Thanksgiving Hike up Whiteface in the Belknaps
| Date: | 11-23-2023 |
| Location: | Gilford, NH |
| Distance: | 3.41 mi |
| Elevation Gain: | 705′ |
| Total Time: | 2 hr 27 min |
| Parking: | 4-5 cars |
It was an early morning rise on Thanksgiving morning. Liberty and I had planned to meet my friends Katelyn and her dog Katoolha at the Whiteface trail head at 7am.
The temps were in the low to mid 30s and there were some clouds that covered most of the mountain tops as we drove by.
Liberty and I arrived first. There is room for about 5-7 cars depending on how people park. My friends were just a few minutes behind, and we were on the trail by 7:30am.
There was some snow that feel the day before, so the trail was mostly a layer of leaves covered in a layer of snow. For the most part traction was fine without microspikes.
After a short while we passed the kiosk and soon passed an old collapsed house with some witch legs coming out from underneath. We continued on, the trail became a bit more rooty.
Soon we were at the trail junction for Whiteface Mountain. It was cool to see the junction signs all covered with lichen.
From here there is a pretty level section with some soggy sections of trails we had to walk around. Of course, Liberty had to run right through the ice and slush.
We reached the first of two short steep(er) sections of trail. This lead to a small meadow. After a few more wet areas we reached the final steep section. This lead to the first and best view point of the trip.
A short distance away is the true summit. The summit is open but surrounded by trees that would obstruct views. Fortunately, all the leaves were off the trees so some views were available. After a few pictures we headed back to the first view.
Here we took in a few more views of the mountains. The summits were now clear of all the clouds and we the tower on Belknap Mountain behind Piper. We continued on down the mountain.
A few section on the open rock were a bit icy but we were able to avoid and walk around these areas. Further along we meet another group with a pup on their way up.
Soon we were back at the trail junction. With the Piper trail. From here the rest of the walk down went quick. I could tell toward the end Liberty was getting tired and was talking some breaks.
We got back to the collapsed house and took some pictures of the legs, shoes and the witches broom. Soon after that we were at the kiosk and then back at the cars. This was a perfect hike to tire Liberty out before Thanksgiving. Grateful for times like these with friends and family.
