Sandwich Dome 8/20

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Grey J

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Jul 24, 2013
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Chattanooga TN
I only had 5 days in the Whites this year but tried to make the most of it. The likelihood of high water at the crossings caused us to postpone Owls Head for another time and we opted to do Chocorua instead. Its a nice hike that I've meant to do for years and never got around to. About 250 other people seemed to have the same idea that day but it did not spoil the fun. The side trip to First and Middle Sister gave us a temporary respite from the crowds. And then, as previously reported, I went up Washington via Nelson Crag Trail. That was hard.

On this day, I decided to do the mythical #49, Sandwich Dome, which through some cruel trick of Mother Nature was whittled down to 3980 feet. The first thing I noticed was the discrepancy between the AMC Guide and the trailhead sign regarding distance. The book says 1.6 miles to Noon Peak via the Sandwich Mt Trail, but the sign says 1.3 miles. That might be the largest discrepancy I have ever come across. 040 Distances.jpg Although the trail is not really difficult, it does climb at a pretty steady rate, gaining 1550 feet in that distance. The views from Noon Peak 2976 are really good with a "back side" view of the Tripyramids and the Sleepers being particularly fine. 048 Tripyramids zoomed.jpg The distant view to a clear Washington was also surprisingly good.

I was lucky enough to see a moose at the junction of the Jennings Peak spur. He got away before the camera could capture him though. Jennings Peak 3440 feet is a good outlook as well but I liked the views better from Noon Peak. After Noon Peak, the hard climbing is over and there are some easy stretches. Sandwich Dome is a pretty small summit but there are good views again to the north and if you look around a bit, a restricted view south to the lakes. I returned via the Drakes Brook Trail which is more moderate than the Sandwich Mt Trail by which I ascended. Toward the bottom, there is a section of trail that was washed out by the brook but is easily passed. I did approximately 27 miles with 9000 feet of elevation gain on the 3 hikes and the weather was brilliant every day.
 
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