U
Unregistered
Guest
Trails used: Carter-Moriah, Stony Brook.
Conditions: Unsurprisingly, these routes were muddy after last week's downpours. Most of the mud was avoidable -- but not all. Muddy boots were symbols of the day. The big stone ledges above Mt. Surprise and between the Moriah summit and the junction with the Moriah Brook Trail were dry and easily negotiated, if steep in places. No fresh blowdowns anywhere.
Moriah's summit was clear and windless beneath a bright sky upon which a fleet of puffy clouds sailed. Magnificent view in all directions. What a treat after all the rain.
Special equipment: Gaiters very useful for keeping mud and trail duff out of socks. Poles useful on ledges. Some bugs at the trailhead, so I DEET'd up and had no further problems. The Carter-Moriah Trail from Gorham to the Moriah summit, a 4.5-mile stretch that ascends 3,400 feet, crosses no streams, so carry plenty of water.
Comments: At the Moriah summit I met Eric, aka <Tennessee Walker> on VFTT, who invited me to join him for the descent down Stony Brook Trail, which was a delight. Eric, a bassoonist who's up here for the New Hampshire Music Festival in Plymouth, then gave me a lift from the Stony Brook trailhead over to the foot of the Carter-Moriah Trail in Gorham -- a real gentleman. Thank you, Tennessee Walker.
Conditions: Unsurprisingly, these routes were muddy after last week's downpours. Most of the mud was avoidable -- but not all. Muddy boots were symbols of the day. The big stone ledges above Mt. Surprise and between the Moriah summit and the junction with the Moriah Brook Trail were dry and easily negotiated, if steep in places. No fresh blowdowns anywhere.
Moriah's summit was clear and windless beneath a bright sky upon which a fleet of puffy clouds sailed. Magnificent view in all directions. What a treat after all the rain.
Special equipment: Gaiters very useful for keeping mud and trail duff out of socks. Poles useful on ledges. Some bugs at the trailhead, so I DEET'd up and had no further problems. The Carter-Moriah Trail from Gorham to the Moriah summit, a 4.5-mile stretch that ascends 3,400 feet, crosses no streams, so carry plenty of water.
Comments: At the Moriah summit I met Eric, aka <Tennessee Walker> on VFTT, who invited me to join him for the descent down Stony Brook Trail, which was a delight. Eric, a bassoonist who's up here for the New Hampshire Music Festival in Plymouth, then gave me a lift from the Stony Brook trailhead over to the foot of the Carter-Moriah Trail in Gorham -- a real gentleman. Thank you, Tennessee Walker.
