Now that I’ve cycled through what many would consider the more moderate of the White Mountain 4000 footers, I decided to challenge myself more this trip. Not only would this be my longest and most elevation gained hike in the Whites, but I would also be attempting my first trail off the Terrifying 25 list.
The Ferncroft trailhead was about an hour from my AirBNB for the weekend - further than I typically like to stay - so this meant a very early wake up call. I brought 2 friends along and we started hiking around 7:30 am, the parking area already almost full when we got there. We ascended the Blueberry Ledge trail up Whiteface. While gradual to begin with, the path increasingly steepened with boulders and rock slabs - a precursor to the ledges to come.
Around 2.8 mi in, the first few mild ledges appear on the trail, but they eventually open up and become even more intimidating. The holes in the rock faces from where rebar ladders were once attached taunted us as we scaled our way up to the summit which hosted some beautiful views north up toward Waterville Valley. This trail truly lived up to its name with a sweet treat of wild blueberry bushes near the summit. We grabbed a handful of ripe berries and continued on the long haul to Passaconaway.
When I say long, I mean it. A combination of the lack of discernible views and the heat wave we’d been experiencing throughout the northeast made that 3 miles on the Rollins trail seem to last a lifetime. Once joining up with Dicey’s Mill trail, the terrain eased up and water sources became plentiful, meaning a much more pleasant ascent up Passaconaway with only some mild rock scrambling. No views on this summit meant a quick tag-and-go as one of my friends had become separated from the group and was awaiting ‘rescue’ (and by that, I mean we’d heard back from her already - she’d found her way to a campsite where two lovely doctors from Boston invited her back to their tent for cold drinks, food, and a nap. We continued on the last short stretch with her blessing!)
Speaking of blessings, what a joy the trip down Dicey’s Mill trail came to be. It was long, around 4.3 mi, but a nice break on the feet and knees considering all the rock climbing we’d done previously in the day. We made it back to the truck around 4 pm and shared a beer in the parking lot, exchanging happenings of the day before heading back into Lincoln for some well-deserved Mexican food. It certainly was an adventure, but what are those dog days of summer without one?
NH 7 and 8/48
New England 12 and 13/67
New England 17 and 18/100 Highest
Northeast 14 and 15/115
