albee
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On Saturday, I headed up to Wonalancet to knock off a few more winter peaks, and to bag a couple nearby 3k peaks while I was up on the ridge.
My plan was to take Dicey's Mill trail up to the Tom Wiggin trail, then bag East Sleeper, Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Wonalancet Hedgehog, before descending the Old Mast Road trail. Wonalancet Hedgehog is not the same mountain as the one off the Kanc that is accessed by the UNH trail. It is not marked on the map but it is a bump on the Walden trail just north of Hibbard Mtn.
I got a late start, and hit the trail at 10:20. Everything went smoothly as I snowshoed up Dicey's Mill. It was overcast, but temperatures in the valley were in the low 20s. Once I turned onto the Tom Wiggin trail (and its ominous "Steep and Loose - not recommended" sign) I switched to crampons for what I expected to be a steep slog through 6" of unbroken snow up to the southern ridge of Whiteface.
There was one good-sized recent blowdown that impeded me at about 2000', located in a drainage before it started to get steep. As expected, this trail went straight up, and it was tough but offered great views of all the surrounding mountains to the east. Wonalancet, Nanamocomuck, Hedgehog, Passaconaway... all were there to be seen from a unique perspective. I like how open the woods in this valley looked. It must have been ideal for loggers back in the day.
After reaching the ridge at around noon, I made my way on the now well-broken-out trail to Whiteface's southern summit, where I startled the only other hiker I would see all day as he was peeing right next to the trail. He must have been embarassed because he kept hiding in the bushes for the next 5 minutes as I took my time to admire the views. I really like being able to see the open fields and huge lakes that are visible from this vantage point.
I struck out for the Downes Brook trail and the Kate Sleeper trail so I could quickly bag the viewless summit of East Sleeper. I made good time, as I was over to the summit in 42 minutes, and back in 36 minutes for the 3.4 miles. After a snack on the true summit of Whiteface, I headed across the Rollins trail for Passaconaway. For some reason, this trail always seems long to me, but today it was broken out and I made quick time in just my crampons, and I stopped at various overlooks to check out the Bowl and to gauge my progress towards Passaconaway.
Upon reaching Dicey's Mill trail again, I was starting to get tired of climbing, so I made a little deal with myself - I would stop for a short break after every 100' of elevation gain on my altimeter. This made the climb feel easier, and before long I didn't even feel the need for the breaks. I can't remember what time I got to the summit spur of Passaconaway, but I think it was around 3:20. I tagged the summit and took the Walden trail over to the open ledge to the east. This is one of my favorite views in the White Mountains, as you can see Chocorua, Paugus, and miles to the northeast.
I made quick time of my descent to the Nanamocomuck col, and made the climb over this sub-peak. I was disappointed that my altimeter only read a 170' gain from the col, which means the list is correct and this isn't a true 3k peak. After a steep descent on the other side of the peak, I came to the col of Wonalancet Hedgehog.
Now, I haven't seen much wildlife in my travels this winter, but I came upon a tree that had fresh urine and chewed up twigs and needles below it. I looked up, and there about 10 feet up was a giant porcupine! It was the first wild mammal I have seen all winter! It curled up in a ball on its branch, and waited for me to leave. This thing was just huge, I mean, think Atticus-sized, right up there in this tree! I really wish I had brought my camera.
Anyway, I thought it was symbolic, since I was about to climb Hedgehog Mtn, and Hedgehog is another name for porcupine. I easily made my way up to the peak, which is marked by a gigantic 10 foot glacial erratic at the high point on the trail. I debated whether it would count if I just touched the boulder or if I was going to have to touch the very top. There really wasn't any natural way to climb this thing and it was coming up on 4:30, so I had to make up my mind soon. In the end, I decided that I was going to be a purist and attempt to get myself on top of the highest point somehow. I rooted around the area for deadwood and blowdowns, and I came up with two rotted old logs of 3' and 5' in length. I jammed them against the base of the boulder and gingerly tested each of them before I climbed up. I got to a point where I could touch the summit, but I figured I was close, so why not stand on it? I found a small crevice that was wide enough to jam the edge of my boot in, tested it out a bit, and heaved myself flailing up onto the top!
From the top of the boulder I could see over all of the trees around. I was magnificent and I was glad I got myself up there, even though it was a slightly dangerous thing to do alone at that time of day. I sat down and slid myself in a controlled fall off to the side of the boulder, and let out a whoop of success as I strapped my snowshoes back on for the trip back to my car.
The Walden trail past this point has recently undergone quite a bit of trail work in recent years. It was still a rugged descent to the four way junction, with some steep and surprisingly icy sections, but I made it to the Old Mast Road trail without incident. The 2 miles on Old Mast Road went by quickly, as I ran about 70% of the way along the smooth, gradual downhill. I was back at the car just before 5:20, meaning my adventure had taken under 7 hours. All in all, it was a productive and fun peakbagging day!
My plan was to take Dicey's Mill trail up to the Tom Wiggin trail, then bag East Sleeper, Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Wonalancet Hedgehog, before descending the Old Mast Road trail. Wonalancet Hedgehog is not the same mountain as the one off the Kanc that is accessed by the UNH trail. It is not marked on the map but it is a bump on the Walden trail just north of Hibbard Mtn.
I got a late start, and hit the trail at 10:20. Everything went smoothly as I snowshoed up Dicey's Mill. It was overcast, but temperatures in the valley were in the low 20s. Once I turned onto the Tom Wiggin trail (and its ominous "Steep and Loose - not recommended" sign) I switched to crampons for what I expected to be a steep slog through 6" of unbroken snow up to the southern ridge of Whiteface.
There was one good-sized recent blowdown that impeded me at about 2000', located in a drainage before it started to get steep. As expected, this trail went straight up, and it was tough but offered great views of all the surrounding mountains to the east. Wonalancet, Nanamocomuck, Hedgehog, Passaconaway... all were there to be seen from a unique perspective. I like how open the woods in this valley looked. It must have been ideal for loggers back in the day.
After reaching the ridge at around noon, I made my way on the now well-broken-out trail to Whiteface's southern summit, where I startled the only other hiker I would see all day as he was peeing right next to the trail. He must have been embarassed because he kept hiding in the bushes for the next 5 minutes as I took my time to admire the views. I really like being able to see the open fields and huge lakes that are visible from this vantage point.
I struck out for the Downes Brook trail and the Kate Sleeper trail so I could quickly bag the viewless summit of East Sleeper. I made good time, as I was over to the summit in 42 minutes, and back in 36 minutes for the 3.4 miles. After a snack on the true summit of Whiteface, I headed across the Rollins trail for Passaconaway. For some reason, this trail always seems long to me, but today it was broken out and I made quick time in just my crampons, and I stopped at various overlooks to check out the Bowl and to gauge my progress towards Passaconaway.
Upon reaching Dicey's Mill trail again, I was starting to get tired of climbing, so I made a little deal with myself - I would stop for a short break after every 100' of elevation gain on my altimeter. This made the climb feel easier, and before long I didn't even feel the need for the breaks. I can't remember what time I got to the summit spur of Passaconaway, but I think it was around 3:20. I tagged the summit and took the Walden trail over to the open ledge to the east. This is one of my favorite views in the White Mountains, as you can see Chocorua, Paugus, and miles to the northeast.
I made quick time of my descent to the Nanamocomuck col, and made the climb over this sub-peak. I was disappointed that my altimeter only read a 170' gain from the col, which means the list is correct and this isn't a true 3k peak. After a steep descent on the other side of the peak, I came to the col of Wonalancet Hedgehog.
Now, I haven't seen much wildlife in my travels this winter, but I came upon a tree that had fresh urine and chewed up twigs and needles below it. I looked up, and there about 10 feet up was a giant porcupine! It was the first wild mammal I have seen all winter! It curled up in a ball on its branch, and waited for me to leave. This thing was just huge, I mean, think Atticus-sized, right up there in this tree! I really wish I had brought my camera.
Anyway, I thought it was symbolic, since I was about to climb Hedgehog Mtn, and Hedgehog is another name for porcupine. I easily made my way up to the peak, which is marked by a gigantic 10 foot glacial erratic at the high point on the trail. I debated whether it would count if I just touched the boulder or if I was going to have to touch the very top. There really wasn't any natural way to climb this thing and it was coming up on 4:30, so I had to make up my mind soon. In the end, I decided that I was going to be a purist and attempt to get myself on top of the highest point somehow. I rooted around the area for deadwood and blowdowns, and I came up with two rotted old logs of 3' and 5' in length. I jammed them against the base of the boulder and gingerly tested each of them before I climbed up. I got to a point where I could touch the summit, but I figured I was close, so why not stand on it? I found a small crevice that was wide enough to jam the edge of my boot in, tested it out a bit, and heaved myself flailing up onto the top!
From the top of the boulder I could see over all of the trees around. I was magnificent and I was glad I got myself up there, even though it was a slightly dangerous thing to do alone at that time of day. I sat down and slid myself in a controlled fall off to the side of the boulder, and let out a whoop of success as I strapped my snowshoes back on for the trip back to my car.
The Walden trail past this point has recently undergone quite a bit of trail work in recent years. It was still a rugged descent to the four way junction, with some steep and surprisingly icy sections, but I made it to the Old Mast Road trail without incident. The 2 miles on Old Mast Road went by quickly, as I ran about 70% of the way along the smooth, gradual downhill. I was back at the car just before 5:20, meaning my adventure had taken under 7 hours. All in all, it was a productive and fun peakbagging day!
your hunt was a bit more ambitious than mine, as I only hit Whiteface along the way.
