Nighttime Whitewall Slide Backpack
8-5-17
Always looking for a new way to push the boundaries, and itching for a harder follow-up to our nighttime winter ascent of The Watcher, Jimmy 'Cliff' Olson, (a.k.a. Rock Candy) and I decided to attempt an ascent of the Whitewall Slide. This slide is tough enough in the light of day, so of course we decided to give it a go at night, under the light of the full moon.
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| Jimmy evaluating his current route up Whitewall Slide. |
Always looking for a new way to push the boundaries, and itching for a harder follow-up to our nighttime winter ascent of The Watcher, Jimmy 'Cliff' Olson, (a.k.a. Rock Candy) and I decided to attempt an ascent of the Whitewall Slide. This slide is tough enough in the light of day, so of course we decided to give it a go at night, under the light of the full moon.
Casey 'Napmap' Breeds gave us the basic 411 on the location, slide ascent, and general bushwhack descent. As usual, Casey had already been there, and done that. I think the fact that Casey had already been there was another factor in our decision to pursue Whitewall Slide at night. :)
Whitewall is a 3405 foot, trail-less summit nestled deep within Zealand Notch, New Hampshire. The summit sits East off Zeacliff, which in itself offers a stunning vantage of the slide. The summit of Whitehall offers incredible views of Carrigain Notch, comprised of Mt. Carrigain, Vose Spur, Mt. Anderson, and our future nemesis..... Mt. Lowell.
Jimmy and I started off toward the Ethan Pond Trail well after dark, reaching the junction around 8:30 pm. In the dark, we missed the stunning beauty of Beaver Pond, Zealand Falls, and the views of Zealand Notch, but there would be time to explore these in the light of day, after our moonlit ascent.
Our packs were heavy.... not the best option for an ascent of a loose, extremely active slide. How else were we to camp out at the summit, under the moonlit sky? Obviously the heavy-packs would make each rocky step a risk in itself, but the payoff would be immense.
Ethan Pond Trail was wet and slippery. All I could think about was how poorly my worn-out Asolo's were performing on this relatively flat trail. Whitwall Slide is number one in New Hampshire for steepest average slope. To put it mildly, I thought I was fucked.
Jimmy and I gradually made our way South along Ethan Pond Trail until the vegetation to our left began to thin, gradually transitioning to large talus boulders. Soon we reached a point that looked promising. The vegetation essentially disappeared. We continued on EPT for another few minutes until we met the junction sign marking the route toward Zeacliff, then backtracked to the initial clearing.
After a fist bump we dove in. The slide lived up to its reputation, and then some. Each step had to be carefully selected for fear of talus giving way. Jimmy and I were constantly staggered for safety just in case the slide began to collapse. Jimmy stuck generally right, on the southern side of the slide. I gravitated north toward the vegetation. I just didn't trust my tractionless boots. The sparse roots and grass would prove to be a Godsend.
Eventually we topped out of the slide into thick Krumholtz. Veering up and to the right, we eventually began to hit open sections of ledge. These ledges gradually grew in size, until we reached an obvious cairn marking the top of the Whitewall Cliffs.
We made camp, under a amazing moon, but woke up to threatening skies. After breaking down the tent, we hastily began our bushwhack north along the Whitewall ridge back toward the Ethan Pond/ Zealand junction. Herd paths led the way for perhaps half a mile,
But ultimately we decided to plunge back down toward Ethan Pond Trail via an obvious drainage. In time, we eventually reached Ethan Pond, then headed back north toward Zealand Hut, then back to the cars. Another injury-free, crazy adventure complete!
For a great article referencing our ascent, be sure to check out this piece by Mike Cherim, owner of Redline Guiding
Jimmy and I started off toward the Ethan Pond Trail well after dark, reaching the junction around 8:30 pm. In the dark, we missed the stunning beauty of Beaver Pond, Zealand Falls, and the views of Zealand Notch, but there would be time to explore these in the light of day, after our moonlit ascent.
Our packs were heavy.... not the best option for an ascent of a loose, extremely active slide. How else were we to camp out at the summit, under the moonlit sky? Obviously the heavy-packs would make each rocky step a risk in itself, but the payoff would be immense.
Ethan Pond Trail was wet and slippery. All I could think about was how poorly my worn-out Asolo's were performing on this relatively flat trail. Whitwall Slide is number one in New Hampshire for steepest average slope. To put it mildly, I thought I was fucked.
Jimmy and I gradually made our way South along Ethan Pond Trail until the vegetation to our left began to thin, gradually transitioning to large talus boulders. Soon we reached a point that looked promising. The vegetation essentially disappeared. We continued on EPT for another few minutes until we met the junction sign marking the route toward Zeacliff, then backtracked to the initial clearing.
After a fist bump we dove in. The slide lived up to its reputation, and then some. Each step had to be carefully selected for fear of talus giving way. Jimmy and I were constantly staggered for safety just in case the slide began to collapse. Jimmy stuck generally right, on the southern side of the slide. I gravitated north toward the vegetation. I just didn't trust my tractionless boots. The sparse roots and grass would prove to be a Godsend.
Eventually we topped out of the slide into thick Krumholtz. Veering up and to the right, we eventually began to hit open sections of ledge. These ledges gradually grew in size, until we reached an obvious cairn marking the top of the Whitewall Cliffs.
We made camp, under a amazing moon, but woke up to threatening skies. After breaking down the tent, we hastily began our bushwhack north along the Whitewall ridge back toward the Ethan Pond/ Zealand junction. Herd paths led the way for perhaps half a mile,
But ultimately we decided to plunge back down toward Ethan Pond Trail via an obvious drainage. In time, we eventually reached Ethan Pond, then headed back north toward Zealand Hut, then back to the cars. Another injury-free, crazy adventure complete!
For a great article referencing our ascent, be sure to check out this piece by Mike Cherim, owner of Redline Guiding
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| The moon brightly shines upon us as we make our way toward the Ethan Pond Trail junction. |
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| A sample of the lower to mid section of talus on Whitewall Slide |
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| As we ascend, the cliffs begin to rise, forming a narrow gully divided by ever-shrinking talus. |
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| Jimmy scopes out the summit geocache. |
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| Signing the Whitewall geocache under a moonlit sky. Carrigain Notch in silhouette on the dark horizon. |
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| #crushinpeaks.......no one crushes them like us. |
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| Camp Whitewall the next morning. Partly cloudy skies painted shadows upon Carrigain and the Hancocks. |
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| Jimmy looking southeast toward the Hancocks. |
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| Looking east toward Mt. Bond and Bondcliff, both obscured by low-lying cloud. |
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| Jimmy Olson (left) and I, enjoying the Whitewall ledges before our bushwhack back down to Ethan Pond Trail. |
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| NIGHTTIME WHITEWALL SLIDE......CHECK!!!!!! |
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