Carter Hut

[erugs]

A group of us are planning a trip in to Carter Hut weekend after next for an overnight. I'm wondering if I should tote some of my gear on my sled or if that wouldn't be worth the fun/trouble. This is my first year using a sled and the other two trails I've been on (Rocky Branch and Cataracts in Maine) were fine. What do you think? Sled or no?

 

[MichaelJ]

Don't. There are a few spots along the trail where you're not going to be able to keep that sled from falling down the brook bank and taking you with it, and also the upper portions of the trail are pretty steep, enough so that the sled would be more trouble than value.

 

[weatherman]

I've seen two people do it but as MJ said, they weren't exactly having fun. Unless you're really good at pulling a sled up grades like 750 feet/mile (the last mile of the 19MB trail has some sections of that), I'd skip it.

Weatherman

 

[KayakDan]

I was at the hut this past weekend,and checking the trail for possible sled use for FSB III. Forget it-it's not sled friendly. Skinny sections with drop offs into the river,as MichaelJ mentioned,3 thousand stream crossings,and a killer up hill,then a steep downhill to the hut. Your gonna have to haul that six pack in on your back

Rocky Branch is on my list to sled in to camp. Great trail for it.

 

[erugs]

Thanks - so glad I asked, as usual.

 

[DrewKnight]

Further note of minor caution...

Make sure to mouse-proof your food supplies... not sure whether they're still active in the dead of winter, but I bet they are: I spent a sleepless night in late August in the furthest-out bunkhouse at Carter, at the merciless fuzzy white little paws of a vicious posse of deer mice.

First woke to the menace at about 10pm, when I heard the scritch-scritch of someone eating cashews and called up to my 10-year old, who was quite sound asleep, oblivious to the deer mouse I caught in my flashlight beam about 10 inches from his head. Mr. Mouse looked down at me rather defiantly, and only moved lazily away via the roof rafters when he was pretty sure I was fully out of my sleeping bag and materializing as a significant threat.

Let me tell you kids, these are some smart mice, and they have us figured out right down to our timing and our habits.

The rest of the night passed in a series of 15-minute spasms. Just about the time I would start to fall asleep, flashlight in my hands crossed on my chest, I would hear the scratching of little paws and the sound of digging claws on Cordura. I'd sit up and snap on the beam, and they'd do the casual Michigan J. Frog out of sight as I got up to chase them away. They twittered and flittered over my wife's hand. They dug vigorously at the pack that I foolishly moved close to my head -- I even saw a tiny tail peeking out of a zippered pocket, which I proceeded to bludgeon brutally with an empty wine bottle, fully expecting to find puree of mouse by the dawn's early light. Nuthin'. Mice 6, Humans 0.

Then again, if you brought up a sled full of mousetraps...

 

[focusonbalance]

Ditto on the no to the sled. About the food issue, best to grab all you food items out of your pack and bring them into the hut. I place mine under an overturned pot. Then unzipper any pockets of my pack so even if the meeces wanna go searching, they won't wreck my pack, which hangs on the wall well away from me

 

[MichaelJ]

When staying at Carter during caretaker season there are big white plastic tubs under the center prep table in the kitchen. Your "loose" food should go in there. Your sealed (like cans or bottles) food goes up on the shelf over the fridge, and of course you can put stuff in the fridge as well.

Dunno about during full-service time. You won't ever catch me there then. Sadness.

 

[erugs]

Drew - I suppose I shouldn't be laughing, but what a funny story. My former dwelling had mice and that's why I'm now in the habit of turning all cups, glass, bowls, upside down and transfer much of my food from their cartons to containers. The extra dry cat food goes into the refrigerator. People coming from non-mice backgrounds don't understand. Once I was walking into the kitchen and a mouse scooted under my arch. No fear!

 

[DrewKnight]

That's OK, you were *supposed* to laugh...

Drew - I suppose I shouldn't be laughing, but what a funny story.

It took me about three weeks to get over the sleep deprivation and the tendency to sit bolt-upright in bed mumbling "The horror... the horror...", but I am all over it now, and I can almost see the humor in the situation.

 

[bryan]

spent five months working at carter notch hut a few years back and can say that as far as the laying of traps go the hut and bunks (up in the overhangs) were quite productive. this is true year round especially in the hut. some past winter caretakers have used the unlucky mice to bait in pine martens and thus some of the great pictures that are (or used to be) posted around the hut. i woke up a many times to the sound of mice or the feeling of them crawling over me. found that items on the shelf for guests and in the fridge were most safe. unless a given caretaker has made a white bin free for guests they may resent you poking around in there even if just to stash your food.

bryan