Adventurous
New member
Days 4 and 5 of my peakbagging vacation
I stopped at Pinkham Notch the previous day to formulate a plan. I wanted to do the Moriah, Carters and the Wildcats. I would be hiking solo from day 4 on so I didn’t feel comfortable attempting the whole range alone. I inquired about the shuttle to Gorham and a possible stay at Carter Notch Hut. Luck was on my side…there was one spot left for the 19th in the hut and on the shuttle. The forecast looked great and I was assured that it shouldn’t be any problem reaching the hut by 6pm for dinner if I took the 8am shuttle. Afterall, the trails were dry so I should be able to move quickly. Next on the list…find a place to sleep for the night – Dolly Copp it was. I packed my pack for the next two days and reorganized my car since it looked like a tornado had come through. I was a little anxious about the first days hike. I haven’t hiked solo in 2 years and the longest solo hike that I’ve done was only 10 miles…Moriah and the Carters would be 14. Well to add to my anxiety, a thunderstorm rolled in around 8:30pm and it rained all night. I don’t think I slept because I was so worried about making it to the hut in 9 hours on wet trails.
6am rolls around so I get up and head over to Pinkham for breakfast (one less thing to worry about) in the rain. I eat breakfast and go to the shop to purchase a pack cover. One thing I didn’t mention – I didn’t think that I would be doing anything more than dayhikes so I only had a daypack. I managed to stuff warm clothes, rain gear, a sleeping bag, teva’s, food and water into it. I’m surprised the thing didn’t burst open.
My anxiety is building as the rain gets heavier. The shuttle arrives – I talked to the driver about my plans and he agreed to drop me off at the suspension bridge in Gorham before the Carter Moriah Trail. We arrive at the bridge at 8:30am, he tells me to cross the bridge, take a right on the road, and the trailhead would be down the street on the left…I felt completely alone at this point. I followed his directions and quickly hit the trail. I decided this would be a good day to listen to the iPod. I needed something to perk me up because the rain, wind and the cold weren’t doing it. My legs felt great, no more soreness but I was still huffing and puffing trying to find a good pace. I arrived at Mt. Surprise and tried to imagine what the views would be like from the ledges. I continued on to Moriah. There was a lot of sheer rock on the remaining 2.5 mile hike to the summit. I was surprised at how grippy my shoes were on the wet rock – this eased my anxiety a bit. I arrived at the summit of Moriah #21/48 NH and #76/115 of NE111 - 2.5 hours after leaving Gorham. 6pm for dinner might not be a problem after all.
Conditions were not pleasant so I stayed long enough to take a self portrait. On my way to North Carter now. What I wasn’t prepared for was the descent of Moriah. At one point, I thought that I might have ended up on the trail that lead back to the road. Nope…just a lot of elevation loss. I continued on the Carter Moriah trail past the Imp Shelter. I soon started crossing bog bridges on a fairly flat section. The rain had stopped by this point but it was still cold and windy. I began the climb of North Carter and came across a group that said that it had taken them 2 hours from the summit to get to this point (I estimate that I was less than a mile from the summit when they told me this). Discouraged, I continued the steep climb up. This section is fun if you like steep climbs on rock. I arrived at the summit of North Carter 5 hours after leaving the trailhead. Once again, it was cold so I stayed long enough to get a snack out.
I don’t remember much about my hike to Middle Carter, visibility was crappy, the temps were dropping and the wind was picking up. I just wanted to get to the hut by 6pm. I arrived at Middle Carter #22/48 NH and #77/115 of NE111 and was quite chilled by this point. I stopped for some snacks, put on my winter hat, and started hiking again. The poles sat long enough that they were no longer warm. My fingers turned white within 2 minutes so I stopped and put on gloves. My body was getting colder but I hesitated to put on my warmer layers because everything I had on was damp and they were the only dry articles of clothing that I had left. Well…the hat and gloves did the trick. I was quite warm by the time I started ascending South Carter. I soon reached the summit and took off the hat and gloves because the sun started peaking through clouds adding additional warmth and drying the wet layers. #23/48 NH and #78/115 of NE111.
The trail from South Carter to Zeta Pass and on to Carter Dome is an easy to moderate grade and easy to move fast on. Even though Hight is supposed to have the best views, I was exhausted, didn’t want to be exposed to the wind and just wanted to be back by dinner. I did take the time to enjoy the views from Carter Dome. The only views that I had all day. Carter Dome was my halfway point and anything beyond that was icing on the cake for the week. #24/48 NH and #79/115 of NE111.
I left Carter Dome on what seemed to be a fairly easy trail…for the first 10 minutes. That’s when the trail drops 1200 feet to Carter Notch. I was moving at a snails pace down this section. I was tired and wanted to avoid injuries. I was thrilled when I reached the junction that led to the hut and shocked when I got to the hut and the clock said 5:30…exactly 9 hours after I started.
I went to my bunkhouse and immediately changed into warm clothing before going back for dinner. At dinner, the croo said that they were expecting record cold temps overnight…great - at least I had my down bag. I enjoyed having a hot meal and people to talk to over dinner. Conversation is one thing that you don’t get at campground when you’re by yourself.
After a restless night sleep – my feet were throbbing from the day before – the blisters on my toes were progressively getting worse so I wasn’t looking forward to the Wildcats – I had breakfast and set out for the day. The climb up to Wildcat was very steep but the views near the top were worth the effort. I sat on the rocky outcrop for a bit, looking at where I was the previous day. #25/48 NH and #80/115 of NE111.
For some reason, I had no energy for this hike. All the subpeaks were zapping the little bit that I did have. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to continue on the Wildcat Ridge Trail past Wildcat D or take the ski trails down. Well, after arriving at the summit of Wildcat D #26/48 NH and #81/115 of NE111 to find that the summit lookout was blocked off, I opted for the ski trails down. Somebody else had the same idea because I found a beaten path in the tall grass that followed the blue trails down to the lodge. I will say, the ski trails seem to be a lot steeper on foot than they do on skis. It probably took me as long to get down on the trails as it would have via Wildcat Ridge Trail. I hit the road for the short road walk back to the car. I just wanted to get my feet out of my shoes and into flip flops since my toes were in agony. I have no idea how long the hike took – I forgot to look at the clock when I left. I was back at my car at 1:30pm and decided to go to Lafayette Place for the night. If I could patch my toes up, I wanted to do Cannon and the Kinsmans the following day.
I stopped at Pinkham Notch the previous day to formulate a plan. I wanted to do the Moriah, Carters and the Wildcats. I would be hiking solo from day 4 on so I didn’t feel comfortable attempting the whole range alone. I inquired about the shuttle to Gorham and a possible stay at Carter Notch Hut. Luck was on my side…there was one spot left for the 19th in the hut and on the shuttle. The forecast looked great and I was assured that it shouldn’t be any problem reaching the hut by 6pm for dinner if I took the 8am shuttle. Afterall, the trails were dry so I should be able to move quickly. Next on the list…find a place to sleep for the night – Dolly Copp it was. I packed my pack for the next two days and reorganized my car since it looked like a tornado had come through. I was a little anxious about the first days hike. I haven’t hiked solo in 2 years and the longest solo hike that I’ve done was only 10 miles…Moriah and the Carters would be 14. Well to add to my anxiety, a thunderstorm rolled in around 8:30pm and it rained all night. I don’t think I slept because I was so worried about making it to the hut in 9 hours on wet trails.
6am rolls around so I get up and head over to Pinkham for breakfast (one less thing to worry about) in the rain. I eat breakfast and go to the shop to purchase a pack cover. One thing I didn’t mention – I didn’t think that I would be doing anything more than dayhikes so I only had a daypack. I managed to stuff warm clothes, rain gear, a sleeping bag, teva’s, food and water into it. I’m surprised the thing didn’t burst open.
My anxiety is building as the rain gets heavier. The shuttle arrives – I talked to the driver about my plans and he agreed to drop me off at the suspension bridge in Gorham before the Carter Moriah Trail. We arrive at the bridge at 8:30am, he tells me to cross the bridge, take a right on the road, and the trailhead would be down the street on the left…I felt completely alone at this point. I followed his directions and quickly hit the trail. I decided this would be a good day to listen to the iPod. I needed something to perk me up because the rain, wind and the cold weren’t doing it. My legs felt great, no more soreness but I was still huffing and puffing trying to find a good pace. I arrived at Mt. Surprise and tried to imagine what the views would be like from the ledges. I continued on to Moriah. There was a lot of sheer rock on the remaining 2.5 mile hike to the summit. I was surprised at how grippy my shoes were on the wet rock – this eased my anxiety a bit. I arrived at the summit of Moriah #21/48 NH and #76/115 of NE111 - 2.5 hours after leaving Gorham. 6pm for dinner might not be a problem after all.
Conditions were not pleasant so I stayed long enough to take a self portrait. On my way to North Carter now. What I wasn’t prepared for was the descent of Moriah. At one point, I thought that I might have ended up on the trail that lead back to the road. Nope…just a lot of elevation loss. I continued on the Carter Moriah trail past the Imp Shelter. I soon started crossing bog bridges on a fairly flat section. The rain had stopped by this point but it was still cold and windy. I began the climb of North Carter and came across a group that said that it had taken them 2 hours from the summit to get to this point (I estimate that I was less than a mile from the summit when they told me this). Discouraged, I continued the steep climb up. This section is fun if you like steep climbs on rock. I arrived at the summit of North Carter 5 hours after leaving the trailhead. Once again, it was cold so I stayed long enough to get a snack out.
I don’t remember much about my hike to Middle Carter, visibility was crappy, the temps were dropping and the wind was picking up. I just wanted to get to the hut by 6pm. I arrived at Middle Carter #22/48 NH and #77/115 of NE111 and was quite chilled by this point. I stopped for some snacks, put on my winter hat, and started hiking again. The poles sat long enough that they were no longer warm. My fingers turned white within 2 minutes so I stopped and put on gloves. My body was getting colder but I hesitated to put on my warmer layers because everything I had on was damp and they were the only dry articles of clothing that I had left. Well…the hat and gloves did the trick. I was quite warm by the time I started ascending South Carter. I soon reached the summit and took off the hat and gloves because the sun started peaking through clouds adding additional warmth and drying the wet layers. #23/48 NH and #78/115 of NE111.
The trail from South Carter to Zeta Pass and on to Carter Dome is an easy to moderate grade and easy to move fast on. Even though Hight is supposed to have the best views, I was exhausted, didn’t want to be exposed to the wind and just wanted to be back by dinner. I did take the time to enjoy the views from Carter Dome. The only views that I had all day. Carter Dome was my halfway point and anything beyond that was icing on the cake for the week. #24/48 NH and #79/115 of NE111.
I left Carter Dome on what seemed to be a fairly easy trail…for the first 10 minutes. That’s when the trail drops 1200 feet to Carter Notch. I was moving at a snails pace down this section. I was tired and wanted to avoid injuries. I was thrilled when I reached the junction that led to the hut and shocked when I got to the hut and the clock said 5:30…exactly 9 hours after I started.
I went to my bunkhouse and immediately changed into warm clothing before going back for dinner. At dinner, the croo said that they were expecting record cold temps overnight…great - at least I had my down bag. I enjoyed having a hot meal and people to talk to over dinner. Conversation is one thing that you don’t get at campground when you’re by yourself.
After a restless night sleep – my feet were throbbing from the day before – the blisters on my toes were progressively getting worse so I wasn’t looking forward to the Wildcats – I had breakfast and set out for the day. The climb up to Wildcat was very steep but the views near the top were worth the effort. I sat on the rocky outcrop for a bit, looking at where I was the previous day. #25/48 NH and #80/115 of NE111.
For some reason, I had no energy for this hike. All the subpeaks were zapping the little bit that I did have. I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to continue on the Wildcat Ridge Trail past Wildcat D or take the ski trails down. Well, after arriving at the summit of Wildcat D #26/48 NH and #81/115 of NE111 to find that the summit lookout was blocked off, I opted for the ski trails down. Somebody else had the same idea because I found a beaten path in the tall grass that followed the blue trails down to the lodge. I will say, the ski trails seem to be a lot steeper on foot than they do on skis. It probably took me as long to get down on the trails as it would have via Wildcat Ridge Trail. I hit the road for the short road walk back to the car. I just wanted to get my feet out of my shoes and into flip flops since my toes were in agony. I have no idea how long the hike took – I forgot to look at the clock when I left. I was back at my car at 1:30pm and decided to go to Lafayette Place for the night. If I could patch my toes up, I wanted to do Cannon and the Kinsmans the following day.
