February 19, 2023

Start/End: Ferncroft Trailhead

Peaks: Whiteface (4,020'), Passaconaway (4,043')

Elevation Gain: 4,335 ft

RT Mileage: 11.96 mi

Duration: 7 hours, 45 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

I got COVID for the first time in early January 2023, and it took me five weeks to fully recover. I unfortunately missed out on most of the winter as a result. Whiteface-Passaconaway was on my bucket list from the start of the winter, so I decided to get it done first when I did finally return to form in mid-February. I decided to go for the classic route – up Blueberry Ledge to Whiteface, across Rollins to Passaconaway, and Dicey's Mill back down.

I woke up at 5:15 AM to finalize preparations, and arrived at the trailhead just after 8:25. I immediately discovered that my Gatorade was leaking and my DSLR camera's battery was dead, and left those two things behind. I began hiking just before 8:40. The first two miles of Blueberry Ledge were a very gradual incline, with the exception of a brief alpine-like zone between 1,700 ft and 2,000 ft. The snow was surprisingly solid and compact, despite the recent warmth.

At 2,500 ft, the trail steepened sharply, with a sustained 30-35% grade for the next 400 vertical feet. Not steep enough to be problematic, but enough to get tiring after a while. During the summer, the 350 vertical feet from 2,900 ft to 3,250 ft is a rock staircase, and stairs are remarkably efficient. Currently though, the rock staircase has been transformed into a smooth slab of snow and ice. This was by no means the hardest part of the route, but it was definitely the most annoying.

The trail flattened back out at the intersection with the Tom Wiggin Trail at 3,250 ft, and the next 400 vertical feet were again a gradual incline. It was noticeably colder here, but the trees provided protection from the wind so it wasn't too bad. At 3,650 ft, the trail began to steepen one last time. There were numerous sections of steep snow and exposed ice in this last bit, some of which were quite difficult with just microspikes. Anyone who's hiked Whiteface in summer knows about the single very steep section around 3,700 ft, but I got very lucky and it ended up being just bare rock instead of a near-vertical sheet of ice today.

I gained the false summit of Whiteface (3,995 ft) at around 11:40 AM, though it took until 11:50 AM to reach the true wooded summit of Whiteface, 0.3 miles further along the Rollins Trail. Speaking of which, some idiot decided to post-hole the entire length of the Rollins Trail last week when it was warmer, making it so you had to watch your every step to avoid falling into knee-deep footprints. Thanks a lot.

After descending to 3,300 ft over 2.3 miles on the Rollins Trail, I turned left at the fork to head up the Dicey's Mills Trail for the last 0.6 miles to Mt. Passaconaway. In comparison to Blueberry Ledge, this was a walk in the park. It was a gradual incline until 3,800 ft, and even the last 200 vertical feet was only a moderate incline at most. The trail switchbacks up the south slopes of the summit for most of the way. At 1:45 PM, I summitted Mt. Passaconaway, my second and final 4,000er of the day.

The summit of Passaconaway is wooded and has zero views in any direction. However, if you head a quarter of a mile north along the Walden Trail from the summit, descending to 3,700 ft, there is an excellent viewpoint, from which the Presidentials are prominently visible dead center.

After returning to the summit from the viewpoint, I promptly began descending via Dicey's Mills. The trail is in excellent condition compared to the Rollins Trail, and below 3,300 ft there were numerous bits which were steep and smooth enough to glissade down. The trail flattened back out at around 2,000 ft, and the remaining 2.5 miles to the parking lot felt like an eternity. I was finally back at the parking lot by 4:15 PM, and winter 4,000ers #2 and #3 were in the books.