The thing about hipsters is they only like what they like because you don't like it. In other words, they liked it before it was cool. To be a hipster hiker you need to have been places before everyone else. No problem.
Franklin Falls is one of our close, fun snow hikes. It's high enough up the hill that it reliably freezes during winter and it's easy enough to get to the goods with kids in tow. The downside is that every year some yahoo publishespictures of the incredible ice and draws unprepared crowds. Tales of cars sliding on the approach road and SAR missions at the falls themselves abound this time of year.
I guess we're not real hipster hikers because we still love Franklin Falls in spite of its resurgent popularity. I'm not keen on mixing it up with hundreds of ill-prepared people, though, so we employed my patented technique for having the place to ourselves. To paraphrase Willie Keeler, "Go when they ain't [there]."
The kids are used to my unconventional adventures and odd start times so they were cool with starting our hike at 4pm. We were probably the last vehicle that was able to drive to the actual trailhead. The snow was piling up quickly. A few more days and drivers would be cursing AAA for refusing to help them get out.
The way to the falls was a lovely walk along the snow-covered river. I tried taking pictures for a Christmas card, but we failed in that. Turns out the kids aren't actually photogenic when they're all together. Instead, we ate fresh snow and marveled at how lucky we were to be only a few minutes from home.
When we arrived at the waterfall it was pretty much dark. There was no moon on this night so pictures were pretty much a no-go. We had our usual quick snack and headed back.
Even though it was only a mile, a mile is a boring walk in the dark. Unless you play games. We've had enough accidental telephone-game miscommunications that I figured we could do it on purpose. Except somehow we developed super-hearing. Granted, I'm not the most creative and my "I love hiking in the snow" was a bit predictable, but it was remarkable how well the kids could hear me. Especially when they apparently can't hear me when I ask them about homework or the dishes.
We won't likely return to Franklin Falls with everyone else, but we will be back at some point. I guess we're not hipster hikers after all.
