Whiteface & Passaconaway – A Prouty Prep Hike

         

A Prouty Prep Hike

Whiteface & Passaconaway

11.2 miles, 4,019 & 4,043 ft. respectively

Via Blueberry Ledge, Rollins and Dicey’s Mill Trails

February 23, 2013

Wes Chapman

For those of us in western New Hampshire, getting to the eastern 4,000 footers is nettlesome – requiring lots of driving over bad roads in winter. It is, however, well worth the effort. Whiteface and Passaconaway are the jewels of the Sandwich Range, and make for a splendid winter hike.

 

The route

Passaconaway is named for an Indian Chief of the Pennacook Tribe in what is now Massachusetts, who lived and ruled during the period of the Pilgrim settlement – beginning in 1620. Passaconaway comes from the combined word Papoose Conewa, meaning Child of the Bear. Passaconaway was revered by Indians and white settlers alike, and was referred to in his later years as St. Aspenquid by the English. He is described as a giant, possessed of magical powers including the ability to make water burn, and spontaneously generate lightning – very cool. The mountain named after him comes complete with a small river named after his son, Wonalancet, and together with Whiteface forms a basin which includes a fair amount of old growth forest. This is a beautiful area, and is to the outdoor program at UNH what Moosilauke is to those of us at Dartmouth – the heart and soul of their outdoor program.

 

Passaconaway from Whiteface in 2008

Chief Passaconaway in a dour mood

I persuaded my Kilimanjaro climbing partner – Rick “Rambo” Morse to come along on the climb, despite a persistent light snow and low clouds.

Rick “Rambo” Morse on the way up Whiteface

Negotiating some steep ice near the summit of Whiteface

Wes near the Whiteface summit

Steep and icy near the summit of Whiteface

 The summit of Whiteface was socked in clouds and deserted. We ate a quick lunch and headed over to Passaconaway via the Rollins Trail in the clouds and snow. I was reminded that the last time I ate lunch here there were naked women – probably wood nymphs – sunbathing on the warm rocks at the summit. I banished the memory and headed out – the harsh realities of chilly February stifling the wonderful recollections of a warm September.

The Rollins Trail is always long, but it has been blocked in areas by winter blow-downs and the going was slow. We saw some moose tracks and sign on the way over to Passaconaway, but not much else. The summit of Passaconaway is quite heavily forested, and with the storm afforded no views. We headed down the valley at flank speed – hopefully to get out before the storm socked us in.

On the way out I was reminded of the story of Passaconaway’s burial – he reputedly rode a sled pulled by a team of wolves to the top of Mt Washington (Agiocochook, or “Home of the Great Spirit”) where he spontaneously burst into flames and went to join the Great Spirit. It’s called going out in style.

Blow-downs on the Rollins Trail

The unremarkable summit of Passaconaway

The best view of the trip may be the little farm at the end of the trail, with Mt. Wonalancet in the background. This is a fun hike any time of year, but I recommend warm days when the wood nymphs are about.

End of the trail in September

Adios, from Mt. Passaconaway in February

A Climb Dedicated to Martha Hay, a Kilimanjaro – Yellow Ribbon Honoree

     

A Climb Dedicated to Martha Hay

Kilimanjaro – Yellow Ribbon Honoree

Moosilauke via the Glencliff Trail

7.5 miles, 4,802 ft.

February 10, 2013

Wes Chapman

I received a nice note yesterday from Martha Hay – a yellow ribbon honoree on Mt. Kilimanjaro. Martha spent part of her youth in Kenya, looking at Kilimanjaro – the great African sentinel mountain – from the Yngong Hills. Today I headed up Mt. Moosilauke with a fellow Kilimanjaro teammate, Rick Morse. Moosilauke is the western sentinel of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Moosilauke affords spectacular views across the Valley into Vermont, as well as north and east into the Presidential Range and the rest of the White Mountains.

Winter storm Nemo just blew through, drawing some spectacularly clear Canadian air in its wake, and the day and the views were spectacular. The weather was cool and breezy on the summit – -10° and blowing 25-35 knots.

Martha, the Prouty Mountaineering Team – and extended family – send you our total support from the summit of Mt. Moosilauke on a splendid winter’s day.

The summit of Moosilauke

 

A Yellow Ribbon for Martha on Kilimanjaro

 Mt Washington from the summit, spectacular on a clear winter day

Drifted snow on the Glencliff Trail

 

Rick enjoys the cool air and fresh breeze

 

Franconia Ridge

 

Panorama to the Northeast

 

Presidential Ridge, Liberty and Flume

 

Wes enjoying the warmth of Rick’s new coat

 

Squam Lake – a panorama to the Southeast

 

Adios, from Mt. Moosilauke

Winter Triple Play – Climbing Mt Waumbek, Cannon & Mt Tecumseh

Mt. Tecumseh (4.4 miles, 4,004 ft.), Waumbek (4,006 ft. 7.2 miles),

Cannon Mt. (4,100 ft. 4 miles)

February 3, 2013

Wes Chapman

         

Mt Tecumseh & Waterville Valley from Mt Tripyramid

Winter can be a cold and lonely time in the North Country, so I decided to pursue the 48 4,000 foot mountains in New Hampshire as a reasonable alternative to fireside sloth or skiing on ice. Over the last couple of weekends we’ve done three; Tecumseh – home to Waterville Valley ski area, Cannon – home to the eponymous ski area, and Waumbek – a lovely little jewel off Route 2 in Jefferson NH.

Waterville Valley is a robust real estate development, attached to a modest ski area, built on Mt. Tecumseh – the smallest of the 4,000 foot mountains in New Hampshire. The mountain was founded in 1966 by Tom Corcoran, a 1954 graduate of Dartmouth College and two-times Olympian. The mountain has had a checkered financial history – in and out of bankruptcy – and is currently controlled by an investment group assembled by the Sununu family. Waterville Valley – like Cannon – does not allow AT access to the front of the mountain, so we climbed the pleasant Tecumseh Trail to the summit.

Gary, Wes Pete and Jill headed up Tecumseh

The weather was cold, so the climbing trail was packed with hikers – seeking some alternative to the wind and cold on the lifts. Near the summit we met a group of 6-8 who had spent the night camping on the summit, and were pretty cold and eager to get down. The view from the summit was great to the northeast to the Presidentials, but it was well below zero, and blowing around 20 mph, so we did not tarry long. We hopped on our skis, and headed down to grab a little cross country skiing before departing.

Mt Washington & Mt. Carrigain from Tecumseh

 

Jill demonstrates the mountaineering Burka

The cross country skiing was great – fast, cold snow with nice tracks. We skied out Livermore Road to the big pines – apparently two or three old growth pines that somehow escaped the ax for the King’s masts or knotty pine paneling. In any event, these are some big trees, and worth a little après-ski cross country.

 

Jill resting against the big pine

 

Big pines – from the bottom up

 

Cannon from the Kinsman Ridge Trail

Having been turned away from Cannon a couple of weeks earlier, yesterday I went back at it – up the steep but short Kinsman Ridge Trail. Last week witnessed warm weather, followed by torrential rain, followed by the return of frigid cold. The day was cold and dark and the trail was a solid sheet of ice – first requiring Microspikes then full crampons. I bumped into only a few fellow pilgrims on the ascent, and was at the summit in about 1.25 hours.

Some fresh ice on the Kinsman Ridge Trail

There was very little skier traffic, and I was all alone at the modest summit structure. Snow was starting to blow, and I headed out.

The summit of Cannon

I met a number of people on the way down who had ridden up on the tram, and wanted to hike out. None of them was prepared for the ice, and they were falling the whole way down.

This morning found Pete and me in Jefferson NH, preparing for a quick hike up Mt Waumbek. The last time that I climbed this Hill was in the tail end of a hurricane, and today’s weather was a perfect alternative – spectacularly clear and cold.

Pete on the summit of Waumbek

We headed up the 3.6 mile Starr King Trail, which was icy, but mercifully less steep than Cannon. Near the top we bumped into our Kilimanjaro climbing pal Brad, who was out for a little Sunday hike with another friend. It was great to see him, but we missed his wife Ann (and frequent climbing partner), who had headed to the Caribbean for a little warm weather R&R.

A beautiful cool morning on Mt Waumbek

It was 0° F on the summit, and more people and dogs started to show up – time to go. The trip down was fast, and a lot of fun. The drive home included a lunch stop at the Mooselook Diner and a piece of their signature maple cream pie – simply terrific.

Adios, from Mt Waumbek