Periwinkle
Active member
After a lot of changes in plans, I finally got to get out and do this trip as originally planned 10/29-30/04. My buddy Mike volunteered to accompany me, putting this back on for the original overnight route. We set off from Gorham up the Carter Moriah Trail.
The ascent to Moriah was fantastic: clear blue skies, cool temps, and a very slight breeze. The lower section of the trail sports remnants of fall color -- everything was golden. The few sparse thin ice spots were harbingers of things to come.
After a great summit lounge on Moriah, we encountered our first challenge of the day: getting the dogs off the summit. For the first time, the St. Bernard was carried down a trail. The small, narrow chimney-like section was just a bit too much for him. It wasn't a first for my Labrador, but, as usual, he didn't appreciate the experience. That over and done with, we made our way down the ledges, stopping to watch the sunset over the Presidentials. It was a beautiful sight and a fitting farewell for me. I said goodbye to the scene of so many excellent adventures. I won't be seeing my rocky friends for a while. The image will remain with me forever.
We arrived at Imp shortly after twilight. Two very friendly gentlemen were in the process of having dinner at the shelter. They were very kind, offering to move their gear to the top platform to accommodate us, but given the late hour, two tired dogs (one cranky, one whinny), we decided to be as accommodating and pitch the tent. No sense giving trail dogs a bad name. It would be faster and easier to get dinner squared away if we sent up camp right away and the dogs would settle down immediately without others around. (Speaking of others, the caretaker is not longer in residence.)
No one else was at the campsites, so had our choice of platforms and a quiet night. A nearly full moon provided plently of light. It was a cozy fit in the tent. Usually I bring my own, but opted to take a second sleeping bag instead, adding a pillow as well. Temps were close to freezing, but I was very comfortable with my St. Bernard foot warmer and a Labrador snuggling up on my head! He was as thrilled with the pillow as I was.
I'm usually up with the birds on the trail, but no birds were singing Saturday morning. The sun was overcast, and we were enshrouded by clouds. We all seriously overslept. Ooooppsss. Another late start....
The day was put even more off schedule by delays ascending North Carter. There were some interesting moments there. The worst was the first steep pitch, where ice filled all the steps. It took three trips up and down to get the dogs and our gear up this section. I was seriously unamused to discover a large rock I was using as a hand hold was loose, forcing me to belly crawl across a ledge to a better hold. The fun just kept on coming -- the next problem was steep slab with iced-in toe holds. What should have been a straight-forward climb needed fingers, toes, knees...worming...yikes! A few more pitches were also iced over, but none were quite as challenging. I got quite a workout along the way. The dogs faired better, scrambling up most of the remainder of the trail without a problem.
Middle and South Carter were a breeze after North Carter, including having most of the mud frosted over. It was a little disappointing to miss the views, but hiking through the blowing clouds was an experience in itself.
At Zeta Pass, we decided to take our bail-out route down the Carter Dome Trail. I left this decision to Mike, since I had already done Mt. Hight & Carter Dome last year. But, with the wind kicking up and the first few drops of rain on the day appearing, it was time to head out. The late start didn't help matters either.
The Carter Dome Trail was fine until the second stream crossing. Then, it was the same mucky mess that I remember from last year. 19 Mile Brook on the way out was a bit wet in places but an easy cruise by headlamp. It was a repeat of my first solo hut overnight trip from last year, the first time I had made the decision to hike by headlamp. I was glad that I did that then and very comfortable with it now.
All in all, it was a great trip, even with the lack of views on the second day. North Carter is now up there on my list of tough climbs given the conditions that made it harder than it should have been, but it was still a safe journey. It just took a bit longer to get it done right. Gotta do it right tho -- doesn't count unless you make it back to the trailhead!
Making it back to this trailhead was again a milestone. A year ago I felt that a different woman walked back out the trail. This year, almost to the day, I had the same feeling. What an experience this has been.
Two to go....
The ascent to Moriah was fantastic: clear blue skies, cool temps, and a very slight breeze. The lower section of the trail sports remnants of fall color -- everything was golden. The few sparse thin ice spots were harbingers of things to come.
After a great summit lounge on Moriah, we encountered our first challenge of the day: getting the dogs off the summit. For the first time, the St. Bernard was carried down a trail. The small, narrow chimney-like section was just a bit too much for him. It wasn't a first for my Labrador, but, as usual, he didn't appreciate the experience. That over and done with, we made our way down the ledges, stopping to watch the sunset over the Presidentials. It was a beautiful sight and a fitting farewell for me. I said goodbye to the scene of so many excellent adventures. I won't be seeing my rocky friends for a while. The image will remain with me forever.
We arrived at Imp shortly after twilight. Two very friendly gentlemen were in the process of having dinner at the shelter. They were very kind, offering to move their gear to the top platform to accommodate us, but given the late hour, two tired dogs (one cranky, one whinny), we decided to be as accommodating and pitch the tent. No sense giving trail dogs a bad name. It would be faster and easier to get dinner squared away if we sent up camp right away and the dogs would settle down immediately without others around. (Speaking of others, the caretaker is not longer in residence.)
No one else was at the campsites, so had our choice of platforms and a quiet night. A nearly full moon provided plently of light. It was a cozy fit in the tent. Usually I bring my own, but opted to take a second sleeping bag instead, adding a pillow as well. Temps were close to freezing, but I was very comfortable with my St. Bernard foot warmer and a Labrador snuggling up on my head! He was as thrilled with the pillow as I was.
I'm usually up with the birds on the trail, but no birds were singing Saturday morning. The sun was overcast, and we were enshrouded by clouds. We all seriously overslept. Ooooppsss. Another late start....
The day was put even more off schedule by delays ascending North Carter. There were some interesting moments there. The worst was the first steep pitch, where ice filled all the steps. It took three trips up and down to get the dogs and our gear up this section. I was seriously unamused to discover a large rock I was using as a hand hold was loose, forcing me to belly crawl across a ledge to a better hold. The fun just kept on coming -- the next problem was steep slab with iced-in toe holds. What should have been a straight-forward climb needed fingers, toes, knees...worming...yikes! A few more pitches were also iced over, but none were quite as challenging. I got quite a workout along the way. The dogs faired better, scrambling up most of the remainder of the trail without a problem.
Middle and South Carter were a breeze after North Carter, including having most of the mud frosted over. It was a little disappointing to miss the views, but hiking through the blowing clouds was an experience in itself.
At Zeta Pass, we decided to take our bail-out route down the Carter Dome Trail. I left this decision to Mike, since I had already done Mt. Hight & Carter Dome last year. But, with the wind kicking up and the first few drops of rain on the day appearing, it was time to head out. The late start didn't help matters either.
The Carter Dome Trail was fine until the second stream crossing. Then, it was the same mucky mess that I remember from last year. 19 Mile Brook on the way out was a bit wet in places but an easy cruise by headlamp. It was a repeat of my first solo hut overnight trip from last year, the first time I had made the decision to hike by headlamp. I was glad that I did that then and very comfortable with it now.
All in all, it was a great trip, even with the lack of views on the second day. North Carter is now up there on my list of tough climbs given the conditions that made it harder than it should have been, but it was still a safe journey. It just took a bit longer to get it done right. Gotta do it right tho -- doesn't count unless you make it back to the trailhead!
Making it back to this trailhead was again a milestone. A year ago I felt that a different woman walked back out the trail. This year, almost to the day, I had the same feeling. What an experience this has been.
Two to go....
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