summitseeker
New member
1/5/13
Trail Conditions: "BigEarl" posted a great and detailed report on the Stony Brook trail, which got me curious about the Carter-Moriah ascent. Upon my arrival the trail was broken and packed down pretty well. With recent snowfall the night before I opted to put on snowshoes from the start.
The trail was in great shape with little to no postholes along the way. I noticed that before Mount Surprise there were a few areas where the wind had blown drifts and covered the trail to obscurity. Thinking little of it I continued on past Mt. Surprise and found that the trail was far less packed down from there on. I assume this is do to less foot traffic and much deeper drifts.
Please be advised that although this trail is "broken" the high winds and deep drifts make certain areas of the trail just as unbroken as areas around the barren peaks leading up to Moriah. All open areas are dotted with faint signs of foot and snowshoe prints and many will lead you off trail. The bright blue blazes I saw for the first few miles soon became faint older blazes and once near the summit the combination of rime and snow made them difficult to find.
Special Equipment Required: It is debatable if snowshoes are necessary for the initial ascent up to Mt. Surprise but from there on they are definitely needed. Even with my MSRs I still sank in a few locations. Today's winds made a neoprene face mask and mittens a must. Poles also proved invaluable for both the ascent and descent portions above Mt. Surprise.
Comments: Despite heavy clouds and snowshowers for the first two hours the clouds did in fact break and the view from Moriah's Summit was amazing. In retrospect I think I would have expended less energy and required less time to summit via the Stony Brook Trail. I was the only hiker who attempted this route today and it was brutally cold at times.
Trail Conditions: "BigEarl" posted a great and detailed report on the Stony Brook trail, which got me curious about the Carter-Moriah ascent. Upon my arrival the trail was broken and packed down pretty well. With recent snowfall the night before I opted to put on snowshoes from the start.
The trail was in great shape with little to no postholes along the way. I noticed that before Mount Surprise there were a few areas where the wind had blown drifts and covered the trail to obscurity. Thinking little of it I continued on past Mt. Surprise and found that the trail was far less packed down from there on. I assume this is do to less foot traffic and much deeper drifts.
Please be advised that although this trail is "broken" the high winds and deep drifts make certain areas of the trail just as unbroken as areas around the barren peaks leading up to Moriah. All open areas are dotted with faint signs of foot and snowshoe prints and many will lead you off trail. The bright blue blazes I saw for the first few miles soon became faint older blazes and once near the summit the combination of rime and snow made them difficult to find.
Special Equipment Required: It is debatable if snowshoes are necessary for the initial ascent up to Mt. Surprise but from there on they are definitely needed. Even with my MSRs I still sank in a few locations. Today's winds made a neoprene face mask and mittens a must. Poles also proved invaluable for both the ascent and descent portions above Mt. Surprise.
Comments: Despite heavy clouds and snowshowers for the first two hours the clouds did in fact break and the view from Moriah's Summit was amazing. In retrospect I think I would have expended less energy and required less time to summit via the Stony Brook Trail. I was the only hiker who attempted this route today and it was brutally cold at times.
