On September 15th 2001, a group of six hikers climbed
Mt. Liberty and flew an American flag from the summit in a patriotic
remembrance of the events that had transpired four days earlier. The following
year, the event Flags on the 48 was organized.
For those
of you who are unfamiliar with this event, here is a brief explanation: Every
year on the Saturday that falls closest to September 11th, hikers
summit each of the 48 4,000 footers in New Hampshire, and raise the American
flag in memory of the events that occurred in 2001. The flag will fly from 12
to 2 in the afternoon atop every summit.
This
was my third year participating in this event. The previous years, I had hiked
South Twin (2013) and Owls Head (2014). This is one of those events that fills up
quickly, especially the more popular summits with good views and easy
accessibility.
This year
I was part of the Bondcliff crew. There were 11 of us who met up before dawn at
the Lincoln Woods trailhead. The hike to the summit of Bondcliff is a little
over 9 miles; the first half is a pleasant stroll through the woods followed by
4.4 miles of climbing with a short scramble before emerging above treeline. The
group made good time and summited an hour early. The flag pole was assembled
and the flag raised well before noon. Our peak coordinator, Rick, flew an
American flag which had accompanied his brother on a combat mission in
Afghanistan in 2004.
The group
hung out on top of Bondcliff until 2pm, enjoying the perfect weather, taking in
the sweeping views, chatting with fellow hikers, eating our fill and basking in the
sunshine. Half of the group took down the flag and headed back to Lincoln Woods,
while the other half continued on to complete a Bonds-Zealand traverse.
The five
of us who were headed north trekked on to the Bond, West Bond, and Zealand. One
of our crew members was finishing up her 48 on West Bond, so we celebrated with
a little Fireball atop the summit. The light began to fade shortly after
tagging the summit of Zealand, so the headlamps came out as we descended to
Zealand Falls Hut, and out to the trailhead.
It was a
long day, but it was a most memorable experience in all the best ways possible. All in all, I couldn’t have asked for a greater group of people to spend a day with in the mountains. Hopefully, I’ll see some of you at the 2016 event!
