Solo. 20&21/48.


Started out around 0745. Driving to the trailhead the roads were wet, it was in the 50’s, humid as all get out, and the sky was full cloud cover. I wasn’t feeling real excited to spend another day hiking on my sore right Achilles’ tendon, but figured I can recover later, right?


I’ll be candid here and admit I could’ve done a better job of researching trail options. There aren’t many but maybe just winging it off of the NH4000Footers website wasn’t a great idea.


There were 5 cars in the lot when I arrived and one other hiker gearing up. Many signs about not overflowing hiking posted down the road. I hiked in on a gravel road that passes a couple of houses, and then made my way up what is actually someone’s driveway- the sign at the gate said, “Private Property, Hikers Welcome!” I cannot imagine living at the base of two 4000’ers but also cannot begin to wonder about the issues this creates for the landowners. Very grateful to them for being so generous in allowing folks to wander on their land day in and day out. After passing their house and going further up the gravel road, there is a bridge that goes to the Blueberry Ledge Trail. Take this trail. Do not do what I did. Haha.


I sailed along happily on the Dicey Mills Trail which is a lovely dirt trail without any elevation gain to speak of for about a mile and a half. I then came to a junction- up Passaconaway, or left onto the Tom Wiggins Trail- the sign stating “Not recommenced, steep and loose.” Oh well. It’s only a mile, right? Yikes. After moving over some mucky sections and a decent stream crossing, this trail just heads straight up. A quick look at the map shows a gain of 1300’ or so in a single mile. And it felt like it. The trail was mostly loose scree and slick leaves. There were a lot of wonderful and gigantic glacial erratics in the woods here though. I kept my eyes on my footing and just kept pushing- anytime I looked up and could see daylight through the trees I thought it was finally over, but alas- more climbing.


After hauling myself up this I came to the junction of Blueberry where I met two young men and a very cute Sheltie dog. There was a moderate rocky push and then the Whiteface Ledges. This was really great. I genuinely enjoy finding footing and handholds. On the trickier sections of bare rock I kept thinking about my brother telling me to “trust my shoes,” and when I committed to it, man they stuck like glue to the rock and it was great. There was zero view. Complete cloud soup. So I didn’t linger and pushed onward. I think the true summit is a bunch of rocks I passed in the woods shortly after the ledges but not 100% sure.


The col between the two mountains is lovely and soft for the most part, with tons and tons of downed trees that have been cleared over time. Here I met another solo male hiker and kind of awkwardly was 30’ behind him the entire way over to the next peak. Took a left up the Walden Trail. The push up to Passaconaway after the next junction is real steep and real rocky, it felt like it took forever. I met a really wonderful 75 year old woman just before the summit and we chatted for a bit. Man I hope I’m still climbing 40 years from now.


The summit proper of Passaconaway is a tiny cairn in the woods. I could see blue sky through the trees and decided to take the “spur” (it’s a freaking quarter mile mostly downhill) to the viewpoint. WORTH IT. Probably the best view I have had in the Whites so far. I shared the space happily with the solo male hiker, the other two and the cute dog had vanished at this point. Shortly after he left, 7 men showed up as a group and I spoke with them for a bit while I had my summit beer and poptarts (which I was lightly teased about, who knew there were acceptable summit snacks and ... people like me ...)


I bid them farewell and headed back down the same trail I came up from the summit rather than looping it, running into two female hikers and a party of 3 men as well. The 7 men passed me somewhere at the top of the next trail, I was back down on Dicey’s before I knew it, again, nice and dirt mostly with lots of rocks across the trail to break water flows. I started pushing pace once I got back on the flat about two miles from the car, the two women still managed to catch up to me and pass me here. Maybe not as fast as I thought I was! I was surprised to see the two men with the cute dog as well as the party of 7 still in the lot, and the two women. I talked to all of them for a little while and we all noted surprise that the lot was now completely full.


This was a nice way to cap off my annual peakbagging adventure in NH. Can’t wait for the next trip.