Novice Lessons for Experts: a day hike to Whiteface & Passaconaway

"in the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's there are few"

Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind - Shunryu Suzuki

My son has been hiking for as long as he can remember. His first true hike was Mt. Cardigan when he was 5 years old. We have not done many hard hikes though, certainly not compared to some outdoor oriented families. We've only gone out a few times each season since bike racing took up most of my weekends until now. This summer however he has fixated on peak bagging the 4000 footers. The demands of hiking all the high the routes in New Hampshire are still somewhat new to him. When he started researching thru hiking the AT this spring he did not initially believe that I was once a backpacking guide. But our many conversations & trips this summer have established my "trail cred" in his eyes.

1st view of Chocorua

I moved to New Hampshire over 20 years ago when I was leading wilderness trips. I sought to live in the White Mountains to ski, climb, & hike. I believed then that I would never grow tired of these hills. Yet after several hikes on the same trail one can become too familiar. For Nicholas almost every peak is a fresh wonder and every trip teaches multiple lessons. We should all try to learn the lessons that each hike offers every time out. But with experience one develops barriers to that awareness. We trade a novice's wonder for the assurances of recall & mastery.

Yet the beginners mind is a wonderful thing. It is not a blank page. It is not formless. The beginner's mind is that simple state of new excitement where all observation is fresh and accepted without prejudice. The expert's view can be limited by assumptions, habit, and past events. I get to experience these trails now with fresh eyes through my son's perspective. I loose that perspective when I rely too much on my expertise. Hiking in the present moment is no easy task, just like living in it.

cars parked to the road and then some

"well we know where we're going..."

Which brings me to the Mount Whiteface Passaconaway Loop. I last hiked these peaks 19 years ago, and wrongly assumed that they would be the same. My first realization of how my memory could fail me was driving to the Flat Iron Pond trail head instead of Ferncroft Road (oops). So we got a little later start than planned. The parking was lined out down the road by 9:30 a.m. but considering it was a fair weather mid summer day I was not too surprised. Nicholas practically skipped up Ferncroft Road for 1/2 a mile to the true trail head. His excitement for new peaks was not containable. We planned to hike the classic loop, up Blueberry Ledge to Mount Whiteface then across the Rollins Trail to Passaconaway and out the Dicey Mill trail.

On our way up Ferncroft Road

Since we started mid morning the heat and humidity rose as soon as we started hiking. I had forgotten how sheltered this loop is, barely peaking out from the trees on a few ledges. We were both drenched by the time we reached the first lookout view of Mt. Chocorua. I had also told Nicholas about the iron ladders up the steepest slab to Mount Whiteface. We had forgotten to bring the new guide book for the car ride to the trail so we did not know that the ladders are now gone. Nicholas scrambled up the slabs with the confidence of a billy goat. He waited patiently for me to follow at my own pace. We could see the holes were the ladders had been anchored, but no longer available for the climb. Although the parking was lined out, the trail itself never felt crowded. We crossed paths with plenty of other groups, but only enough to be company. On the top of Whiteface 7-8 other hikers were relaxing & enjoying the view of the lakes. Nicholas wanted to keep our pace going so we stopped just for a quick snack.

No ladders, No Problem

The past two weeks of rain meant plenty of mud on the trail. Descending the Rollins Trail we found slick boulders too. A wide variety of mushrooms are thriving in our summer monsoon season. Nicholas found a particular bright orange type his favorite. I also had forgotten how much descending the Rollins Trail does before crossing to the Passaconaway loop. We sat to check the topo map and have a snack near the bottom of the descent. We could hear the Wonalancet River below us rushing down the ravine.

Mt Chocorua from the Passaconaway Trail

The climb up to Mount Passaconaway has steep rocky sections in either direction. I decided to go clockwise since that gets the steeps done early. While I remembered that the "peak" of Passaconaway has no view, I thought there were more lookouts along the way. Now the trees have grown up enough that only a couple of views are apparent. We continued to drip sweat from the humidity. I encouraged Nicholas to drink more frequently and took a GU electrolyte cap. The heat and distance effected both of us. I slipped coming down a slick slab falling onto & cracking my favorite hiking stick. I bid so long to my dear red maple, 22 years of faithful service was as much as anyone could ask for.

coming down something like this is where I broke old red

We took our snack last break once we got to the juncture with the Dicey Mill Trail. Both of us were weary and eager to finish the hike. Yet I knew we had over 3 miles of descending trail ahead. Those miles went by quickly enough. We trotted down sections where the trail was smooth. A pair of trail runners passed us going double our speed, carrying nothing but water. 20 years ago I don't think I ever saw trail runners on these trails. But times and ambitions change. The new "bridge" across the Wonalancet is a simple birch log. We crossed it one at a time. I reminded Nicholas (and myself) to look where you want to step not where you want to avoid. By the time we got to Ferncroft Road we were both beat. We hike just over 11 miles in just under 6 hours. It was the longest day hike Nicholas has completed. We agreed that this accomplishment deserved an ice cream stop on the way home.

one last glowing mushroom on the Dicey Mill trail

What novice lessons did I take from this hike? 1) remember the guide book for the drive. Pay attention to what is apparent rather than what is expected about a trail. 2) Get to popular trail heads early in the summer 3) Choose routes based on the weather conditions, hikes in the trees are less fun in 80% humidity, just as hikes above tree line are poor choices in 50+ mph wind. 4) A week of wet weather is going to make trails slippery, especially damp granite slabs. Chose boots, socks, & gaiters with that in mind 5) Measure your pace; any hike in the Whites longer than 6 miles is going to take a toll eventually. Be aware of eating enough, drinking enough, and stepping carefully on tired legs.

I'm glad to share these lessons with my son. I hope to remember to learn new lessons on our next day out. I hope the same for you on your next adventure.