BIGEarl
Well-known member
Two of us hiked this loop, Jennifer and me. Jennifer is working to complete the 4000 Footers and is hoping to finish them by Thanksgiving. All there is left to complete are the 4000 Footers east of Route 16. We decided three more hiking days would take care of it - this hike, Moriah, and a finish on Wildcat.
A couple weeks ago a group of us attempted to hike Carter Dome, South Carter, and Middle Carter. Previous to this attempt the area was hit with snowstorms depositing roughly 48 inches of very heavy snow that caused a great deal of tree damage. Along with the difficult hiking conditions our approach to the day was very poor right from the start, which was roughly three to four hours later than planned. We managed only six miles in six hours and called it a day. The day was a disappointing waste of time with none of the objective achieved.
Jennifer had one use-it-or-lose-it vacation day that was set to expire on New Year’s Eve. Since one day is hardly something you can build a vacation around she decided to take advantage of the good forecast and improved trail conditions and utilize the day hiking. We returned to take another shot.
We arrived at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail parking area and started out at approximately 7:30am. The morning was cold and windy but once we got into the hike we warmed up quickly and started to adjust our layers for ventilation to relieve the heat. The Nineteen Mile Brook Trail was cleared of the blowdowns we had experienced two weeks earlier. The only small matter was the missing bridge just past the trail junction with the Carter Dome Trail. A short distance upstream there were a couple places where a rock-hopping crossing could be done. After dealing with the ice-covered rocks and almost staying completely dry we headed on toward Carter Notch and the Carter-Moriah Trail.
Just before starting up the Carter-Moriah Trail we stopped for a quick snack. Also, Jennifer pulled out her crampons for the climb. I bare-booted the day. The bottom third of the climb up the south side of Carter Dome has a number of trees down on the trail. Most are very large trees that will require a good amount of work to clear. We managed to go over, under, around, or through these obstacles and continued our way to the summit. The tree work really slowed us down and we reached the summit roughly an hour later than planned. We still had plenty of time but decided to pass on the planned side-trip to Mount Hight for lunch (I think the wind was part of the decision too).
We had nearly reached Zeta Pass when we encountered a group of six hikers. They had come up Carter Dome Trail and spent three hours to move from the junction with the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to Zeta Pass. Evidently, the Carter Dome Trail is still clogged with blowdowns.
At Zeta Pass we stopped again for a quick snack and a little rest. The wind was calm and the sun was warm. We had the “park bench” to ourselves. It was around 1:30pm and we had a few miles left to finish the hike. Off we went north on the Carter-Moriah Trail to South Carter.
Between Zeta Pass and South Carter we encountered roughly fifteen trees down blocking the trail. Again, over, under, around, or through but they kept our progress slowed. We encountered a similar condition between South Carter and Middle Carter.
Once we cleared the summit of Middle Carter we headed for the North Carter Trail. I’m sure the speed of progress due to downed trees and the snow made the hike to North Carter Trail seem longer than it really was. We finally found the trail junction at approximately 4:00pm. It was clear to both of us we would use our headlights before finishing up for the day.
The only positive aspect to the hike on the North Carter Trail was we were heading down. This trail is completely littered with trees. The mess will require a significant effort to clean up. At around 4:30pm we pulled out the headlights.
Initially, we planned to take the southern portion of the Imp Trail and bushwhack to Camp Dodge. Since we were now dealing with dark conditions, we cancelled this idea. Instead, we took the northern section and continued toward route 16. The Imp trail is only a little better than the North Carter Trail. Fortunately, there was a set of tracks that came up to the junction with the North Carter Trail, made a U-turn, and returned. These tracks were helpful in the dark conditions to quickly negotiate the trees that were blocking the trail. Finally, we reached route 16 roughly 1.5 miles north of our car. What’s another couple miles? So, we started south on our road-walk. A number of cars and trucks passed us but no rides were offered, until one fellow came along and invited us in for a ride. We were within a few hundred yards of the parking area but really appreciated the lift. Three hours after dark (twelve hours after starting the hike) and we were finally back at the car.
If I knew then what I know now….
We may have delayed this hike to another day or at least considered breaking it into two hikes.
For all that are planning to hike these trails consider the tree damage in your timing. The hike will most likely take much longer than you expect. Snowshoes would have helped once we reached the summit of Carter Dome. We would have been able to move a little faster with them. The liability of their weight in making the summit of Carter Dome is another consideration. Crampons are helpful in climbing Carter Dome and to a lesser degree some small sections leading to South and Middle Carter.
Bottom line - we made it. We were able to keep our focus on the objective and manage the day to meet the objective. As a side benefit, we had our fill of fresh air, exercise, and fun. We enjoyed a very successful day and Jennifer now has two more hikes to finish off her 4000 Footers.
A couple weeks ago a group of us attempted to hike Carter Dome, South Carter, and Middle Carter. Previous to this attempt the area was hit with snowstorms depositing roughly 48 inches of very heavy snow that caused a great deal of tree damage. Along with the difficult hiking conditions our approach to the day was very poor right from the start, which was roughly three to four hours later than planned. We managed only six miles in six hours and called it a day. The day was a disappointing waste of time with none of the objective achieved.
Jennifer had one use-it-or-lose-it vacation day that was set to expire on New Year’s Eve. Since one day is hardly something you can build a vacation around she decided to take advantage of the good forecast and improved trail conditions and utilize the day hiking. We returned to take another shot.
We arrived at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail parking area and started out at approximately 7:30am. The morning was cold and windy but once we got into the hike we warmed up quickly and started to adjust our layers for ventilation to relieve the heat. The Nineteen Mile Brook Trail was cleared of the blowdowns we had experienced two weeks earlier. The only small matter was the missing bridge just past the trail junction with the Carter Dome Trail. A short distance upstream there were a couple places where a rock-hopping crossing could be done. After dealing with the ice-covered rocks and almost staying completely dry we headed on toward Carter Notch and the Carter-Moriah Trail.
Just before starting up the Carter-Moriah Trail we stopped for a quick snack. Also, Jennifer pulled out her crampons for the climb. I bare-booted the day. The bottom third of the climb up the south side of Carter Dome has a number of trees down on the trail. Most are very large trees that will require a good amount of work to clear. We managed to go over, under, around, or through these obstacles and continued our way to the summit. The tree work really slowed us down and we reached the summit roughly an hour later than planned. We still had plenty of time but decided to pass on the planned side-trip to Mount Hight for lunch (I think the wind was part of the decision too).
We had nearly reached Zeta Pass when we encountered a group of six hikers. They had come up Carter Dome Trail and spent three hours to move from the junction with the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to Zeta Pass. Evidently, the Carter Dome Trail is still clogged with blowdowns.
At Zeta Pass we stopped again for a quick snack and a little rest. The wind was calm and the sun was warm. We had the “park bench” to ourselves. It was around 1:30pm and we had a few miles left to finish the hike. Off we went north on the Carter-Moriah Trail to South Carter.
Between Zeta Pass and South Carter we encountered roughly fifteen trees down blocking the trail. Again, over, under, around, or through but they kept our progress slowed. We encountered a similar condition between South Carter and Middle Carter.
Once we cleared the summit of Middle Carter we headed for the North Carter Trail. I’m sure the speed of progress due to downed trees and the snow made the hike to North Carter Trail seem longer than it really was. We finally found the trail junction at approximately 4:00pm. It was clear to both of us we would use our headlights before finishing up for the day.
The only positive aspect to the hike on the North Carter Trail was we were heading down. This trail is completely littered with trees. The mess will require a significant effort to clean up. At around 4:30pm we pulled out the headlights.
Initially, we planned to take the southern portion of the Imp Trail and bushwhack to Camp Dodge. Since we were now dealing with dark conditions, we cancelled this idea. Instead, we took the northern section and continued toward route 16. The Imp trail is only a little better than the North Carter Trail. Fortunately, there was a set of tracks that came up to the junction with the North Carter Trail, made a U-turn, and returned. These tracks were helpful in the dark conditions to quickly negotiate the trees that were blocking the trail. Finally, we reached route 16 roughly 1.5 miles north of our car. What’s another couple miles? So, we started south on our road-walk. A number of cars and trucks passed us but no rides were offered, until one fellow came along and invited us in for a ride. We were within a few hundred yards of the parking area but really appreciated the lift. Three hours after dark (twelve hours after starting the hike) and we were finally back at the car.
If I knew then what I know now….
We may have delayed this hike to another day or at least considered breaking it into two hikes.
For all that are planning to hike these trails consider the tree damage in your timing. The hike will most likely take much longer than you expect. Snowshoes would have helped once we reached the summit of Carter Dome. We would have been able to move a little faster with them. The liability of their weight in making the summit of Carter Dome is another consideration. Crampons are helpful in climbing Carter Dome and to a lesser degree some small sections leading to South and Middle Carter.
Bottom line - we made it. We were able to keep our focus on the objective and manage the day to meet the objective. As a side benefit, we had our fill of fresh air, exercise, and fun. We enjoyed a very successful day and Jennifer now has two more hikes to finish off her 4000 Footers.
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