Whiteface & Mt. Passaconaway - 3/31/2012

Its amazing how busy life is. My summer is booking up so fast with things to do - hiking, birthdays, parties, family get-togethers, traveling - I know I won't be hiking the next few weekends, so last weekend, I wanted to finish up my second round. So there it was, 8 mountains spread out over 3 wildernesses on the docket, requiring at least 3 separate hikes and two days to do it. I didn't add up the elevation gain until after - who cares, it had to be done anyways. One thing I decided was somehow I would finish on Carter Dome - Not an easy task when you still have to hike the Wildcats and Carters.

I got a 6am sharp start at Ferncroft Road on the way to Whiteface and Passaconaway. It was pretty mild to start, and I expected the temperature to remain consistent through the day. It was very comfortable. The trail below was clear, and snow and ice started to become a factor after the tricky section of ledges. Towards Passaconaway there was definitely much more ice as you will see below.

As I made it to the first open ledges, the sunrise was beautiful despite the overcast skies. I made it to the most notable ledge and began the tricky section up towards the top of Whiteface. It is such a fun climb, and that along with the beauty of this area makes this a great hike all around, despite the lack of expansive views.

With Hale to climb later in the afternoon with a long road walk (I was dreading), the focus was to keep moving. It took me 5hrs and 40min to complete the loop, and with very few breaks, I still managed to have all of the fun you see me having below.

Me on Whiteface summit (#41, round 2)

Dicey's Mill Trail heading to Passaconaway

Presidentials from Passaconaway viewpoint

Path to Mt. Passaconaway high point (#42, round 2)

Hike Stats

Trails: Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail

Distance: 11.9 miles

Elevation Gain: 3,800

Book Time: 5hrs 40min