Whiteface and Passaconaway

Total trip duration: 6:53:10
Distance: 11.4 miles
Hikers: Vance and Quinn
4000 footer completion count: Whiteface #7 (4,020 feet),  Passaconaway #8 (4,043 feet)


It was cloudy and still as we left the hiker's lot to begin the day's trek.  Interestingly, access to the trailhead we were using was via private land.  We both were in awe of the views the landowners enjoy each day.  The landscape at the base of these mountains is gorgeous!

 

Our hike today began on Ferncroft Rd and continued as follows:

 Dicey's Mill > Tom Wiggin > Blueberry Ledge  [Whiteface] > Rollins > Dicey's Mill [Passaconway] > Dicey's Mill > Ferncroft Rd

 

We opted for the Tom Wiggin trail instead of the more popular Blueberry Ledge trail.  The trail was fairly steep in parts and it was quite narrow toward the top.  The path somewhat reminded me of portions of The Moats in the North Conway area where the short trees and brush push into the trail and the spider webs stick to your face as you make your way along the narrow path.

 

A bonus of following the Tom Wiggin trail was that we ran into the illustrious hiker known to locals as Stanley Mountain Climber.

 

We also discovered some really cool mushrooms.

 

Quinn was able to support a sizable boulder using just his elbow.

Our hike intersected with the top of the Blueberry Ledge trail where things were about to get interesting.

 

Whiteface has some really fantastic rock to scale near its peak.

Quinn and I had a blast scrambling to the top of these impressive rock faces.

We reached the top and were in the clouds.

There was nobody around while we were hanging out at the summit so we captured our own photo at the top of Whiteface.  A couple of hikers came along as we were leaving the summit via the Rollins trail but we saw very few people all day. 

 

There were tons of great rock formations such as the following throughout the hike:

 

As we made our way toward Passaconaway, we looked back to see Whiteface sitting high in the cloud cover.

A fair amount of work went into the rugged portion of the Dicey's Mill trail that ascends to the summit of Passaconway.  Unfortunately, the Passaconaway peak wasn't much of a reward as it sits well below treeline in the forest with no views to be had.

 

The rain held off for nearly the entire hike.  Twenty minutes or so before we reached Ferncroft Rd, it began to rain gently.  It was beautiful to listen to the rain in the dense forest canopy above.  As we neared the road we threw on our trusty ponchos and made our way back to the car.  Keeping with tradition (and despite the cool air), we stopped for a refreshing dip in what I believe to be the Wonalancet River.  Quinn is an absolute trooper and I am thoroughly enjoying these hikes with him.  Eight down and forty to go!

Quinn's Take

We started off hiking on a dirt road on our way up to Whiteface.  We saw some large brown and white mushrooms on trees along the trail.  I found a little salamander. We decided to call him Stanley mountain climber.  

At first it was an easy walk, then it got a little steeper until we came to a very steep rock.  I found a blue trail marker on a tree on my way up.  I think we would have been lost if I didn't point it out to my dad!

Once we got to the top it was foggy.  We had some lunch and headed to Passaconaway.

It was a challenging hike to Passaconaway.  I didn't believe my dad when he said we had made it to the top because we were still in the trees!  I don't think that I would like to climb Passaconaway again because there is nothing to see at the top.

As we climbed down, there were some rocks, but we were able to put our legs in auto pilot when the trail was smooth.  It started to rain and that was nice to hear.

After our ritual celebration we went to Subway for dinner.  Happy trails, people!!