Elizabeth
New member
Date: Sunday May 22, 2011
Trails: Nineteen Mile Brook, Carter Moriah, Mt. Hight detour, Carter Dome, and back on Nineteen Mile Brook.
Conditions: Trails were very wet (surprise, surprise) with little rivulets running down many segments; but because it is mostly rock and sand underfoot, the mud was not so bad. Above 3,000 feet remnants of snow and ice monorail began. Fortunately, the steepest section of trail (the SW-facing ascent on Carter Moriah Trail) was free and clear. From the back side of Carter Dome to Zeta Pass the snow was deeper (up to three feet) and the monorail more persistent (except on Mt. Hight summit). I cleared quite a few loose blowdowns from the upper sections of trail. Some remain locked in ice, and a few (4-5 inches diameter) will require a saw to remove. None block the trail significantly. The brooks were high, and the unbridged crossings on Carter Dome Trail would have been difficult without poles; but were quite doable with (or with four legs). Black flies were few and not biting.
Equipment: I barebooted throughout and made much use of poles. The monorails below were too intermittent to merit using traction devices, and it would have been a pain to keep putting them on and taking them off. (I collected more than half a dozen broken-off microspikes found along the way.) Light traction could have been used to advantage from Carter Dome summit to Zeta Pass; but was not necessary.
Comments: Nice undercast. Felt sorry for the poor folks down below experiencing a cloudy day, while we luxuriated in sun above 4,000 feet.
Caution: There are a number of herd paths descending from the top of Mt. Hight. Just to confuse things further, one dead-end non-trail is even marked by a cairn. Look to the northwest for the trail down.
Photos from this hike can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32876400@N08/sets/72157626665161423/
NH4K: Elizabeth 48/48; Gracie 41/48; Salty 40/48
Trails: Nineteen Mile Brook, Carter Moriah, Mt. Hight detour, Carter Dome, and back on Nineteen Mile Brook.
Conditions: Trails were very wet (surprise, surprise) with little rivulets running down many segments; but because it is mostly rock and sand underfoot, the mud was not so bad. Above 3,000 feet remnants of snow and ice monorail began. Fortunately, the steepest section of trail (the SW-facing ascent on Carter Moriah Trail) was free and clear. From the back side of Carter Dome to Zeta Pass the snow was deeper (up to three feet) and the monorail more persistent (except on Mt. Hight summit). I cleared quite a few loose blowdowns from the upper sections of trail. Some remain locked in ice, and a few (4-5 inches diameter) will require a saw to remove. None block the trail significantly. The brooks were high, and the unbridged crossings on Carter Dome Trail would have been difficult without poles; but were quite doable with (or with four legs). Black flies were few and not biting.
Equipment: I barebooted throughout and made much use of poles. The monorails below were too intermittent to merit using traction devices, and it would have been a pain to keep putting them on and taking them off. (I collected more than half a dozen broken-off microspikes found along the way.) Light traction could have been used to advantage from Carter Dome summit to Zeta Pass; but was not necessary.
Comments: Nice undercast. Felt sorry for the poor folks down below experiencing a cloudy day, while we luxuriated in sun above 4,000 feet.
Caution: There are a number of herd paths descending from the top of Mt. Hight. Just to confuse things further, one dead-end non-trail is even marked by a cairn. Look to the northwest for the trail down.
Photos from this hike can be seen at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32876400@N08/sets/72157626665161423/
NH4K: Elizabeth 48/48; Gracie 41/48; Salty 40/48
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