Summits: Mount Whiteface (4,020'), Mount Passaconaway (4,043')
Trail route: Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail
Trail conditions: A coating of snow to start with several inches at higher elevations, mostly snow on the Whiteface ledges with some areas of ice, more ice on the trails at higher elevations
Weather: A cold wind, full sunshine
Total miles: 11.9
Total time: 7:18
Today I would be gridding out Whiteface and Passaconaway having hiked these summits in every month of the year. I would also be gridding out December meaning I will have hiked all the 48 4,000 footers in this month. Jim was planning on joining me for this hike and maybe some others but no confirmations. Windy, cold and sunshine was in the forecast.
I arrived at the Ferncroft parking area and Jim was already there. No one else showed up and we started our hike just after 7:30. As we left the parking lot the wind was whipping up snow devils in the field beside the road. When we got into the woods the wind diminished.
Ann caught up to us just before we got to the Blueberry Cut-off. We bare booted up to the first small ledge on the trail. The microspikes went on here. We soon arrived at the start of the Whiteface ledge scrambles. There was a mix between snow covered and bare ledges. We had no problem climbing the ledges and there was just some minor ice that was not an issue with our traction.
We arrived at the viewless summit of Mount Whiteface and stopped for a quick photo. There were a lot of areas with ice on the Rollins Trail. A layer of snow on top made for some tricky steep drops but once again the traction worked well.
At the Dicey's Mill Trail we turned left for the ascent to Mount Passaconaway. There were some ice flows on our way up but we had no problem with handling this ice with our microspikes. We arrived at a cold, windy summit. There are no views here so a brief stop for a photo and we started our descent. I did notice at the outlook just below the summit that the views are becoming obscured by the growing trees.
It was an uneventful descent on the Dicey's Mill Trail although the water was a little high at the crossing and we used the fallen snowy log to cross. On the other side of the crossing we removed our microspikes for the remaining hike to the Ferncroft parking lot.
It was great to get these two summits gridded out and complete all 48 4,000 foot summits for this month. A congratulations to Ann, she also gridded out Whiteface/Passaconaway today!
I now need three hikes in January to grid out that month and I'm hoping the weather and trail conditions will cooperate and be tolerable.
Enjoy the photos and videos!
Sun rising as the hike begins
Whiteface is our first summit in the distance
Ann catches up with us just before the Blueberry Cut-off junction
Blueberry Cut-off junction
Ferncroft parking area far below
We put the microspikes on here
At the bottom of the ledges
The ledge scrambling begins
Crossing a snowy ledge
More ledge scrambling
Mount Passaconaway
Mount Chocorua in the distance with lots of blowing snow in between
A south view from the ledges
Icicles beside the trail
A short break at the top of the ledges before we continue
On the summit of Mount Whiteface
Rollins Trail
Lake Winnipesaukee in the distance
Trail ice
More icicles
Turning left for the hike up Mount Passaconaway
Hiking up an ice flow
Last ledge scramble below the summit of Passaconaway
On the summit of Mount Passaconaway
The Passaconaway outlook view is disappearing
Some tree hugging on the way down
Descending an ice flow
Dicey's Mill Trail becomes a little more friendly down lower
On the road walk back to Ferncroft
A look back at Mount Whiteface
A view from Ferncroft at the end of the hike
A view on the drive home of Whiteface and Passaconaway from Chocorua Lake
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
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