One Love Brewery – Lincoln, NH

After hiking Cannon Mountain earlier in the day and hanging out at Iron Furnace, I finally checked into my hotel and got settled. The resort I was staying at was just down the street from One Love Brewery in Lincoln, NH, so naturally I had to check it out.

Lincoln is a charming resort town on the other side of the Franconia notch from Cannon. There are plenty of resorts, but also a lot of local shops along with your typical tourist attractions such as train rides, adventure courses and mini golf.

The brewery offered a spacious outdoor area and was already pretty busy when I arrived – filled with vacationers and hikers just getting back from the trails. I got in line to order at the window they had set up and got myself a massive flight of 6 beers and settled on the grass picnic style.

What’s On Tap at One Love

• Dunkel Lager – Good mix of hoppy and malty flavor without a harsh finish..
• Great North IPA – A subtly hoppy IPA made for drinkability.
• Rue-La-LA Raspberry Tart – This ostentatious fruit beer is laced with refreshing raspberry flavor.
• Full Tilt Squirrel – Lager – One Love went full tilt on this sessionable beer.
• Vienna Lager – No pretentious name here, just a lager with a sublime smooth sweetness character.
• Czech Your Head Pilsner – Very drinkable with a light hoppiness to it. 

All things must come to an end and I was gunning for an early start on my 22 mile hike the next day – so I headed back to my hotel.

Final Verdict

With spacious digs, an expansive menu and convenient location right near Loon Mountain in the heart of Lincoln, you’ll be feeling the love at One Love brewery.

Bond, West Bond (and Bondcliff)

I awake at 5:30 am and after some preparation I’m out the door and at the Lincoln Woods trailhead by 6. Thankfully, I read about the trailhead and was prepared for the $5 cash only parking fee. I get everything settled and I’m off.

The first two and a half miles were some of the easiest hiking I’ve done in the Whites. The trail follows an old rail line and during the day is packed with people visiting campsites, ponds and Franconia Falls. The trail was wide, forested and free of rocks.

After I reached the spur for Franconia Falls, I followed the Wilderness Trail for another 2 miles. The trail narrowed considerably and I was met with a never ending parade of railroad ties jutting from the ground. The terrain was still very much flat. Even after 4.5 miles, I was still brimming with energy.

From Bondcliff with Love

At that point the trail branched and I began my climb of the Bondcliff trail. The trail started off mostly flat- following one of the branches of the Pemigawasset River. During my travel I encountered many campsites of hikers traversing the 29.9 mile Pemi loop.

While there were some steeper sections with rock staircases, the gradient was much less steep than Cannon was the day before. If it wasn’t 9 miles, this would have been an easy hike in terms of difficulty. The only technical section was right before Bondcliff where I had to rock climb a good 15 feet using my hands.

Once that was done, I found myself at the top of Bondcliff and what I encountered is what might be the best sub-5,000 foot peak in the White Mountains. Much of the top of Bondcliff is a rocky plateau with little vegetation to get in the way of the 360 degree views.

Most striking were the vertical cliffs, some of which might have been nearly 1,000 feet high. People lined up to have their photo taken of the most famous of the cliffs, but I enjoyed a quick snack and enjoyed my view of the expanse of the Pemigewasset wilderness below. Being 9 miles from the nearest signs of civilization meant the views were unmarred by buildings or highways as far as the eye could see – a nice contrast to hiking the highly trafficked Presidentials.

The toughest part of the hike was the 1 mile journey from Bondcliff to Mt Bond. While the ridge was a joy to hike across, eventually I reached the point of hiking up 700 feet of rock and talus to the peak. I eventually made it to the top but didn’t stay long to enjoy the limited views. Unlike Bondcliff, Bond was home to considerable amount of vegetation and overall the peak was not as spacious.

So I continued on to West Bond another mile away. The path to West Bond wasn’t as steep, following a ridgeline much of the way. Approaching the peak, I was greeted with a spire of rock, jutting out of the treeline like a cathedral. I clamored to the top and was greeted by a majestic 360 view, including Bondcliff from whence I just came. The remoteness of West Bond and the spire-like peak embodied in me the feeling that this was the heart of the mighty White Mountains. Mt Washington might have its lofty heights, but here – alone – at the peak of West Bond, I felt a connection to the surrounding wilderness unlike I’ve encountered before.

Leaps and Bounds Down the Bonds

The brisk wind was starting to get to me at the top of West Bond, so after trekking 11 miles, I was ready for the second half of my hike. I made it back up Mt Bond with no issue, but fatigue really started to set in as I was making my way back up to Bondcliff. I finished off my lunch, took one last dreamy eyed look at the commanding view and began my descent back into the wilds of the Pemigewasset.

My climb down wasn’t too terrible for the first 4 miles, but after I started hiking on the old rail line and flat terrain, I couldn’t wait until I was back at the car. After what seemed like forever, I finally made it back to the Franconia Falls junction – still 2.5 miles to go. My feet were screaming at me and my legs ached, but I trucked on – one step in front of the other. Another forever went by and I was finally back at the parking lot. I cleaned up a bit and headed back to my hotel room, but first stopped to grab some takeout and beer as my reward for such a strenuous day.

Information
One Love Brewery
https://www.onelovebrewery.com/
25 South Mountain Drive
Lincoln, NH 03262