September 18–21 and September 25–27, 2026
Kenna Brochu
On Friday, September 18, Summit Steward Demi Terry and I met Nat Scrimshaw, trail caretaker Ken Costa, and several other volunteers at the Crawford Connector for a trail workday focused on cleaning drainage. The group started at the Mizpah Cutoff. Half of the team worked uphill from the cutoff, while the other half hiked to the Webster Cliff Trail intersection and worked down the Crawford Path. The day was very successful: together, we tackled this entire section of trail. We worked from around 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Afterward, the volunteer group headed back down the Crawford Path, while Demi and I went up the Mizpah Cutoff to begin our hitch at the Nauman Tentsite.
On Saturday, September 19, we planned to head to the large intersection with the Edmands Path to tackle several projects on our radar. It was a beautiful fall day, with bluebird skies and warm sun. On our way, we came upon an area between Mount Eisenhower and Mount Pierce that was extremely braided and trampled. We decided to spend some time there building up scree walls and adding brush to the exposed social trails. After completing this project, we continued toward the Edmands Path. Along the way, we noticed some large pieces of brush and carried them to the intersection to use on social trails. Once we got there, Demi focused on closing off social trails, while I pruned back trees that were long overdue for attention. We headed back to the tentsite around 4:00 p.m. and arrived around 5:30 p.m. Both Mizpah Spring Hut and the Nauman Tentsite were full that night.
On Sunday, September 20, the forecast was less favorable. It was very cold, with rain expected around 11:00 a.m. and possible sleet. Demi and I decided to work on projects around Mount Pierce so we could stay close to the tentsite in case we needed to head down. I worked on rebuilding a cairn near the summit outlook, while Demi focused on building scree walls in heavily eroded areas beyond it. Around 11:30 a.m., the rain started. We were quickly soaked, and the wind chill was increasing, so we decided conditions weren’t safe and headed down to the hut. We spent the rest of the day talking to hikers there and bonding with the fall crew.
On Monday, September 21, it was a pretty cold morning, around 37 degrees. Although chilly, it was forecast to clear up by late morning. I went back up Mount Pierce to finish the cairn rebuild I had started the previous day, while Demi continued along the Crawford Path beyond Mount Pierce to keep building crib walls. Around 1:00 p.m., we met back on Mount Pierce and headed down to the tentsite to pack out.
September 25–27, 2026
With a nor’easter forecast to move through New England, this weekend’s plans were a bit scrambled, but thankfully we were able to maintain some coverage on Franconia Ridge. The original plan was for Summit Steward Demi Terry to day hike the entire Franconia Ridge Loop on Friday. I was then going to return to basecamp on Sunday, September 27, for a midweek hitch with Demi to avoid the adverse weather.
After reconsidering the plan as the storm shifted, Demi and Nat decided it would be best for Demi to do a short hitch on the ridge. Unfortunately, I commute an hour and a half to basecamp and wasn’t able to make it back in time to join her.
On Friday, September 25, Demi hiked up to Franconia Ridge to begin her hitch. After arriving at the Greenleaf Tent Platform and setting up camp, she worked her way up to the summit of Mount Lafayette. She focused on small projects and scree wall maintenance, as well as stewarding at the summit.
On Saturday, September 26, Demi headed back up to the ridge. The forecast looked pretty bleak, but it ended up being a beautiful, bluebird day. Demi described a chilly wind but very warm sun. She continued working on a variety of maintenance projects to finish out the season. She placed a large piece of brush in an area of concern on the upper Greenleaf Trail. She reset a large step on the descent from Mount Lafayette that had come loose, with soil eroding around it. She also rebuilt the cairn on the summit of Mount Lincoln, which had fallen sometime in the previous two weeks. As she moved along the ridge, she made smaller repairs to scree walls and cairns wherever they were needed.
Around 4:30 p.m., Demi arrived back at Greenleaf Hut. She noted that the weather changed drastically about 30 minutes later. The winds became extremely strong, and the rain came down hard. She spent the rest of the afternoon directing people down the mountain and advising others not to continue hiking up. That night, the Hut Croo graciously let her sleep in the attic to avoid the conditions.
On Sunday, September 27, the storm was still strong, so Demi packed up and headed down the Old Bridle Path in the morning.