Today's hike: 4.3 mi | 2.9 h | 1.5 mph
Merry Christmas! It was a beautiful day for a hike in the Whites! I decided on the White Ledge Loop Trail, since I was feeling like a longer hike.
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| mixed conditions on the White Ledge Loop trail |
I decided to go clockwise. Usually, I prefer going counterclockwise on this trail, because the first section in that direction is kind of boring, and it's better to get it out of the way first. However, I wasn't sure if the trail conditions would let me get to the view if I went that way today. So clockwise it was.
Since I wasn't sure what the trail would be like, I brought both my microspikes and my snowshoes. I started with snowshoes because the trail seemed a little soft. At about 30 minutes in, I thought "who am I kidding?" and switched to microspikes. The snowshoes probably helped with the two initial stream crossings; I could use them to bridge the streams without getting my shoes very wet. However, the snow was pretty well packed, and the snowshoes were so much useless decoration.
Trail conditions are rather peculiar. As I got higher, gaps appeared in the snowy trail, revealing a layer of dead oak leaves. There were sections of the trail where it appeared that running water must have cut through the snow, leaving it completely bare of snow or ice.
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| running water has cut a path through the snow |
As I approached the peak, I found that microspikes were overkill: the trail was just bare. So I removed them. Shortly after that, of course, the trail became snowy again, and I put them back on. I counted: This happened about eight times over the course of the hike.
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| Chocorua in the distance |
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| obligatory view from the top |
It turns out that descending the peak clockwise is a bit of a nuisance. On the north side of the peak, apparently, there's just enough sunlight to melt the snow into sheets of ice, but not enough to heat it so it runs off and lets the dry ground show through. I was careful going downhill over several sections of thick slabby ice. Microspikes work pretty well, but they are not crampons. There were two places where I just moved off the steep, icy path, and descended over the easier snow to one side.
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| icy slab |
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| more ice slab |
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| river of ice |
On the way down, I met a couple ascending the peak counterclockwise. That was a surprise! I didn't expect to see anyone out today. I guess the good weather was just too tempting for some other people, as well!
The rest of the trip was uneventful. The eastern side of the loop is a little bit boring because it's fairly flat. But on a beautiful day like today, that hardly matters!
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| a beautiful day in the Whites! |
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| ice art |
