(Sandwich Range – Whiteface 13, Passaconaway 14)
It has been far too long, but I am finally on the road heading north to reconnect with my favorite place in the world, and I couldn’t be happier!! It’s been a long early spring layoff but about time to make up for some lost time. 
Reconnect seems to be the theme for this weekend. My brother is visiting with his family for the first time since he moved to North Carolina in 2012. I got a chance to spend some time with them Friday night before my gig, and I must say they are doing a fabulous job raising 3 precious kids. I’m so proud of Paul for making the commitment to family time when it matters the most! I get to spend the whole day with them at our memorial day gathering at mom’s and they are busy today with friends so I don’t feel bad at all for taking some time to do something big for myself today.
After an awesome introduction to winter hiking in a record setting snowfall season, I decided to lay low for the early part of spring shoulder season, and not risk an injury on monorails, spruce traps, mashed potato snow, river crossings etc. Instead I stayed local and enjoyed a beautiful Massachusetts April, while I prep for what I hope to be a summer to kick some ass on this list and enjoy the mountains as often as possible. 
I have spent waaaay too much money this spring on backpacking gear. It seems like every couple of days a package arrives with a new piece of gear: It’s like CHRISTMAS IN APRIL!! I tried to rummage through my camping supplies for stuff I could use on my trips, but it’s all geared toward drive-up campsites in my trusty RAV4, and way too heavy and bulky to load onto my back. I’m excited to take the mountain connection to a new level and spend some nights in the thick of it, underneath the stars without a noisy campsite neighbor with screaming kids or a barking dog. I’ll probably still do some car camping, with day hikes, but I hope to break away from that when I can and stealth camp in the woods. So I have invested in a bunch of stuff, including a new 65 liter Osprey Atmos pack, a Hennessy Hamock, a light weight cook set, a new sleeping bag, mattress, pad and some summer hike wear and other light weight camping gadgets.
The plan this weekend was originally to head up Saturday afternoon/ evening and depending on the timing, either catch some Z’s at the trailhead or hike in a short ways and find a suitable base camp. Then spend all day Sunday on “the bowl” in the Sandwich range. Well with all my preparation and tying up loose ends, Saturday afternoon quickly became Saturday night. With the long drive and the uncertainty of finding a camp spot on this busy holiday weekend, I decided instead to set the alarm for 4am and save the overnight for next time.
I have done enough of these where I have a routine down now. The day hike gear is all in the car so I can just wake and go. As usual the alarm goes off and it’s still dark so my first thought is “are you frik’n kidding me? “, followed by “What was I thinking?” , but I drag my ass outta bed and into the shower because I know I won’t forgive myself if I hit snooze. One stop to fill the tank, grab a coffee and a bite to eat and I’m off to the mountains. I can’t resist a pullover on 495 to get a shot of this amazing sunrise: a good omen for the day ahead of me. My drive as always, includes some Michael Hedges, followed by some Crosby Stills & Nash and finally the Alman Brothers finishing up with of course “Mountain Jam” just as I pull into the trailhead.
This one is on the southern edge of the whites in the sandwich wilderness, with the trailhead on a private property farm land near Squam Lake. Pulling into the Ferncroft parking area, I am blessed with some fine pre-hike photo ops on this gorgeous day, of the farmhouse with the Wonalancet Range Peaks as a backdrop. Time to hydrate stock up on electrolytes and start my warmup stretch routine, making sure I don’t rush through these and today I’ll add some post hike stretching as well. I went a little overboard on a recent Monadnock tune up hike and my knees were not too happy with me afterward. 
So I took the wakeup call and am doing everything I can, including some knee braces, to prolong their life and keep them on my team. I’ll keep it low and slow around Whiteface and Passaconaway loop today. I have 3 slightly different loop options mapped out, depending how it goes, but they all involve ascending Whiteface via Blueberry Ledge so this is where the day’s journey begins.
As I head up the trail, the trees waste no time speaking to me as if to embrace me in their arms and welcome me home. This is perfect timing for my return. Spring has definitely sprung in the whites and I am once again blessed with a perfect day. I am sure my luck is bound to run out one of these days with ma nature’s unpredictable mountain temper, so I am always thankful when she doesn’t unleash her wrath. For now, a warm breeze flows through the new green on every branch, the gentle song of birds fill the air, and the ground reveals the fresh bloom of painted trillium.
An occasional friendly greeting from fellow hikers and their canine companions gives me just enough human interaction for the day, but mostly it is once again all about me and the mountain. It’s not as busy as I was expecting, perhaps because these 2 peaks are not the mainstream choice of most on this holiday weekend, but it’s the perfect choice for me.
It’s not too long before an open rock face and clearing give me my first glimpse through the trees to the surrounding hills and lakes below. I capture the view the best I can on camera then back into the tree cover I go. There are a few groups I seem to be playing tag team with today, all sharing in the day’s blessings. 
When I explain my solo mountain hikes to friends and family, I often get the reaction of “I really wish you wouldn’t go alone”, to which my response is always “I AM NOT ALONE”: There is a spiritual presence in the hills I don’t feel anywhere else, not to mention, there is never a hiker too far away. So I have company both spiritually and literally.
Well so far so good on keeping the knees happy. All seems to be in working order and in good rhythm: My breathing, footing, joints, and muscles, all in tune working in unison with the terrain as a team. Taking regularly spaced breaks at perfect spots to take in way more views than I was expecting, each more breathtaking than the next, although these vistas give my breath back to me (inhale deep/exhale slow).
It wouldn’t be fair to tell Haley he’s coaching for viagra overnight delivery his job, and then hand him a rookie quarterback. This ED medication has proved to be a accessible levitra 40 mg source of acquiring driver’s permit in California. With cialis generika more kamagra available online now, ED treatment has become easier for the ED sufferers. According to studies, it is found that emotional factors are also co-related with this neurological disorder. sildenafil generic uk Time slows down here and thing fall in their proper perspective. Our little petty day-to-day problems suddenly don’t seem so monumental in this vast landscape. I read a facebook post from a hiker once that summed it up perfectly: “The mountains are where I go to lose myself and find myself all at once”, and another who says “When people ask what hiking is like, I say ‘It’s like church, therapy, school, the gym and a love affair all wrapped into one’ “ …These people get it!! This is why I know I am among friend’s here, even if I don’t know your name, I know your spirit. The hiking community are all joined together, and have hearts of gold and most are always happy to lend a hand and offer advise and share their experiences with you.
As I reach the final lookout of Whiteface, before the true summit, I catch up with one of the young couples I have seen throughout the day. I pick out a spot on one of the rock slabs, and exchange stories and pleasantries with them and another couple and their dog over a sandwich while we all take in the magnificent view. Once refueled and rested, I get back to it and set off for summit number two: Passaconaway, keeping an eye out for a small cairn in the woods marking the Whiteface summit. A while passes and I realize I must’ve passed it. Oh well, onward and upward.
I am now passed the south facing trails and heading slightly down and across a more northern exposure. I encounter an occasional patch of snow, that has STILL not melted, but this is the only sign of winter left with the sun shining down upon me making these last remnants a fond memory. The breeze has picked up now as they tend to do along ridgelines, and the views down and across the bowl and off to the north and northwest continue to present themselves. 
I refer to my maps to identify some of the peaks but don’t waste too much time on this, as I want to keep up my pace that has served me well to this point. I hear there’s a peak finder app and a book that both help pick out the peaks in view. Maybe I will check them out.
Meeting up one last time with the tag-team couple (never got their names) at a lookout point close to the 2nd summit, I ask them if they saw the Whiteface marker, in fear that I had missed a trail somewhere. They respond with “You mean it wasn’t where we had lunch?” which I guess is a common mistake people make on this mountain. Another gentleman informs us that we passed it on our way along Rollins… WHEW!! He also recommends taking a side trail down about 0.3 miles to the best lookout of the day before heading up to the wooded summit of Passaconaway.
He was absolutely right! It was well worth the extra steps. Great views to be had of the Hancocks and Tripyramids, which I have not climbed yet, as well as some of the Presi’s including a snow capped Washington. I take in the panorama and reflect on the day and thank the powers that be, congratulating Him on his latest masterpiece.
click here for video of the amazing view
Why must the things that go up, always come down?? The time has come for me to start my least favorite part as far as physical wear n tear go. I always find fighting gravity more difficult than the workout of climbing, especially on the knees. But I will take it slow and steady and rely on my poles to take me safely down the Dicey Mill Trail.
