Dix to Nippletop.

[Neil]

I have heard contradicting reports regarding 'shwacking directly up Nippletop from Hunters Pass environs. They range from,"I thought I was going to die" to "It's a nice open bushwhack" I find the latter report a little hard to believe. Has anyone here done this? Pin-Pin?

 

[TCD]

There was a thread here about this some months ago.

I did this bushwack in the opposite direction (down Nippletop to the trail near Hunter's pass) as part of an interesting hike we called the "Elk Lake Circumnavigation." We hiked the Pinnacle ridge, over Blake and Colvin, up Nippletop, and then down and out via the Dix trail. This was about 8 years ago.

The slope of Nippletop was EXTREMELY thick (can't see your feet), but young and healthy spruce. There was little blowdown. 3/4 mile, downhill, took us a couple hours.

Now, post Hurricane Floyd, I would guess that a trip up that slope would be a very long undertaking. Were I in Hunter's pass, and seeking to go to Nippletop, I would take the Round Pond trail out to Gravestone Brook, and take the easy bushwack up to the Leach trail near Bear Den.

TCD

 

[percious]

You have a PM.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Now, post Hurricane Floyd, I would guess that a trip up that slope would be a very long undertaking. TCD

From the summit of Dix, you can see large areas of Floyd blowdown on the sides of Nippletop. Areas where every tree is down. These were more visible several years ago, but they are there.

There are the cliffs as well.

 

[Rivet]

Were I in Hunter's pass, and seeking to go to Nippletop, I would take the Round Pond trail out to Gravestone Brook, and take the easy bushwack up to the Leach trail near Bear Den.
TCD

Gravestone brook is a nice bushwack. Open, deciduous woods for the most part.

 

[Neil]

Sounds like the quickest (and most agreable) way between 2 points is not a straight line.

 

[rondak46]

Neil, Your mailbox is full...

...you may need to delete some SENT items.

I was the "I almost died" character.

The blowdown I ran into was several hundred yard of large tree trunks, knocked down; many of which were around head level, requiring me to climb, jump or drop, then climb again. It was a pretty miserable couple of hours.

I have attached a map and scrawled some stuff on it to help describe what I ran into.

From my experience, the key is to go beyond the pass (from Dix Pond direction) far enough so you dont turn up and into the cliffs (in Blue). This is more critical when coming down than it is when going up. I have marked the blowdown which really made things difficult for me, as I remember it. THe route I would recommend is in purple. I added the green route because I had contemplated, and wish I had taken, this route to get a view from the yellow "X".

Mike