Webster Slide and Mist Mtns Snowshoe

Bright and early Saturday morning (2/21), I arrived at the trailhead around 7AM (I had changed the start time late Friday night when it was obvious there was no interest).  The trailhead was well plowed out on both sides of the road (NH 25).  There was a sign for the Town Line/Glencliff Trail, but I didn't immediately see the sign for the Wachipauka Pond Trail...it was behind a very high mound of snow.  Anway, I got ready, donning my snowshoes and set off at roughly 7:15AM.  It was very cold to start (probably in the single digits below zero), but there was almost no wind and the sun was starting to poke through a thin layer of broken clouds.

Luckily, the trail was broken out...well, only for the first thirty minutes of hiking...climbing the steeper section up Wyatt Hill.  Here there were about 6 young people rising from a cold night of camping out.  Unfortunately, this was also where the broken out trail ended.  The snow on the trail was about half a foot and it wasn't too bad.  There was a little more elevation to climb as the trail skirted the top of Wyatt Hill and then it descended slightly as it approached the Wachipauka Pond.  I reached its shore by 8:20.  I bushwhacked out to get a view of Webster Slide and the snow was over my knees as I trudged out onto the pond.  The view of the cliffs above were wonderful and as I looked down the pond I got a good view of Mist Mountain.  I made my way back to the trail and followed this as it followed the shore.  The trail left the shoreline shortly after rounding the point and the trail started to climb into the col between Mist and Webster Slide.  By 8:50 I reached the trail junction with the Webster Slide Trail (blue-blazed).  The trail headed west and then started up the less steep southern side of the peak.  With the heavy snow and all, this still felt pretty steep and it was slow in spots, as I struggled to get traction.  There was at times more than a foot of snow on the trail...and at times up to my knees again!  It took me a little over an hour to reach the cliff ledges (0.7 miles from the junction), which I reached at 10AM.  The views over the pond and over the surrounding peaks were wonderful.  There was also a break in the trees to the left with a decent view of Mt. Moosilauke.  Although there had been no wind at the pond, the wind was blowing pretty good with a noticeable wind chill.  I stayed up here for only about 5 minutes and started back down.  Descending was a piece of cake!  I reached the trail junction for the AT again at 10:30.

From here the AT heads south to the summit of Mist Mountain.  This trail again was unbroken, but it was alot less steep.  Still the trail was hard to see at times with few or faded blazes.  At least in most of the spots there was a discernibly wide path between the trees and other branches sticking up through the snow.  This seemed to take along time since I expended so much energy climbing Webster Slide, but by 11:40AM I had reached the marked summit.  Unfortunately, I hadn't seen the view on the way up and I had read that there were ledges near the summit that you would have to look for.  I bushwhacked east off of the summit to the shoulder of the peak, but I couldn't see any openings in the trees.  I gave this idea up and headed back for the summit.  By the time I reached the summit again, there were four older hikers, who had come up from the other side.  They were traversing out to Glencliff.  They were from the area and were not familiar with any ledges near the summit, but that I had, indeed, passed a view just off the trail on the way up.

On the way down, it wasn't long before I noticed the very short herd path out to an opening in the trees.  It was 12:15 and I walked out to see the view.  There was a partial view over the pond and out to the surrounding peaks.  It was nice enough and I'm glad I finally found it...otherwise there wasn't much special about Mist Mt.  Continuing my descent, I reached Wachipauka Pond again by 12:30.  As I came upon the point again, the six young campers were there having lunch.  They weren't going any further, but after breaking camp they had come out to the pond.  They were appreciative for the trail-breaking and after chatting a bit, I continued back.  The trail was much easier now.  It took me another hour and fifteen minutes to get back to my car, which I reached by 1:45PM.

Despite the heavy trail-breaking, it was a very nice hike to a place I hadn't been before.  Even though the trails were not as active, I did meet some other hardy hikers out for the day...which is always cool.  It's a beautiful area and it was nice to enjoy the tranquility of the woods during the day!  These may not be 4000-footers, but they are definitely worth a trip (although in the summer I can imagine it's a busy trail).

Webster Slide and Mist Mountains  (2144'/2230') are the northernmost of the Middle Connecticut River Mountains, the chain of low to mid­sized peaks that extends SW from the Moosilauke region to the town of Hanover. Webster Slide is best known for the great cliff on its SE face, which overlooks the beautiful Wachipauka Pond at its base.  The trail coincides with the AT for much of this hike.  There are ample views from the pond and the summit ledges.

Total Distance and Elevation Gain:  7.2 - 8.0 miles with approximately 2000 - 2450 feet in cumulative elevation gain. 

Total Time:  7 hours depending on breaks and group's speed.  

Harsh weather may postpone to another date or cancel, as appropriate. 

What to Bring:  Snowshoes are REQUIRED and should be adequate for the entire hike (NO additional traction will be needed).  Wear warm layered clothing suitable for the exposed ledge(s) and summit(s)...no cotton or blue jeans.  You should also have insulated boots and gloves suitable for the season.  Additionally, consider bringing goggles, face protection, hand warmers and a headlamp/flashlight.  Bring along plenty of water (at least 2 liters), lunch, snacks and anything else you may require for a day hike. 

Carpooling:  Contact other participants or the trip leader to arrange for a rideshare to the trailhead. 

Afterwards:  If there is sufficient interest, we will have drinks and/or dinner in the area.