Moosilauke 1/14/10 Up Snapper&Carriage, down Gorge Bk. Tr.

Got a 9:00AM start, the earliest so far this winter! Blue skys, but M's summit still in clouds. That'll clear up by the time I get there! Ravine Rd. is plowed uphill for about 100 yards, to gate. Parked by 118. --All foot bridges intact. -Lots of recent wind debris: twigs, sprigs, and needles, plus an occasional small branch on top of snow. A small handful of trees had fallen across trail, but they had been chainsawed recently (sawdust on top of snow) In general, both trails clear and in very good condition. --Barebooted the well packed road. --PUt on snowshoes where trail turns left& Downhill just past the register at the turnaround. Maybe they weren't critical, but there would have been lots of slipping and minor trail degradation if I hadn't. --PLan A was to go up and down Gorge Brook Tr., but a sign at one jct said that going via Snapper Tr. & Carriage Rd, or via Gorge Bk was 3.6 miles each way. --I'm a loopy kind of guy, so I went up Snapper and Carriage. -Most recent and only tracks on that route were from skiers. --Carriage Rd. ski condition report: a very occasional rock showing. In one ~30' stretch it was rocky most of the width of the road, but above that it went back to the occasional rock. Occasional bare rock rest of way to summit. --Summit cloud did NOT clear, but was VERY bright! Sunglasses required. Not only couldn't I see off the mountain, but I could see only about 100 yards ahead, just barely making out some cairns. Previous tracks blown over in spots. Went off trail at least 2x above tree line, but there was enough visibility to apply the Rule of Up. Hoped my recent tracks would remain long enough for me to return on if I couldn't find GBT down. --Summit signs deeply and solidly encrusted. I worked a while to make parts readable. --Headed east off summit as guidebook and sign said. Found square post marking something, but it didn't indicate where to continue. --I cast around about 5 minutes on that blinding, foggy, windswept snowscape before giving up on finding Gorge Bk. Tr and heading for cairns on what I thought was the route I'd come up on. Saw some "cairns" off to left, so I made one last try for what I hoped was the GBT. Not cairns, just flat topped encrusted trees. Followed my tracks back to previous cairned path and continued. Got into some trees that I didn't remember being so high up, and in about 2 minutes realized I was on the GBT! Yahhoo! --GBT tracked mostly by snowshoes, a skier or two, and I think a coyote. GBT in as good shape as were trails coming up.
--Required gear: Snowshoes highly recommended. Wind layer, though I got by without putting on my jacket. Map and compass to find trail down if signs are unreadable. --Sunglasses/sungoggles

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