Mt. Whiteface (and attempted East Sleeper) 12-20-12

[Highcomm]

I was hoping to add to my NE 100 highest yesterday by doing East Sleeper. My stretch goal was Whiteface, E. Sleeper, and Passaconaway. My realistic goal was to do Whiteface and E. Sleeper. Ended up only doing Whiteface. Took Blueberry Ledge trail to reach Whiteface. Was not anticipating that the scrambles before Whiteface would be so difficult to navigate. They were total ice and snow covered. Had on micro-spikes but should have had an ice tool and crampons. Took me about an hour to get over the scrambles. By the time I reached the summit of Whiteface it was 1:30pm so I decided to scrap E. Sleeper.

Not wanting to go down the scrambles I decided to take the Rollins and Dicey's Mill trails back to the trailhead. The Rollins Trail is a complete mess in places with blow-downs. A couple of times it was so bad I lost the trail. By the time I reached the junction of Dicey's Mill it was 4pm which meant I had about 3 miles of hiking in the dark. Luckily I had a head lamp. To male matters more difficult, from the summit of Whiteface to the trailhead the trail was not broken. With each step I was skinking down 3-4 inches. That gets old after a while. Anyway, I made it back to the trailhead at 6pm. Enjoyed a nice dinner at Yankee Smokehouse.

This was suppose to be my "end of world hike". Since the world has not ended I will call this "my last hike of 2012". Life is good.

 

[Sunshine Chris]

Sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan them, but it sounds like all that ends safely ends well. You got something accomplished, the world did not end and your safely back with family for the holiday. Most of all I hope you had some adventure and some fun too. Sounds like you did!

 

[psmart]

Might have been good that you skipped East Sleeper - I heard a recent report about *many* blow-downs on Sleeper Trail.

 

[Highcomm]

Sometimes things don't turn out the way we plan them, but it sounds like all that ends safely ends well. You got something accomplished, the world did not end and your safely back with family for the holiday. Most of all I hope you had some adventure and some fun too. Sounds like you did!

Thanks Sunshine Chris. "All that ends safely ends well" is a good quote. Another quote is, "The mountains have ways of dealing with overconfidence." I was sure that I was going to make quick work of East Sleeper. I came very close to attempting it when I saw the trail sign. PSmart reinforces the fact that I made a good decision in skipping it. Overwise, I would have been walking out at 9pm instead of 6pm. It's no fun hiking in the dark.

 

[Daniel Eagan]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I've driven past the Yankee Smokehouse many times without stopping in. What do you recommend there?

 

[peakbagger]

Too bad, except for the water crossings Downes Brook Trail from the Kanc is one of the best graded trails in the whites to access East Sleeper and Whiteface, unfortunately not so good for Pasaconaway unless you car spot or do the Abandoned Downes Brook Slide trail (which has extensive slabs at the base that would be treacherous when wet or icy).

 

[Highcomm]

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I've driven past the Yankee Smokehouse many times without stopping in. What do you recommend there?

I had not been there until last night. A friend reccomended it. Seemed like the perfect place to go since it is right around the corner from the Whiteface trailhead. Like most bar-b-q places the interior decor is nothing special. However, the food was great. I got a pork plate for $12.99 and there was more food on it than most humans can eat. The plate had cole slaw, baked beans, french fries, Texas toast, and of course a big heaping pile of pork. I complimented the food with a nice Harpoon IPA. The waitress took the glass out of the freezer so it was icey cold. It was the perfect meal for a hungry and tired hiker. I will go there again.

 

[Highcomm]

Too bad, except for the water crossings Downes Brook Trail from the Kanc is one of the best graded trails in the whites to access East Sleeper and Whiteface, unfortunately not so good for Pasaconaway unless you car spot or do the Abandoned Downes Brook Slide trail (which has extensive slabs at the base that would be treacherous when wet or icy).

I think I will try this trail next summer.