Stash
Active member
With winter still in full bloom (not by the calendar but tell the snow that) I took the opportunity for another visit to the Carters. This time the plan was another repeat hike - up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail and Carter Dome Trail, across Carter Moriah and down North Carter and Imp to Camp Dodge and a short road walk to the car. I’d completed this loop in January ’10 on one of the most beautiful days I’ve ever spent in the Whites.
A few inches of fresh powder covered the ground in the parking lot and some snowshoe tracks led to the trail head. Nineteen Mile was its typical hardpack and Microspikes allowed me to make up for a late start without damage, catching all but one who’d started before me. Once I got to the Carter Dome Trail cutoff a single pair of pointy-heeled snow shoe tracks (Atlas?) went left in deepening power. I switched to my Tubbs and went left as well.
The trip up Carter Dome Trail was pretty uneventful except for an occasional tendency to slip on some of the side-hills going up through the switch backs. Stopping at Zeta Pass for a sandwich I noticed how deep the snow had gotten since my last trip here on New Year’s Day. Now the snow was such that the trail signs appeared to sit on top of the snow with no need for a pole. Sandwich down I was on to Carter Moriah toward South Carter.
The snow the night before had been enough to cover any previous packed markings and I followed where “Atlas” had gone picking up a few ankle high white blazes along the way. I encountered a few wanders down false trails here and there but for the most part things went quite smoothly up and over South and on to Middle Carter. At this point the afternoon clouds that had been predicted started to show, restricting any views of the Presidentials across the way. I got a few blue sky shots but nothing to match last year’s favorites.
Further on, a zig instead of a zag put my predecessor and me into a bit of brush that didn’t seem like the trail but, as the peak of Middle wasn’t far, he did what made sense to me simply heading straight for the peak bringing us back onto the trail and easier movement. Once past Middle Carter it was a short bit to where we’d drop down North Carter Trail and on to Imp.
The tracks moved on and eventually took the left onto what I’d assume to be North Carter Trail and disappeared into some brush. I looked twice as I recall the start of this trail to be a bit more open and there being a trail sign. The deep snow could account for things looking different and a covered sign and I’d say Atlas had the same thought as there were tracks leading further north but returning. I followed the tracks north for a bit wondering if he’d maybe missed the turn-off but the tracks simply went a few hundred yards more in a couple different attempts but each ending in a wall of brush. Apparently he had decided that the best thing at that point was to head down where he had, either knowing/assuming it was the trail or simply deciding to bushwack down to Route 16.
I started to follow the tracks down to see if it would open up a bit and start to look familiar and almost immediately dropped into a hip deep spruce trap nearly needing to remove a snow shoe to get out. It wasn’t really a spruce trap but a section where the snow had formed over a few dead branched creating a void beneath.
At this point I was 4 hours into my hike, a few snow squalls were working through and I didn’t really want to deal with iffy footing the remainder of the way down, even if someone was in front of me. I thought it made a bit more sense to simply work my way back the way I came in, having decided long ago that as a primarily solo hiker I always choose a known over an unknown at the half way point in any hike. For me, 4 hours was the half way point.
On the way back I took the opportunity to break that section of trail missed by the bushwack approaching Middle Carter and a few other little sections along the way. As the third set of tracks on the trail the walking was pretty easy and I made good time, including a stop at Zeta Pass for another bite to eat. By the time I got to my car the sun had worked its way out for what would be an easy drive home. Before I left, though, I took a ride down to Camp Dodge to see if anyone had walked out the road to Rt 16. I saw no prints but the drive was freshly plowed so any early marks would be gone. I'm assuming (and hoping) he made it down with no issues.
A few pictures taken along the way.
A few inches of fresh powder covered the ground in the parking lot and some snowshoe tracks led to the trail head. Nineteen Mile was its typical hardpack and Microspikes allowed me to make up for a late start without damage, catching all but one who’d started before me. Once I got to the Carter Dome Trail cutoff a single pair of pointy-heeled snow shoe tracks (Atlas?) went left in deepening power. I switched to my Tubbs and went left as well.
The trip up Carter Dome Trail was pretty uneventful except for an occasional tendency to slip on some of the side-hills going up through the switch backs. Stopping at Zeta Pass for a sandwich I noticed how deep the snow had gotten since my last trip here on New Year’s Day. Now the snow was such that the trail signs appeared to sit on top of the snow with no need for a pole. Sandwich down I was on to Carter Moriah toward South Carter.
The snow the night before had been enough to cover any previous packed markings and I followed where “Atlas” had gone picking up a few ankle high white blazes along the way. I encountered a few wanders down false trails here and there but for the most part things went quite smoothly up and over South and on to Middle Carter. At this point the afternoon clouds that had been predicted started to show, restricting any views of the Presidentials across the way. I got a few blue sky shots but nothing to match last year’s favorites.
Further on, a zig instead of a zag put my predecessor and me into a bit of brush that didn’t seem like the trail but, as the peak of Middle wasn’t far, he did what made sense to me simply heading straight for the peak bringing us back onto the trail and easier movement. Once past Middle Carter it was a short bit to where we’d drop down North Carter Trail and on to Imp.
The tracks moved on and eventually took the left onto what I’d assume to be North Carter Trail and disappeared into some brush. I looked twice as I recall the start of this trail to be a bit more open and there being a trail sign. The deep snow could account for things looking different and a covered sign and I’d say Atlas had the same thought as there were tracks leading further north but returning. I followed the tracks north for a bit wondering if he’d maybe missed the turn-off but the tracks simply went a few hundred yards more in a couple different attempts but each ending in a wall of brush. Apparently he had decided that the best thing at that point was to head down where he had, either knowing/assuming it was the trail or simply deciding to bushwack down to Route 16.
I started to follow the tracks down to see if it would open up a bit and start to look familiar and almost immediately dropped into a hip deep spruce trap nearly needing to remove a snow shoe to get out. It wasn’t really a spruce trap but a section where the snow had formed over a few dead branched creating a void beneath.
At this point I was 4 hours into my hike, a few snow squalls were working through and I didn’t really want to deal with iffy footing the remainder of the way down, even if someone was in front of me. I thought it made a bit more sense to simply work my way back the way I came in, having decided long ago that as a primarily solo hiker I always choose a known over an unknown at the half way point in any hike. For me, 4 hours was the half way point.
On the way back I took the opportunity to break that section of trail missed by the bushwack approaching Middle Carter and a few other little sections along the way. As the third set of tracks on the trail the walking was pretty easy and I made good time, including a stop at Zeta Pass for another bite to eat. By the time I got to my car the sun had worked its way out for what would be an easy drive home. Before I left, though, I took a ride down to Camp Dodge to see if anyone had walked out the road to Rt 16. I saw no prints but the drive was freshly plowed so any early marks would be gone. I'm assuming (and hoping) he made it down with no issues.
A few pictures taken along the way.
