DICKEY MOUNTAIN: 4/7/13

Carol and I climbed this ledgy favorite near Waterville Valley on a cloudy, windy morning with surprisingly good views. As expected, the first mile of the trail in south-facing hardwood forest was almost 100% free of snow. Yay!

We bushwhacked around a bad ice flow to get up on the first ledge on the SW shoulder of Dickey. This was the windiest spot of the day. Most of the ledge areas were bare; in between the ledges there were icy and snowy sections in the spruce woods to negotiate.

A view of Mt. Moosilauke from a higher ledge.

Farther up the trail there were some longer ice flows, so we put on our Microspikes and wore them the rest of the way up, occasionally walking gingerly across bare ledge patches.  The last section leading up to the summit was firm snow, ideal for Microspiking. Here Carol takes in the view north from the summit.

A happy hiker!

The Franconia Range under leaden skies.

The Tripyramids, with both the North and South Slides visible.

Looking down on nearby Welch Mountain.

The sprawling ridges of Sandwich Dome; Jennings Peak on the left.

Heading back down from the summit, a long view west to Moosilauke.

The wild side of Mt. Tecumseh, showing its trailless southern and southwestern spurs.

View down to lower slab from the huge sloping slab on the upper part of the mountain.

A long view south from here.

The mysterious stone circle on one of the lower ledges.

Carol descending the steep-sided lower slab - quite the spot!

Impressive rock steps on the upper hardwood section. Dickey is always a rewarding half-day hike.