I had to be careful running down these, but when timed correctly, this is where I could really open up my stride and find some flow.

Overall, I came away feeling really encouraged by the day. It was reassuring to see that my road fitness translated to the trails pretty seamlessly. Now it’s just a matter of building my climbing legs and gaining the mountain-specific efficiency that only comes from spending time on steep, technical terrain. I’m excited to keep building on this and tackle some bigger mountain objectives later this summer.