November 25, 2011: Mt. Whiteface (#22)

After a big Thanksgiving Dinner last night (thanks mom!), it was time for a little exercise, and what better way to exercise than spending the day up north.  We took I-95 and Rte. 16 which was a nice change of scenery from the typical drive up I-93.  It kind of felt like we were sneaking in the back door of the White Mountain National Forest...after a quick exit from the highway and a short drive, we were at the Ferncroft Parking Area.  Since a good amount of snow had been dumped on New Hampshire in the last few days, I was excited to get to use my new snowshoes for the first time. 

The Blueberry Ledge Trail takes its time in getting to the ridge.  I recall saying, "I kind of wish the trail would get steeper so we can feel like we're making progress."  Boy, would I regret those words!
The snowshoeing was enjoyable as we entered the Sandwich Range Wilderness.  There was a lone pair of boot prints from yesterday, which gave me the honor of being the first person to break the trail.
As we continued upward, the trail became a series of ledges (hence, Blueberry Ledges...) and slabs.  Unfortunately, there is not yet enough snow to completely hide the rocks, so I removed the snowshoes and was able to move quicker by bare-booting.
After the trail wandered for a while through gentle terrain, we arrived at the true "attack."  At this point, my hiking companion opted to turn around and I continued up the steep trail.  I think it was mainly trail conditions that made this a difficult climb, but it was pretty steep and relentless.
Soon a view to the cliffs of Whiteface opened up.  Though this should have been a relief, it was actually a bit distressing noticing how far away the summit appeared to be.

After a bit more climbing, I arrived at the first open ledge, which offered a vast overview of the land stretching to Lake Winnipesaukee (I'll save a picture of the view for a little later).  We also had views down to the Ferncroft Parking Area, and a distant view of the southern Whites with haze inversion.

 

There was a precipitous drop-off to the ledge I was on, so I stayed well away from the edge.  As I turned to continue my climb I encountered probably the most difficult piece of trail I've ever encountered.

I'm not sure the picture above captures it accurately, but this piece of trail caused me a lot of trouble.  It was the first time in my quest for the 48 that I had to consider turning back and returning another day.  This ledge seemed to be completely impassable.  I tried several times but it was proving too dangerous.  Seeing no alternative routes, I decided to give it one more try.  It required a strange contortion of the body and some upper-body strength, but I was able to pull myself onto the ledge above.
Now I want to be clear...I do not condone careless risk-taking.  I would not have attempted to climb a ledge that was beyond my ability or was overly dangerous, especially since I was alone at this point.  I only attempted to climb higher once I had planned my attack, thought through the possible outcomes, and decided it was worth a try.  I felt challenged, but confident, given my experiences thus far.  It's also important to remember that however high you climb, you must also be able to safely descend.  I know most people reading this are probably experienced White Mountain hikers, but to those of you who aren't --- think before you act.
Once over that ledge, the climbing only became more difficult.  There were at least three occasions when I questioned whether I should continue upward.  I gave myself a strict turn-around time and proceeded with caution.  At times I had to climb on my hands and knees, literally crawling up the steep slabs.  Given the snowy conditions and the exposed ledges, I felt like I was climbing Mt. Everest!

Difficult climb, but extreme rewards.  On every ledge there were incredible views to Lake Winnipesaukee, Mt. Chocorua, Mt. Passaconaway and the Natural Bowl, and the Presidential Range.

Lake Winnipesaukee, south of the White Mountains

Mt. Chocorua

Mt. Passaconaway

The Presidential Range, perfectly framed by foreground ridges

I finally arrived at the top ledge, which I believe is referred to as the South Peak.  I continued down the Rollins Trail toward the true summit and stopped at what appeared to be the high-point.  I can't be sure that this was the highest point, but it wasn't a big concern to me...I was busy worrying about the steep descent.
This summit shot was taken on the highest ledges...

Though steep, the descent was easier than I had expected.  I was able to slide down most of the ledges that had given me trouble on the ascent.

There was an abundance of beautiful views to take in on the way down.  As I arrived at the bottom of the blueberry ledges, the sky looked like it was getting ready for a beautiful sunset.  I'm sorry I couldn't stay to see it, but I know one thing for sure: I wouldn't have wanted to descend in the dark.
I arrived at the trailhead after the long segment in the trees and was pretty good and tired.  We enjoyed the blazing sunset on our drive home.  So much for a gentle climb (don't let the 4020' height fool you)! ...but definitely worth it.  I think I earned my dessert this year.

Zoomed image of the ravine on Mt. Passaconaway

November 19, 2011: N. Hancock (#20) & S. Hancock (#21)

I have always felt intimidated by the Hancocks.  Ever since I read a description of the steep and highly eroded climb, nervous thoughts have haunted me as to how difficult of a hike the Hancocks would prove to be.  Today I learned that my fears were not unwarranted and that the Hancocks are a truly difficult pair of peaks.  This is definitely not a hike I would recommend to non-hikers, but there are great rewards at the top, and well-earned rewards to boot.
We started toward Hancock Notch this morning under crystal blue skies.  The Hancock Notch Trail is mainly flat as it wanders through the forest, intersects the Cedar Brook Trail, and finally arrives at the Hancock Loop Trail at the base of the mountain.  By the time we reached the base of the mountain we were less than a mile from the North Peak and my altimeter read 603 feet above the trailhead...this could only mean one thing: we had a very steep climb ahead of us.

Before the completion of the Kancamagus Highway (NH 112) in 1959, the Hancocks were some of the most isolated mountains in New Hampshire, visited only by loggers.  Today we had plenty of company on the trails as we began our ascent of the North Peak.  We were soon greeted with impressive views of the Arrow Slide.

It is at this point that the climb became unbelievably steep.  According to my altimeter, we ascended over 1,200 vertical feet in less than 0.7 miles...to say it was my most challenging climb to date would probably be an understatement.  Views soon opened up of Hancock's South Peak and of the Osceolas.

The trail was a seemingly endless Stair Master machine and as we climbed higher along the narrow trail, it reminded me of the higher slopes on Mt. Willey.
After a commendable climb, we arrived at my 20th peak in the White Mountains, and a well-deserved overlook around the corner.

Enjoying some sun on North Hancock

We enjoyed lunch and some southern views of the mountains.  I dropped my pack to do some bushwhacking to try to find some northern views with no luck.

Mt. Moosilauke (right bump) and Moosilauke South Peak (left bump) (I hiked these last month):

We enjoyed the North summit for nearly forty minutes before moving on to cross the ridge.  We took our time to enjoy the ridge walk and also took many bushwhacking detours to try to find unique views.  It was difficult to find any good northern views because the forest is so dense along the ridge, but we were able to get some extremely unique glimpses of the Bonds (sorry, no pictures) and even some very limited views to the Presidential Range.

We were also able to grab some great views of the Zeacliffs and the east face of Franconia Ridge.

 We had a fascinating view of Mt. Carrigain, in which the mountain appeared much more pointy than usual.  Unfortunately, my picture came out blurry, but here is a zoom to Signal Ridge (the approach to Carrigain):

We had a great walk across the ridge with many great views, even if we had to create some of the views ourselves.  Before we knew it, we arrived at South Hancock.

Though limited in scope, the views from South Hancock were well worth the effort:

The wind began to pick up on the ridge just as we began our descent from South Hancock.  The trail was very steep and reminded me a lot of descending the Falling Waters Trail from the Franconia Ridge.  After a very long hike back to the trailhead, we enjoyed a great dinner at the Woodstock Inn.  Never has food tasted so good!
This was my most challenging hike so far, but definitely a fun day in the outdoors and an accomplishment of which to be proud.  As I enter the 20s in my quest for the 48, I'm really starting to feel like I'm making progress --- 27 peaks to go, and 27 adventures to look forward to!