BIGEarl
Well-known member
October 23, 2010: Moriah
Trails: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail
Summits: Moriah
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Peakbagger (Dennis), Fitz, and me
This week we were looking for a later start, earlier finish, and a moderate hike in between. Our October list included Moriah with no other peaks that would be convenient to tie with it. Moriah was a “pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later” kind of hike; at some point we needed to hike it, so Moriah became our target for the day. Four of us were planning to meet at the trailhead for Stony Brook Trail with a target on-trail time of 8:00am. We were all there and ready to go a little earlier than planned. The conditions looked great with nearly clear sky, a light breeze, and a temperature at the trailhead of 27 degrees. Based on the forecast from the National Weather Service, we expected the temperature to remain in the 20’s for the full hike but the winds at higher elevations would be significant.
We set off with Peakbagger out front. A couple weeks ago he led most of the hike on Wildcat Ridge and set a terrific pace. I was happy to have him setting the pace again on this hike. The early part of the hike is on mild terrain with the only small concern being the lower crossing of Stony Brook. Some of the rocks have a pretty good glaze of ice on them and care is needed to avoid wet feet. We all made the crossing without a problem and continued on the old logging road to the upper crossing of Stony Brook. Along the way we passed through the only section of mud that was still a little messy. There was a stretch of trail roughly a hundred yards in length with some pits that required a little rock-hopping and working the edges to get past.
We reached the upper crossing of Stony Brook and nearly everybody had adjusted layers along the way to be comfortable. From here to the junction with Carter-Moriah Trail (CMT) was a fairly steep climb. Even with my poor hearing I could hear the wind noise; it was very loud and let us know we were going to enjoy some uncomfortable conditions soon. The climb went well. Along the way we started to encounter ice-covered rocks. Some were hidden beneath this year’s crop of leaves. We really needed to pay attention to avoid a slip. We also started to see light amounts of snow.
As we gained elevation we also gained wind speed and the temperature seemed to fall. One by one we all added layers, pulled out warmer gloves and mittens, and even pulled out headgear to stay comfortable. By the time we reached the CMT junction we were all generally ready for the exposure on the upper climb to Moriah and the ledges along the way.
The CMT section of the hike to Moriah was interesting. The significant mud pits along this stretch, especially on the upper part, were all generally frozen; there were a couple soft spots but nothing to create a problem. The ledges were clear; the small amount of ice on them was easy to avoid. The trees were all decorated in a covering of rime. We still had generally clear sky conditions with an occasional cloud blowing through; but the sun did little to warm things up. Once we hit the open upper ledges the conditions hit us. According to weather history from various sites, we were probably enjoying roughly 20 degrees and a north-northwest wind of ~30 – 40 mph. Brisk! I kept thinking to myself; these conditions would be a pleasant change and welcomed in February or March.
We wasted no time in crossing the open areas and getting back into the shelter of the short trees leading to the summit area. As we made our way to the final climb to the summit we passed many more frozen mud pits and found sections of trail with significant ice already in place. It’s getting close.
We all made the final climb, hit the summit, got a few summit pictures, and were soon on our way. None of us was interested in hanging around on the summit due to the conditions. As we were leaving, a couple others arrived. We also met four others on our ascent and three more on our descent. Seeing only nine others on Moriah on a Saturday makes it a pretty quiet hiking day. We descended to the final section of open ledge before reaching the Stony Brook – CMT junction and stopped for some lunch. This location is more sheltered from the wind that was blowing through and very open to the sun; a perfect place for lunch. Soon, our lunch break was finished and we were back into the hike. After passing the trail junction and reaching the top of the steep descent we were back into the wind. Earlier on the ascent, the wind was on our back but now on the descent we’re taking it head-on, which is a little more unpleasant. Fortunately, as we descended we also hiked out of the wind and into milder temperatures. By the time we passed the area of the upper crossing of Stony Brook layers had come off and we were all hiking much lighter. The remaining two-mile+ hike to the trailhead was little more than a pleasant autumn walk in the woods. There was still plenty of late color to enjoy, with lots of sun, a light breeze, and mild temperature.
We started earlier than planned and that’s the way we finished. The conditions kept us from spending a lot of time at various viewpoints along the way but it was still a very pleasant day on Moriah.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail
Summits: Moriah
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Peakbagger (Dennis), Fitz, and me
This week we were looking for a later start, earlier finish, and a moderate hike in between. Our October list included Moriah with no other peaks that would be convenient to tie with it. Moriah was a “pay-me-now-or-pay-me-later” kind of hike; at some point we needed to hike it, so Moriah became our target for the day. Four of us were planning to meet at the trailhead for Stony Brook Trail with a target on-trail time of 8:00am. We were all there and ready to go a little earlier than planned. The conditions looked great with nearly clear sky, a light breeze, and a temperature at the trailhead of 27 degrees. Based on the forecast from the National Weather Service, we expected the temperature to remain in the 20’s for the full hike but the winds at higher elevations would be significant.
We set off with Peakbagger out front. A couple weeks ago he led most of the hike on Wildcat Ridge and set a terrific pace. I was happy to have him setting the pace again on this hike. The early part of the hike is on mild terrain with the only small concern being the lower crossing of Stony Brook. Some of the rocks have a pretty good glaze of ice on them and care is needed to avoid wet feet. We all made the crossing without a problem and continued on the old logging road to the upper crossing of Stony Brook. Along the way we passed through the only section of mud that was still a little messy. There was a stretch of trail roughly a hundred yards in length with some pits that required a little rock-hopping and working the edges to get past.
We reached the upper crossing of Stony Brook and nearly everybody had adjusted layers along the way to be comfortable. From here to the junction with Carter-Moriah Trail (CMT) was a fairly steep climb. Even with my poor hearing I could hear the wind noise; it was very loud and let us know we were going to enjoy some uncomfortable conditions soon. The climb went well. Along the way we started to encounter ice-covered rocks. Some were hidden beneath this year’s crop of leaves. We really needed to pay attention to avoid a slip. We also started to see light amounts of snow.
As we gained elevation we also gained wind speed and the temperature seemed to fall. One by one we all added layers, pulled out warmer gloves and mittens, and even pulled out headgear to stay comfortable. By the time we reached the CMT junction we were all generally ready for the exposure on the upper climb to Moriah and the ledges along the way.
The CMT section of the hike to Moriah was interesting. The significant mud pits along this stretch, especially on the upper part, were all generally frozen; there were a couple soft spots but nothing to create a problem. The ledges were clear; the small amount of ice on them was easy to avoid. The trees were all decorated in a covering of rime. We still had generally clear sky conditions with an occasional cloud blowing through; but the sun did little to warm things up. Once we hit the open upper ledges the conditions hit us. According to weather history from various sites, we were probably enjoying roughly 20 degrees and a north-northwest wind of ~30 – 40 mph. Brisk! I kept thinking to myself; these conditions would be a pleasant change and welcomed in February or March.
We wasted no time in crossing the open areas and getting back into the shelter of the short trees leading to the summit area. As we made our way to the final climb to the summit we passed many more frozen mud pits and found sections of trail with significant ice already in place. It’s getting close.
We all made the final climb, hit the summit, got a few summit pictures, and were soon on our way. None of us was interested in hanging around on the summit due to the conditions. As we were leaving, a couple others arrived. We also met four others on our ascent and three more on our descent. Seeing only nine others on Moriah on a Saturday makes it a pretty quiet hiking day. We descended to the final section of open ledge before reaching the Stony Brook – CMT junction and stopped for some lunch. This location is more sheltered from the wind that was blowing through and very open to the sun; a perfect place for lunch. Soon, our lunch break was finished and we were back into the hike. After passing the trail junction and reaching the top of the steep descent we were back into the wind. Earlier on the ascent, the wind was on our back but now on the descent we’re taking it head-on, which is a little more unpleasant. Fortunately, as we descended we also hiked out of the wind and into milder temperatures. By the time we passed the area of the upper crossing of Stony Brook layers had come off and we were all hiking much lighter. The remaining two-mile+ hike to the trailhead was little more than a pleasant autumn walk in the woods. There was still plenty of late color to enjoy, with lots of sun, a light breeze, and mild temperature.
We started earlier than planned and that’s the way we finished. The conditions kept us from spending a lot of time at various viewpoints along the way but it was still a very pleasant day on Moriah.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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