una_dogger
Well-known member
Mileage: 8.6 roundtrip
Trails Used: Oliverian Brook Tr., Passaconnaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Cutoff.
Rocksnrolls, MichaelJ, Terra and I set off to climb Passaconnaway and Square Ledge from the Kanc. We found the Oliverian Brook Trail lightly broken out to the brook crossing. From there on the trail was unbroken, about 6-8 inches of fresh powder on top of 3-4 feet of packed snow. Two women from Maine were also out, headed for Square Ledge. We passed eachother several times, but just beyond the brook crossing we saw them for the last time, experiencing technical difficulties with thier snowshoes.
The hike was easy to the brook, then the climbing began gradually. We took turns breaking trail. We crossed several moose bedding/grazing areas along this stretch of the Passaconaway Cutoff.
We reached the Square Ledge Cutoff, 3.6 miles in, about 3.5 hours later, the going being tough in the deep snow. At the junction, we could clearly see the col between Passaconnay and Square ledge, that held our next junction with the Walden Trail, 0.7 miles away. It looked *so close*.
At the junction, the Square Ledge Cutoff trail drops about a hundred feet or so. We were really sinking in this section, and it felt as though it had not been broken out at all this winter. The trail is unmarked (wilderness area) but followed the contour and was pretty easy to follow as it passed through stands of white birch. We pushed on, taking turns breaking, with the summit cone of Passaconnaway rising nearly 1700 more feet above us. The trail crossed a small slide with deep, hard windblown snow. I was breaking and pulled out my ice axe, just in case. Crossing this section was very difficult for five foot tall me, as I was sinking up to my waist with each step, and pulling my snowshoes out and taking the next forward step breaking hard snow was not easy. I was working too hard to notice the amazing views of Carrigan, Vose Spur and Mt Washington going across, but paused to enjoy them later on our way back.
The 0.7 miles and ~800 feet of gain along this section was really tough trailbreaking, it took us nearly another 1.5 hours! The guys began offering thier willingness to turn back if anyone wanted to. I suggested we get to the col. I was half hoping we'd get there and find the Walden Trail broken out, and the other half of me was thinking it was still great to be out in the woods after a nearly month long hiatus from hiking. So, we continued onward. This is a pretty solitary stretch of trail and several times I'd wonder if we were really on it, and then a portion of sawed off blowdown would appear sticking out of the snow and remind us we were still on course.
We reached the col and then dropped down the junction. Nope, not broken beyond this point. With 700 steep feet left to climb in 0.6 miles -- we decided that today we were "col baggers"! Laughing, happy, hungry and satisfied to have spent a tough day in the woods; we hunkered down and cracked open our thermoses and had lunch.
Turning back on broken trail, we flew down the mountain and had a wonderful time snowshoe skiing, with the occaisional butt slide thrown in for good measure.
By the time we returned to the junction of the Passaconnaway Cutoff and the Square Ledge Trail, we were all beat! My hip flexors were sore like they have never been, and the pain from my shoulder injury from this past Fall was back with a vengance -- I was glad we had turned where we did, because it would be a less than enjoyable trip back in the dark if we had continued to push our already tired bodies on to the summit, me thinks.
We made it back to the cars at just about five pm, having spent 8.5 hours out on the trail. I am really looking forward to hiking this route once again in the summer, just to see it in a different season.
On our way back through Lincoln we stopped in at the Mountain Wanderer and I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Smith for the first time. Steve (as we all probably know! ) has a deep wealth of knowledge of the mountains, and outlined in detail the rest of the trail up the west side of Passaconnaway from where we had turned back, along with inspiring accounts of some other little well known treasures in the Whites and nearby Maine that we all agreed were worth a visit.
A stop in at the Common Man in Ashland for some hot food and cold refreshment rounded out our day.
Looking at the map this morning, I saw we had about a quarter mile from our turnaround point to the junction of the Dicey's Mill Trail, which was probably broken out to the summit of Passaconnaway -- sigh...but that's OK, I don't think the mountain is going anywhere.
So...almost NH48 number 37 for me, but a great return to the moutains and a fun day in woods!
Trails Used: Oliverian Brook Tr., Passaconnaway Cutoff, Square Ledge Cutoff.
Rocksnrolls, MichaelJ, Terra and I set off to climb Passaconnaway and Square Ledge from the Kanc. We found the Oliverian Brook Trail lightly broken out to the brook crossing. From there on the trail was unbroken, about 6-8 inches of fresh powder on top of 3-4 feet of packed snow. Two women from Maine were also out, headed for Square Ledge. We passed eachother several times, but just beyond the brook crossing we saw them for the last time, experiencing technical difficulties with thier snowshoes.
The hike was easy to the brook, then the climbing began gradually. We took turns breaking trail. We crossed several moose bedding/grazing areas along this stretch of the Passaconaway Cutoff.
We reached the Square Ledge Cutoff, 3.6 miles in, about 3.5 hours later, the going being tough in the deep snow. At the junction, we could clearly see the col between Passaconnay and Square ledge, that held our next junction with the Walden Trail, 0.7 miles away. It looked *so close*.
At the junction, the Square Ledge Cutoff trail drops about a hundred feet or so. We were really sinking in this section, and it felt as though it had not been broken out at all this winter. The trail is unmarked (wilderness area) but followed the contour and was pretty easy to follow as it passed through stands of white birch. We pushed on, taking turns breaking, with the summit cone of Passaconnaway rising nearly 1700 more feet above us. The trail crossed a small slide with deep, hard windblown snow. I was breaking and pulled out my ice axe, just in case. Crossing this section was very difficult for five foot tall me, as I was sinking up to my waist with each step, and pulling my snowshoes out and taking the next forward step breaking hard snow was not easy. I was working too hard to notice the amazing views of Carrigan, Vose Spur and Mt Washington going across, but paused to enjoy them later on our way back.
The 0.7 miles and ~800 feet of gain along this section was really tough trailbreaking, it took us nearly another 1.5 hours! The guys began offering thier willingness to turn back if anyone wanted to. I suggested we get to the col. I was half hoping we'd get there and find the Walden Trail broken out, and the other half of me was thinking it was still great to be out in the woods after a nearly month long hiatus from hiking. So, we continued onward. This is a pretty solitary stretch of trail and several times I'd wonder if we were really on it, and then a portion of sawed off blowdown would appear sticking out of the snow and remind us we were still on course.
We reached the col and then dropped down the junction. Nope, not broken beyond this point. With 700 steep feet left to climb in 0.6 miles -- we decided that today we were "col baggers"!
Laughing, happy, hungry and satisfied to have spent a tough day in the woods; we hunkered down and cracked open our thermoses and had lunch.Turning back on broken trail, we flew down the mountain and had a wonderful time snowshoe skiing, with the occaisional butt slide thrown in for good measure.
By the time we returned to the junction of the Passaconnaway Cutoff and the Square Ledge Trail, we were all beat! My hip flexors were sore like they have never been, and the pain from my shoulder injury from this past Fall was back with a vengance -- I was glad we had turned where we did, because it would be a less than enjoyable trip back in the dark if we had continued to push our already tired bodies on to the summit, me thinks.
We made it back to the cars at just about five pm, having spent 8.5 hours out on the trail. I am really looking forward to hiking this route once again in the summer, just to see it in a different season.
On our way back through Lincoln we stopped in at the Mountain Wanderer and I had the pleasure of meeting Steve Smith for the first time. Steve (as we all probably know!
) has a deep wealth of knowledge of the mountains, and outlined in detail the rest of the trail up the west side of Passaconnaway from where we had turned back, along with inspiring accounts of some other little well known treasures in the Whites and nearby Maine that we all agreed were worth a visit. A stop in at the Common Man in Ashland for some hot food and cold refreshment rounded out our day.
Looking at the map this morning, I saw we had about a quarter mile from our turnaround point to the junction of the Dicey's Mill Trail, which was probably broken out to the summit of Passaconnaway -- sigh...but that's OK, I don't think the mountain is going anywhere.
So...almost NH48 number 37 for me, but a great return to the moutains and a fun day in woods!
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