Passacona…nope - Jan 5, 2008

[MichaelJ]

Date(s) Hiked: Jan 5, 2008

Trails(s) Hiked: Oliverian Brook, Passaconaway Cutoff, Square Ledge

Total Distance: 8.8 miles rt

Difficulty: Very difficult

Conditions: Soft, deep snow with unbroken trail

Special Required Equipment: Snowshoes and poles a must
Trip Report:

Passaconanope
The plan was for una_dogger, rocksnrolls, and I to climb Mt. Passaconway from the Kancamagus Highway, a less-common route but one we figured would be a good choice for winter conditions. We were wrong, but we had a great day nonetheless.

We hit the trail around 9:15a, and for winter conditions it was pretty good. Numerous hikers and xc skiers had been in the area (there are several xc ski loop options including a dedicated xc ski trail) and while snowshoes were required, it was tracked out. There were two other hikers on the trial ahead of us heading for Square Ledge; we'd trade places with them several times throughout the morning.

The Oliverian Brook Trail is a very mellow walk through the woods, occasionally bringing the brook itself into sight but never close enough to be on the bank. The trees were dangling with snow but the corridor wide enough to not have to worry about the backs of our necks. I'd guess temperatures were in the 20's, but lacking any wind we quickly stripped off our outer layers. We cruised through this section.

After 1.9 miles and a meager 250' of elevation gain, we reached the Passaconaway Cutoff at 10:30a, where things got a little more difficult. From here on the trail had not been broken out since before the most recent one or two snowstorms. The work began as we had to break trail, sinking anywhere from 6" to a couple of feet if our steps missed the hard pack underneath. We would do this for 1.7 miles and another 1050' of elevation, finally arriving at the Square Ledge Trail junction around 12:30a.

At this point the trail simply vanished under the snow. Being in a wilderness area there were barely any blazes, and through the woods there wasn't always a distinct corridor. We did our best, though, and believe we stayed on the trail the whole time. Through here there was a lot of moose sign – huge hoof postholes twisting through the trees, sometimes along the trail, sometimes not, and the occasional pile of poo. We passed a small slide which had beautiful open views to the north all the way to Mt. Washington. Twisting through the trees we had to knock snow off branches lest it end up down our necks. It was all very beautiful. The drawback was that it was exhausting. At this point we were breaking through at least several feet of soft snow, and the combination of our heavy packs, maintaining balance, and having to lift our heavy, snow-covered snowshoes with each step was killing our legs and hips. It was only 0.8 miles and around 850' but it was the hardest part of the entire hike.

When we reached the junction with the Walden Trail around 2:15p, still 743' below the summit and facing more unbroken trail, we decided to call it a day. I sucked down a thermos of hot tomato soup as sandwiches and snacks got devoured, then we started down. We were back at the Cutoff junction at 3:10p; only 45 minutes to descend over our own tracks which had taken almost two hours to break on the ascent. Coming down a steep trail in deep snow is a thrill - each step can carry you several feet, almost skiing on the snowshoes at times. The Cutoff Trail had enough elevation gain to continue the pace, as in only another hour (half the ascent time) we covered its length. The final push out the Oliverian Brook Trail was the worst part of the day. Walking on this nearly-flat trail required picking up our feet and snowshoes again, which our dead legs just didn't want to do. In particular, my right hip flexor was in a good deal of pain, and my abs were starting to really feel the pack weight. Time out on this stretch of trail was nearly the same as time in. We did achieve our goal, though, which was to get back to the car just prior to needing headlamps, at 5p.

All told, this was one of the most physically demanding hikes I've done, and I won't deny feeling a little let down that we hadn't reached the summit. However, neither of those facts changed this from being a beautiful hike with great company and an overall enjoyable day. Una_dogger and I hope to head back and see this trail in the summer, but for our next winter attempt we'll hit Passaconaway and Whiteface from the Ferncroft side; apparently that's more used and generally broken out. We popped plenty of Vitamin I and had a yummy dinner at the Common Man in Ashland before heading home.
I only took a few pictures; they're in my album.

[una_dogger]

Nothing more to add except what a great time I had! Thanks, MJ and Ron for a fun day in the snow!
Sabrina
AKA " Trailbreaker"

[Mike P.]

I almost did that trip on 12/31 solo. Glad I didn't as I would have noped it also. Thanks for the TR