| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Whiteface, Mt. Passaconaway, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Blueberry Ledge Trail, Rollins Trail, Dicey's Mill Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 4, 2025 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Ferncroft is plowed and well sanded. Lots of room |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
We crossed on the 2 logs that span the stream without problem (wearing microspikes) |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
There are a few blowdowns on Blueberry Ledge (below the ledges) & Dicey Mills (above the Rollins junction) trails that could use attention but were passable. Trail maintainers have done an amazing job on the many, many blowdowns on all 3 trails. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Didn't see any today and we didn't bring ours because of the cold & the ledges. |
|
 | Bugs: |
|
|
 | Lost and Found: |
|
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
PSA, Warning: DO NOT TAKE THE BLUEBERRY LEDGE TRAIL! DO AN IN & OUT VIA DICEY MILLS.
Despite the extreme cold, we started out with wonderful conditions & you would think this was going to be a wonderful hike. You would be wrong! The Blueberry Ledge Trail starts out bony with icy patches then hard packed snow. We were in microspikes all the way. However, the trail became soft packed or with 1-2" of fresh powder over a hard base shortly before the ledges. Usually, we would switch to snowshoes at this point but we did not want to be in snowshoes while climbing the ledges. I have been on the ledges about 13 times. Sometimes have been challenging but today was in a class of it's own. The light layer of snow on the slide gave out as soon as the 1st person started up. The 1st 3 people managed to get up eventually after multiple loss of traction & hand-hold. The tiny ledge that is usually one's hand-hold was filled with solid ice & unusable. I was the last hiker and I could not manage a hand hold or traction, even after removing my mitts. I then took a long cord out of my pack and used it to have friends hoist my bag. I was able to finally claw my way up the slide. The remaining ledges were also challenging but much more manageable. After reaching the top of the last ledge, we switched to snowshoes and broke out the Rollins Trail, which had drifts up to 8." Shortly after summiting WhiteFace, we met Postal Patty coming from Dicey Mills. Nice to see her. We later crossed paths with Jenn. Patty & Jenn were the smart ones today! At the junction, 3 of us headed to Passaconaway, which was well traveled with soft-packed snow. |
|
 | Name: |
Gridiot106 |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ewberry1@aol.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-04 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
|
