WHITEHOUSE BROOK: 12/10/10

A short hike and bushwhack on a cold morning to an open ledge slab on Whitehouse Brook, discovered last year by bushwhacking buddy John Compton. I'd visited this spot in November and wanted to see it again under a blanket of snow and ice.

I started at the Liberty Spring parking area on the Whitehouse Trail.


A look at the Pemi River along the bike path portion of Whitehouse Trail.


I turned L on the Cascade Brook Trail, went through the underpasses below I-93, and on the far side came to this view of Mt. Liberty rising above the river.

First tracks on Cascade Brook Trail in about 4" of dry, slippery powder.

The cascade just below the crossing of Whitehouse Brook had already become an icefall.

I whacked up through the woods on the south side of Whitehouse Brook. This proved to be a more difficult approach to the ledge slab than the northern approach I had used in November. There was some steep terrain, compounded by the slick snow and a maze of boulders and small brookbeds. Eventually I did circle down to the edge of the slab and a partial view of Mt. Flume and Mt. Liberty.

The craggy crest of Flume, peering over the south ridge of Liberty.



The distinctive summit of Liberty.


Whitehouse Brook just above the ledge slab.


The original plan was to continue farther up along the brook, but pushing on through the snow-laden conifers fringing the ravine, and negotiating the slippery footing, had little appeal. So I climbed up out of the ravine and into the hardwoods, and whacked back down to the trail through the open forest.