The forecast was looking great for this day at the end of March, and on the agenda was some non-4000 footer action. The plan was a double hit-and-run on Welch-Dickey and Sandwich and Jennings, which was progress on the NEHH and 52 WAV lists. It's amazing that you can hike hundreds of mountains, and climb some new ones and get a brand new sense of awe from another perspective These four summits in the Sandwich Range sure hold some of the best views in the Whites.
Since I'm playing catch up here, I'll do a brief version of a trip report! It was bare ground right at the trailhead, but quickly it became a challenge and microspikes were required. Further up on the approach to Welch, there were longer and drier rock slab sections, which led to me taking them off. The views from the exposed ledges were awesome as we welcomed the sunrise on this beautiful day. Before the summit, I paid for removing my microspikes with a fall onto my elbow. Maybe I'll post this video soon! The summit of Welch was breezy, but from here, you can see just as much as any 4000-footer. Welch is the mountain in the photo above.
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| Welch-Dickey Loop Trail (Welch side) |
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| Sunrise from the first ledge towards Welch |
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| Approaching Welch |
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| Long rock slab with icy spots |
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| Welch summit |
Next we cruised through the col and reached the summit of Dickey, which holds, in my opinion, the most intense view of Franconia Ridge I've seen from another summit. We then descended, and crossed over the exposed ledges of Dickey. Looking back over our shoulders at this impressive little loop, we were all warmed up and ready to hit Sandwich Dome and Jennings Peak next. Check out the photo album below for some other cool photos from this hike.
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| Southern view from Dickey |
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| Franconia Ridge from backside of Dickey |
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| Welch-Dickey Loop over Dickey Ledges |
Hike Stats
Trails: Welch-Dickey Loop Trail (Welch Mountain first)
Distance: 4.4 miles
Elevation Gain: 1,800 ft.
Actual Book Time: 3:00
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