Question about Sleepers East Peak

[Daniel Eagan]

Better from the east or the west? We've done Whiteface and the Tripyramids so we know roughly what to expect from those trails. Waterville Valley would be an easier drive than down through Sandwich.

Any persuasive reason to take the Downes Brook Trail instead?

Thanks.

 

[MichaelJ]

My personal feeling is if you just want to tag them out-and-back, go from the South Slide from Livermore. I love that approach.

A traverse Tri's -> Whiteface -> Passaconaway is long, but wicked nice. Unfortunately, Livermore to Ferncroft is the car spot from hell, so if you want to do this traverse go up Pine Bend and down Oliverian Brook. Or the shorter traverse up Pind Bend and down Downes Brook, sure. If you can manage the car spot, up South Slide from Livermore and down Downes would be nicer, though.

 

[Paradox]

I went up the Sabbaday Brook Trail, across the Tri's, then the Sleepers, and down the Downes Brook trail on a bluebird day in October (ignore date given in Wikiloc link). Link to my GPS track on Wikiloc. All trails were fast, dry and stream crossings facile. However, there are many stream crossings on Downes Brook Trail that can be very difficult in high water conditions.

 

[Kevin Rooney]

If you've already done Whiteface, then the easiest way for you is probably doing an out 'n back from near that peak's summit.

 

[peakbagger]

A nice excuse to go up Downes Brook trail, do an out and back to East Sleeper and then do White face and Passaconaway with a return down the abandoned Downes Brook Slide trail. Makes a nice loop and is convenient to get to from Conway or Bartlett.

Do note the upper section of Downes Brook trail tends to retain snow late in the sping due to shade and orientation. I got nailed one year and had to posthole over to Sleeper a week before memorial day. The Downes Slide trail is also difficult in wet conditions.

 

[Raymond]

See, this is why they say, ‘‘Leave no stragglers.’’

I would suggest thinking of it in terms of red-lining purposes, so you can feel you’re killing two birds with one stone. Use as many trails as you can to make it worthwhile. If you re-climb one or more of the 4000-footers on either side of it, think in terms of checking off another month on The Grid.

This is now what I’m trying to do, cover as many bases as possible each time.

 

[marty]

I went up via the Tripyramid South Slide and took Kate Sleeper out and back. It was nice, particularly with the two slides and the views from them. Neither slide was daunting. If you choose that route, keep a watchful eye for the Kate Sleeper trail sign. It was faded and easy to miss. Also, the trail was a bit confusing in a couple spots a bit west of the West Peak, but I was breaking trail in 3-4 feet of soft snow. It might be more obvious when the snow is gone. There was an incredible amount of moose droppings between the two Sleeper peaks.

Have fun!

Marty

 

[Dennis C.]

Nice quote ... and practice, Raymond ... been using it for years!

See, this is why they say, ‘‘Leave no stragglers.’’

I would suggest thinking of it in terms of red-lining purposes, so you can feel you’re killing two birds with one stone. Use as many trails as you can to make it worthwhile. If you re-climb one or more of the 4000-footers on either side of it, think in terms of checking off another month on The Grid. This is now what I’m trying to do, cover as many bases as possible each time.

There's no easy way to get the Sleepers. There are lots of stream crossings along the Downes Brook Trail that can be difficult in less than optimum conditions. As Raymond mentions, knock them off for the winter lists while getting the nearby 4000s (or any season for that matter).

 

[RoySwkr]

A nice excuse to go up Downes Brook trail, do an out and back to East Sleeper and then do White face and Passaconaway with a return down the abandoned Downes Brook Slide trail. Makes a nice loop and is convenient to get to from Conway or Bartlett.

I have done this trip in the reverse direction which I think is better, as it is safer to go up the slide and if you get wet at a crossing of Downes Brook you won't have so far to walk afterwards

One advantage of going via South Slide is that you go very near the higher NW Sleeper (short herd path/bushwhack) which has 5 40' contours hence could appear on the NE100 list itself someday
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=43.94723,-71.42993&z=15&t=T&marker0=43.95479,-71.43452,the sleepers\, nh

 

[bikehikeskifish]

What's the story with W Sleeper not being on the list anyway? I skipped it when I did East Sleeper...

Tim

 

[Raymond]

West Sleeper is on my 3K list, but I don’t know the contour situation. I haven’t been there yet either.

Oops. Originally posted this before I saw Roy’s map. Isn’t Roy’s Northwest Sleeper the same as West Sleeper?

 

[bikehikeskifish]

I think NW Sleeper = W Sleeper. It is NW of East Sleeper, which are together labeled "The Sleepers" on the map Roy cited, but only "Sleepers, East Peak" appears on the NEHH list.

Tim

 

[RoySwkr]

I think NW Sleeper = W Sleeper. It is NW of East Sleeper, which are together labeled "The Sleepers" on the map Roy cited, but only "Sleepers, East Peak" appears on the NEHH list.

If you measure their locations, they are closer to being N-S than E-W

Calling them NW and SE is more precise yet

 

[bikehikeskifish]

So whatever you call it, why isn't NW Sleeper on the NEHH?

(Officially, the double bump is just "The Sleepers", so says GNIS)

Tim

 

[TDawg]

It looks like it lacks sufficient col depth, per the topo. Only having 4 fully closed contours, the fifth almost meets at the col but not quite. Prominence is probably about 190? Maybe another survey could deem the col deeper and/or the summit higher?

As most of you know, some with questionable cols count (S. Hancock, Bondcliff, W. Bond, Lincoln) and some don't (Guyot, W. Sleeper.)

I say, hike em anyway!!

 

[MichaelJ]

I say, hike em anyway!!

Agreed - the Sleepers are a beautiful hike! Plus, if they ever change things, and it's before you finish, you'll have to go back. Generally only those who've already finished the list and sent in their application are grandfathered. Be prepared! Hike early and often!

 

[una_dogger]

Dan, my humble 0.02 is to avoid the Downes Brook Trail - especially during spring rains/snowmelt. It's a tedious trail at any time of year.

A nice route would be to start up the South Tri Slide - then do an out and back on the Kate Sleeper Trail.

As Marty pointed out, the jct of the Kate Sleeper Trail is easy to miss --- often times there is a small cairn on the south slide marking a small herdpath to an adjacent slide --- this is the Kate Sleeper Trail jct.

The slides are rubble and sand, not very steep where you will be and fine in wet weather.

Happy Trails!

 

[RoySwkr]

It looks like it lacks sufficient col depth, per the topo. Only having 4 fully closed contours, the fifth almost meets at the col but not quite. Prominence is probably about 190? Maybe another survey could deem the col deeper and/or the summit higher?

Are you using cheap knockoff maps or do you need new glasses

The USGS 7.5' quad (see link above) has 5 full contours, or 1 more than S Hancock

 

[TDawg]

Rethink

Are you using cheap knockoff maps or do you need new glasses

The USGS 7.5' quad (see link above) has 5 full contours, or 1 more than S Hancock

No, I'm looking at your AcmeMapper link and I don't wear glasses.

Maybe I could have been more clear, here goes....

Yea, you're right there's 5 lines but you need 6 to represent 200 feet of elevation. That is what you're trying to argue right? That W. Sleeper has the 200 foot col?

What I was trying to say was it's the space between those 5 contours represents only 160 feet. So there's only 4-40 foot map units and the last bit of elevation down to the col needs to be estimated. The sixth contour almost meets, so again I'd estimate it's prominence at 190.

And speaking of cheap knock-off maps. Has anyone else noticed that the acme mapper topos aren't as nice as they used to be? They used to have all forest roads marked and numbered, now you're lucky if there's a line there. For example, where's Hix Mtn road??

 

[DougPaul]

And speaking of cheap knock-off maps. Has anyone else noticed that the acme mapper topos aren't as nice as they used to be? They used to have all forest roads marked and numbered, now you're lucky if there's a line there. For example, where's Hix Mtn road??

Hix Mtn Rd is shown on the 100K topo but not on the 25K topo. (This is also true on my NG TOPO!.) If you shrink the scale on the Acme map by two steps, it will "magically" appear.

The 100K scale topos often show features (particularly older ones) that are not shown on the 24/25K topos.

Doug