Franconia Notch State Park

Hike for the Mt. Lafayette and Franconia loop is extremely challenging. While trails are clear on assent, while moving through the end of the hike at the end at dusk trails are less apparent, accented by the actual exit that we almost missed due to no sign when it was dark. All said, rangers are helpful and apparently always siding with caution at the trailhead. We encountered 40 F Temps at start but at the summits, we saw 25 F and 30mph winds. Face coverings for the loop are highly recommended to avoid drying out of lips, or even worse issues at low temperatures. Many people on this trek make it both safer and hectic as constant issues occur to let faster hikers go by. We were 50+ yr old hikers so definitely slower. Being in cardio shape is necessary with strong enduring legs because exhaustion at the top is not a good feeling when the hike across the 4 peaks is equally challenging as you change elevation by traversing down from one peak then hiking up the next, I'm estimating 600+ feet each time. 5000 ft. with wind makes wind resistant top layers a must. Stopping for us was necessary but not for long or cold takes over. Hothands were a guaranteed good idea. The Greenleaf hut was a good break in the middle of the decent but there is still 3 miles left of rough terrain to reach the lot, although not as imposing as the upper elevations. This is a mountain with boulders throughout the trails. To be clear, this hike is constant Boulder climbing up and down. Not a walking trail like you see in VA or PA. This was tough. Very tough. So tough you want to buy a t-shirt saying you finished this thing at our age. Beautiful panoramas at the peaks make it a breath-taking journey - just be prepared with layers and watch Mt. Washington observatory weather to get estimates of conditions. Cold is not a phone friend so pack a small charged battery in case you don't set your phone/camera to no wifi/Bluetooth. Cold reduces battery life as well. One last advice- at first peak (Little Haystack) find cover behind the boulders to get aways from the wind. Very enjoyable to eat a snack if you get a spot with other hikers. A change of shirt at the hut made my hike better since sweating is a guarantee for me. Many seasoned hikers had shorts but had stamina to keep moving. Not sure how they fared on the ridge with wind chill so layer up and leave room in your pack. Water was an absolute necessity, so be prepared to need to carry enough to avoid dehydration. At the hut, I must have drank 32 oz. to recharge. Still needed more for the remaining hike down, so refill there. FYI- no rangers on mountain, just friendly hikers. So be ready to handle your issues. Many hikers ended up finishing later than anticipated so bring headlamps as a safety option. No way down without them.