BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 18, 2010: Whiteface and Passaconaway
Trails: Blueberry Ledge Trail, Blueberry Ledge Cutoff, Rollins Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail
Summits: Whiteface and Passaconaway
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
The forecast for Saturday (our usual hike day) wasn’t good but Sunday was better. Sue was able to get free to hike on Sunday and we made the schedule change. Originally we had other hike plans but with the conditions we decided on something more sheltered. The reports indicated four inches of new snow fell on Friday night at the higher elevations and four to six more were expected on Saturday night. If the predicted rain didn’t materialize it was still going to be a wet hike. Even though this one is a relatively short hike we decided on an early start for an early finish.
We arrived at the Ferncroft trailhead for an early start but a little later than planned. As we traveled the final miles to the trailhead the ground slowly became snow-covered. By the time we arrived at Ferncroft Road there was evidence a plow truck had been through. We decided to bare boot as far as we could and make changes to our footwear as needed.
We planned to hike the loop clockwise knowing ascending the ledges on Whiteface was a better choice than descending due to the conditions. As we made our way along Blueberry Ledge Trail I kept thinking about our route. The concern was the large wet and muddy area a short distance past the junction with Blueberry Ledge Cutoff. Even during the summer this can be a messy part of the hike. I’ve hiked Blueberry Ledge Cutoff several times and don’t recall any mud pits or swampy areas. We decided to take Blueberry Ledge Cutoff and bypass all of the mess. The trail was solid and a pleasant walk through hardwoods. Along the way the clouds broke up and the sun started to flood the area. Slowly, the snow and ice on the trees started to melt. We’re having a wet day but it isn’t raining. Along Blueberry Ledge Cutoff there were only two areas where blowdowns blocked the trail. Both were easy to bypass.
Back on Blueberry Ledge Trail we were dealing with approximately six inches of new wet snow. The footing is still good and snowshoes would probably offer no benefit so we continued to bare boot the hike. We were also dealing with endless blowdowns. We were able to pass underneath or over a few of the blowdowns but many required a complete bypass. As we climbed away from the upper junction of Blueberry Ledge Trail and Blueberry Ledge Cutoff the snow depth increased and the snow dried out a little. Eventually we had a solid ten inches plus we were hiking the monorail that remained from winter. All of the new snow hid the location of the monorail and left a posthole problem, plus the footing was poor. We decided it was time for the snowshoes.
With the snowshoes on and the televators up we comfortably broke trail to the ledges. We reached the bottom of the first section and decided to take a shot at climbing with the snowshoes. The snow was sticky enough to offer pretty good traction. Carefully we made our way up the ledge favoring the left side and reached the top of this first section with no real difficulty at all. We kept climbing and made our way through the second section with no problems. The third section didn’t go as well as I would have liked. We made our way through the first part of it with no problems but the upper part was loaded with ice. The MSRs have great traction but they’re not made for ice. I was in the lead and Sue was close behind. At one point with all of my weight on my right leg I lost my footing and shot backward. In an attempt to regain control, my left leg, which was extended to the rear, came up and I was able to make the save. Unfortunately, when my left snowshoe came up and I slid a few feet down, I managed to hit Sue in the face with my snowshoe. I didn’t realize this at first but it didn’t take long for me to figure it out. What a terrible feeling. As it turned out Sue had only a small cut on her right cheek but it’s possible there will be a black eye to go along with it.
We continued the climb with a little extra separation between us. Sue would wait off the bottom of each section until I was at the top before starting up. Eventually we were at the top of the scrambles and making our way through the final short wooded section to the ledges at the lower summit. There we stopped for a couple quick pictures and continued on Rollins Trail to the summit of Whiteface. From the lower summit to the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail we were breaking trail in roughly ten to twelve inches of new, April snow. The trees were still loaded with snow and ice, the sun was melting it as fast as possible, and we were paying the price. We reached the summit of Whiteface, got a couple summit pictures on the way through, and continued on looking for a good place for a lunch break. Roughly half-way from Whiteface to the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail we finally stopped for a quick snack, and some dry gloves. With that out of the way we continued around The Bowl. We were within a half mile of the trail junction when we briefly stopped and Sue noticed some movement behind us on the trial. There was another hiker and a dog that was about as happy as a dog gets. We waited for this pair to pass. The other hiker thanked us for the trail breaking help and took the lead. Slowly we made our way on to the trail junction. There was evidence of one other hiker that had been through but probably on Saturday – the snowshoe track had been partially filled with snow. We made the turn and headed for Passaconaway.
The climb to Passaconaway was a little slower than usual. There were only a couple blowdowns on this final .9 miles to the summit but the conditions were finally pushing me toward the end of my energy and extra stops were needed. Roughly .2 below the summit we were passed by the other hiker and his dog – still really happy with the day. The steep sections on Passaconaway seemed to be the easiest. The televators came up and we simply climbed. Progress was still slow but it seemed easier. We reached the outlook ledge below the summit and were treated to the inside of a cloud – no view at all. We continued on to the summit for a couple pictures and then our exit. On the way back out we passed the outlook and found the conditions had cleared out and we had pretty nice views to enjoy – conditions sure can change fast.
We started our exit hike. The snow provided great traction while descending the steep sections off Passaconaway and we were able to comfortably make our way down from the summit and through the switchbacks. We made another quick stop at the Dicey’s Mill – Rollins trails junction to pull out dry gloves and more Gatorade. Then, we were off for the trailhead. The hike down went quick. The footing was a little slick and we did our share of slipping and sliding. Eventually, around the transition from conifers to hardwoods we reached the end of the remaining monorail, the new snow depth had decreased, and we were probably beating up our snowshoes more than getting any real benefit from them. We decided to make a change to MicroSpikes for the remaining descent.
Before long we reached the site of the old mill, crossed the river, and headed for the long section of Dicey’s Mill Mud. Everything was thawed and the usual mud pits were all in place, plus a few. We managed to stay relatively clean on the hike out and were soon passing the bridge that crosses to Blueberry Ledge Cutoff. We retired the MicroSpikes and cruised to the trailhead. On our way across the field at the end of the trail we looked back to Whiteface and could see a pretty good snow squall was underway.
Back at the trailhead lot we pulled out a few dry things, quickly packed to leave, and were on the road south. As we passed by the turn to the Sandwich Creamery I asked Sue if she was interested in a quick stop for ice cream – not today. Maybe next time.
Thanks Sue – sorry for kicking you in the face, I still feel terrible.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Blueberry Ledge Trail, Blueberry Ledge Cutoff, Rollins Trail, Dicey’s Mill Trail
Summits: Whiteface and Passaconaway
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
The forecast for Saturday (our usual hike day) wasn’t good but Sunday was better. Sue was able to get free to hike on Sunday and we made the schedule change. Originally we had other hike plans but with the conditions we decided on something more sheltered. The reports indicated four inches of new snow fell on Friday night at the higher elevations and four to six more were expected on Saturday night. If the predicted rain didn’t materialize it was still going to be a wet hike. Even though this one is a relatively short hike we decided on an early start for an early finish.
We arrived at the Ferncroft trailhead for an early start but a little later than planned. As we traveled the final miles to the trailhead the ground slowly became snow-covered. By the time we arrived at Ferncroft Road there was evidence a plow truck had been through. We decided to bare boot as far as we could and make changes to our footwear as needed.
We planned to hike the loop clockwise knowing ascending the ledges on Whiteface was a better choice than descending due to the conditions. As we made our way along Blueberry Ledge Trail I kept thinking about our route. The concern was the large wet and muddy area a short distance past the junction with Blueberry Ledge Cutoff. Even during the summer this can be a messy part of the hike. I’ve hiked Blueberry Ledge Cutoff several times and don’t recall any mud pits or swampy areas. We decided to take Blueberry Ledge Cutoff and bypass all of the mess. The trail was solid and a pleasant walk through hardwoods. Along the way the clouds broke up and the sun started to flood the area. Slowly, the snow and ice on the trees started to melt. We’re having a wet day but it isn’t raining. Along Blueberry Ledge Cutoff there were only two areas where blowdowns blocked the trail. Both were easy to bypass.
Back on Blueberry Ledge Trail we were dealing with approximately six inches of new wet snow. The footing is still good and snowshoes would probably offer no benefit so we continued to bare boot the hike. We were also dealing with endless blowdowns. We were able to pass underneath or over a few of the blowdowns but many required a complete bypass. As we climbed away from the upper junction of Blueberry Ledge Trail and Blueberry Ledge Cutoff the snow depth increased and the snow dried out a little. Eventually we had a solid ten inches plus we were hiking the monorail that remained from winter. All of the new snow hid the location of the monorail and left a posthole problem, plus the footing was poor. We decided it was time for the snowshoes.
With the snowshoes on and the televators up we comfortably broke trail to the ledges. We reached the bottom of the first section and decided to take a shot at climbing with the snowshoes. The snow was sticky enough to offer pretty good traction. Carefully we made our way up the ledge favoring the left side and reached the top of this first section with no real difficulty at all. We kept climbing and made our way through the second section with no problems. The third section didn’t go as well as I would have liked. We made our way through the first part of it with no problems but the upper part was loaded with ice. The MSRs have great traction but they’re not made for ice. I was in the lead and Sue was close behind. At one point with all of my weight on my right leg I lost my footing and shot backward. In an attempt to regain control, my left leg, which was extended to the rear, came up and I was able to make the save. Unfortunately, when my left snowshoe came up and I slid a few feet down, I managed to hit Sue in the face with my snowshoe. I didn’t realize this at first but it didn’t take long for me to figure it out. What a terrible feeling. As it turned out Sue had only a small cut on her right cheek but it’s possible there will be a black eye to go along with it.
We continued the climb with a little extra separation between us. Sue would wait off the bottom of each section until I was at the top before starting up. Eventually we were at the top of the scrambles and making our way through the final short wooded section to the ledges at the lower summit. There we stopped for a couple quick pictures and continued on Rollins Trail to the summit of Whiteface. From the lower summit to the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail we were breaking trail in roughly ten to twelve inches of new, April snow. The trees were still loaded with snow and ice, the sun was melting it as fast as possible, and we were paying the price. We reached the summit of Whiteface, got a couple summit pictures on the way through, and continued on looking for a good place for a lunch break. Roughly half-way from Whiteface to the junction with Dicey’s Mill Trail we finally stopped for a quick snack, and some dry gloves. With that out of the way we continued around The Bowl. We were within a half mile of the trail junction when we briefly stopped and Sue noticed some movement behind us on the trial. There was another hiker and a dog that was about as happy as a dog gets. We waited for this pair to pass. The other hiker thanked us for the trail breaking help and took the lead. Slowly we made our way on to the trail junction. There was evidence of one other hiker that had been through but probably on Saturday – the snowshoe track had been partially filled with snow. We made the turn and headed for Passaconaway.
The climb to Passaconaway was a little slower than usual. There were only a couple blowdowns on this final .9 miles to the summit but the conditions were finally pushing me toward the end of my energy and extra stops were needed. Roughly .2 below the summit we were passed by the other hiker and his dog – still really happy with the day. The steep sections on Passaconaway seemed to be the easiest. The televators came up and we simply climbed. Progress was still slow but it seemed easier. We reached the outlook ledge below the summit and were treated to the inside of a cloud – no view at all. We continued on to the summit for a couple pictures and then our exit. On the way back out we passed the outlook and found the conditions had cleared out and we had pretty nice views to enjoy – conditions sure can change fast.
We started our exit hike. The snow provided great traction while descending the steep sections off Passaconaway and we were able to comfortably make our way down from the summit and through the switchbacks. We made another quick stop at the Dicey’s Mill – Rollins trails junction to pull out dry gloves and more Gatorade. Then, we were off for the trailhead. The hike down went quick. The footing was a little slick and we did our share of slipping and sliding. Eventually, around the transition from conifers to hardwoods we reached the end of the remaining monorail, the new snow depth had decreased, and we were probably beating up our snowshoes more than getting any real benefit from them. We decided to make a change to MicroSpikes for the remaining descent.
Before long we reached the site of the old mill, crossed the river, and headed for the long section of Dicey’s Mill Mud. Everything was thawed and the usual mud pits were all in place, plus a few. We managed to stay relatively clean on the hike out and were soon passing the bridge that crosses to Blueberry Ledge Cutoff. We retired the MicroSpikes and cruised to the trailhead. On our way across the field at the end of the trail we looked back to Whiteface and could see a pretty good snow squall was underway.
Back at the trailhead lot we pulled out a few dry things, quickly packed to leave, and were on the road south. As we passed by the turn to the Sandwich Creamery I asked Sue if she was interested in a quick stop for ice cream – not today. Maybe next time.
Thanks Sue – sorry for kicking you in the face, I still feel terrible.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Last edited:
