Mountain Wandering: Return to a Slide in The Bowl

A trip into The Bowl - the spacious, wooded glacial cirque enclosed by Mount Whiteface, Mount Passaconaway and the Wonalancet Range - is always a special treat for this bushwhacker. There are big trees to admire in the old growth hardwood forest on its floor, and on its walls are several old slides to explore. On this trip I wanted to return to a slide I've been to several times in the past in different seasons.

New signage at the Ferncroft parking lot.

Partly sunny skies were predicted, but mid-level clouds hung tough all day and I saw one peek of sun for about 30 seconds. In the classic Ferncroft view, Mount Whiteface was socked in and a cloud was kissing the top of Mount Wonalancet.

Across a field on Dicey's Mill Trail before entering the woods. Thanks to the landowners who allow hikers to access these trails.

Into the WMNF and the Sandwich Range Wilderness.

The Wonalancet Out Door Club (WODC) does an exceptional job maintaining its trails, as evidenced by the many solid rock waterbars on Dicey's Mill Trail.

Pleasant walking beyond the Tom Wiggin Trail junction as Dicey's Mill Trail enters the 1,500 acre Bowl Research Natural Area, which is drained by two branches of the Wonalancet River. Research indicates that the larger western valley, which is The Bowl proper, has never been logged. Note that camping and fires are not allowed in The Bowl RNA.

Leaving the trail and crossing the east branch of Wonalancet River. This stream is sometimes called Passaconaway Brook.

Into The Bowl!

Some mildly thick whacking en route to a stand of large sugar maples.

There is an ample growth of hobblebush in places.

A fallen giant.

Wandering through a stand of large sugar maples. One of the outstanding features of The Bowl is the extensive stand of old-growth hardwood on its broad floor, a rarity in the White Mountains. (Most of the old-growth spruce and fir on the walls of the cirque were destroyed by hurricanes and other natural catastrophes.) The vegetation and ecology of the valley have been intensively studied over the years, and serve as a valuable reference to compare with the primarily second-growth forests of the region.

One of the largest trees in the stand. A new botanical survey of The Bowl is being conducted this year by ecologist Michael Whittemore of Rewild Ecological (www.rewildecological.com) in partnership with the WMNF and WODC. Citizen naturalists have been involved in this project, reporting their findings on iNaturalist. Michael has also authored a new book, Ecology of New Hampshire's 48 4,000-Foot Mountains: A Natural History Trail Guide to the White Mountains, which is due out November 1st. This book has a wealth of information on the natural history and ecology of the Whites, with specific information on each of the 48 4000-footers. Highly recommended! It will of course be available at the Mountain Wanderer.

A glance upward reveals the majesty of the hardwood forest on the floor of The Bowl. It's believed that some of these maples are up to 250 years old. The Bowl was saved from lumbering about 1915 through the efforts of Katherine Sleeper and other members of the Wonalancet Out Door Club. The land was then added to the White Mountain National Forest, and in 1931 much of the western valley was designated as a 510-acre Natural Area. In the 2006 Forest Plan, what is now called The Bowl Research Natural Area was expanded to over 1,500 acres.

Mossy islets adorn the mountain stream known as Wonalancet River.

Beauty in The Bowl.

Meandering up the western side of the valley.

This could be a contender for most humongous maple in The Bowl.

You could get a sore neck looking up.

One of a number of stony/rocky brookbeds that come down off the steep east side of Mount Whiteface. The challenge is to figure which ones lead up to a slide.

There are some big yellow birches in here, as well.

There must be a good view from up there.

From previous trips, I knew that this particular brookbed would lead me to the slide I wanted to visit.

Coming in from the side is the track of a more northern slide that I visited a few years ago.

Approaching the bottom of my target slide, where there is a field of rubble with low vegetation.

A long series of ledge slabs ends at this pool. The brookbed was mostly dry below, but had some flow here.

Side view.

A long series of sliding cascades. Too wet and slick to climb directly; I took to the woods on the side.

To continue up, I had to carefully cross this slippery slab at the base of another slide track coming in from the side.

Looking up that slide track. These slides on the flank of Whiteface are old, and only certain sections remain as open ledge slabs.

Approaching the massive footwall that is the most impressive feature of this slide.

Getting closer.

Fully revealed! This is transformed into a massive ice cliff in winter.

An overhang adorns the north side of the footwall.

Wide angle of the footwall.

I climbed a very steep wooded slope and scooted over for a look at a narrow slide that runs parallel to the north.

Continuing up through steep woods.

Encountering a ledge wall. On a November trip a few years ago I found a way up through here, but on this day I backed off from a spot that was just a little too sketchy.

I cut across to the edge of the main slide above the footwall and had glimpses of its ledge steps and cascades above.

Interesting pattern on this ledge.

I fashioned a careful route to the top edge of the footwall for a peek at Hibbard Mountain across the valley.

Zoomed.

Down-look.

Parting shot from the base of the footwall. Is that blue sky up there?

Random boulder, probably deposited by the slide.

Big rocks in the slide track.

One of a number of "seeps" on the floor of The Bowl. These wet areas may be home to unusual plants and bushwhackers should avoid walking through them. Mindful walking - such as avoiding obviously fragile areas - can minimize impact when traveling off trail.