Whiteface & Passaconaway 7-14-07

For me, this is the longest hike that I have ever done. I have hiked longer but over shorter distances. My Katahdin trip took two hours longer but I hiked less miles. His hike was 12.2 miles with 3800' of elevation gain, by far the longest in mileage I have ever done.


I started on the trail at 7:00AM and hiked up the Blueberry Ledge Trail from the Ferncroft Road Parking area. The trail was a lot of fun with a lot of ledge scrambling, and even though it wasn't blueberry season, you could see the bushes and that they would be ripe for the picking if the season was in. After exactly an hour I hit the upper junction of the Blueberry Ledge Trail and the Blueberry Ledge Cutoff Trail. I think I made good time on this section as it wasn't too steep. This whole mountain was fairly steady gain with a few steep spots. The steep spots were ledges for the most part with a few spots that were flat.

From this point on up to the top of Whiteface, there was significantly less blueberry bushes and significantly more ledge scrambling. Full body hiking is definatly a short part of this trip. The hike is normal and you eventually come to a pretty abrupt ledge cliff that the view from is incredible. The picture below is from that cliff. It was tough to find the exact path of the trail but if you followed the ledge at some points where it looked like they might be travelable, you would eventually find some blue paint and know you were at least on a trail. Of course having the AMC guidebook handy was good for reassurance.

I finally reached the summit of Whiteface (4000' #3) and it was pretty uneventful as there are basically no views from the top. There are a few different outlooks on the way up and another one just past the summit that make the trip worth it. The views from the ledges below the summit area awesome as well. Now, the long trek to Passaconaway.

The Rollins Trail across the Whiteface ridge was great. It was a really easy walk and there are a few places that you can get some great viewpoints. Of course there are a few steep spots and a few switchbacks, but overall the trail is easy. I made it to the Passaconaway loop and climbed it up and down clockwise making for 4000' #4. Doing this again, I will stash my pack so as not to carry it up Passaconaway, but I forgot to do that this time. There is a pretty good view from the top and there is a fifty foot spur path to the actual summit. There is also a great view of what I think is Mount Washington and the Southern Presi's from Passaconaway and Whiteface. I didn't bother to walk the .6 miles to the outlook as I figured I would be sore enough by the time I made it back to my car.

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I then made my way down. I always have a harder time going down then going up. Seems my knees are the weakest part of my body. The trail was great, easy to follow and well marked. I was able to take a picture of where I had been on the way down. I did have to conserve water a little as I was running out and the only place to really grab water to be purified is on the way down the Dicey's Mill Trail on the Wonalancet River. I carried three liters with me and ran out just as I hit the river. At this point however it's pretty much too late to bother going through the purification process for water so I didn't bother and just kept walking to my car. Had it been any hotter of a day, I might have needed to carry more water with me.

Overall, this was a great trip, and I will definately do it again. As long as the weather is good I will probably go up and down the same way. The ledges could be dangerous when wet or icy but it's worth a shot in the summer with the incredible view you are rewarded with. I would also rather go up the ledges then down so going up the Blueberry Ledges is my best option. Next time I will definatly stash my pack so I don't have to carry it up Passaconaway. This would save me about 2 miles without a pack and no doubt my knees would feel better a whole lot quicker.