Hiking Mount Liberty in the Franconia Range

When you climb a mountain in the Northeast on a wicked cold and windy day, like the days we have had lately, you fully appreciate the protection that the forest affords. This is a column I wrote a few years ago on another cold February day.

On such a day it is fun to climb a mountain with a small area above the trees. While still in the trees below the top, you stop and put on a face mask and whatever else you deem necessary, then climb up to pause briefly on the bare summit and quickly scuttle back to the protection of the forest. One such hike is Mount Liberty (4,459 feet) in the Franconia Range.