Whiteface Mountain

 

It was only half the plan.  But it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

Whiteface Mtn. was the one I was dreading.  I honestly didn’t remember anything about it, having only done it once several years ago for the peaks patch.  But the reviews are consistent; the ATV trail you have to hike in on is nasty.  With persistent deep muck and other inevitable damage from 4 wheelers, it’s not typically anyone’s favorite.  But when you’re gridding, there’s no way around it - like it or not, you have to do it 12 times, in all seasons.  

I’m still not looking forward to spring hiking there.  Thankfully I already have April done, so that’s one less wet month I have to deal with.  Reviews over the summer were not pleasant, although we did have an excess of rain this year.  We’ll see what winter conditions are like.  Hopefully decent once everything freezes.  But I have to say, autumn, at least this particular October weekend, was really not bad!  

There were still gross spots of mud puddles and muck, but they were not constant, and were easily avoidable.  Otherwise, the trail was not at all unreasonable.  A lot of it was actually pretty, and the views at the top were quite beautiful.  Once we summited, I vaguely remembered the first time I hiked Whiteface, and how much I enjoyed the rocky field and different viewpoints.  

Our original plan was to combine Whiteface with Piper, as they’re easy to pair up.  Unfortunately, not only did I start feeling some time pressure for things I still needed to get done at home, as well as a bit of foot pressure from inadequate shoes (sadly, the support in my backup Brooks is also too worn for real hikes, so I guess I need to bite the bullet and buy a new pair), but I also was feeling bladder pressure.  As frequently is the case, I just was not able to make peeing in the woods work (despite trying).  This threw a very frustrating wrench into my much needed nature therapy.  Part of me still wanted to continue to Piper, but eventually we agreed calling it good enough with one peak was the best option.  

At least it was an enjoyable hike for the most part; far more pleasant than expected.  Definitely a worthwhile afternoon adventure.  I’m actually looking forward to hiking it again next month!  Hopefully the weather will cooperate, and we can get it done in decent conditions.

Happy fall! 

10/15 Mt. Whiteface, 3.33 mi, 791 ft, 1:35 hrs