McRat
New member
The bleary monotony of the morning drive was cast aside by the slow creep of dawn and I stopped by a pond to enjoy it. *
The sun kissed the snow-dusted summit of Chocurua and it glowed appreciatively in response. Golden hues oozed down the mountain like honey, gradually driving away the shadows along each contour as the clouds darted just above the peak. It was gorgeous, exciting, and a sign that a great day was just beginning.
I hadn’t even hit the trailhead and the trip was already worth it. If I had no other hiking plans, I might have stayed – but people and places were waiting at the 19-Mile Brook trailhead…
I pulled into the parking lot alongside New Hampshire and the Jeneral, and before long Woody48 came by to introduce himself. We geared up and started up the trail.
The 19-mile brook trail was a treat. Steady but gentle grades along a beautiful river, running strong from the recent rains and unseasonably warm weather. We took the time to introduce ourselves, and had warmed up nicely before we reached the Carter Dome trail junction.
Up until then, the trail had shown few signs of winter, with occasional small pools of ice and small pellets of granular snow gathered on the ground. After the junction, the stretches of ice expanded and Woody and I put on Stabilicers while NH and Jen decided to bareboot the slightly steeper and rockier Carter Dome trail.
With the trees bare, we could see the Carter ridge ahead through the trees, and it seemed clear that things were about to get much steeper soon. While the ridge did pitch up, the switchbacks were a welcome feature. We walked along and chatted enjoying occasional views back towards the cloud-capped Presidentials, occasionally catching the strong breezes through the trees, until arriving at Zeta Pass.
The trip had gone along at such a steady pace, I was shocked that we were already on the ridge, though we were by no means racing the clock. I commented to NH that it was a shame to be hitting these occluded summits, and he replied that the views on Middle Carter weren’t that bad.
We traveled the Carter-Moriah trail, and I still find myself amused with the idea of bog bridges at 4000 feet. I hate it when reality flaunts itself against my perceptions. Aside from a few icy sections and the gusts of wind, we hiked along the bumps of the ridge until we reached the summit of South Carter.
There were a handful of other hikers out that day and we had the delight of bumping into Tom and Atticus on their journey. Tom impressed me with not only the hearty good-natured conversation, but the distances he and his intrepid pup had planned for the day. It is humbling to consider that I couldn’t keep up with his dog.
We took photos around the sign, and climbed a rock to catch a glimpse of Washington and the Northern Presis through the trees. I think we had consensus that some chainsaw therapy would be useful, but we remained good citizens about the matter. I think I began to wish the howling wind would rip these few trees down, but they proudly stood through the gusts as they have many others.
We scurried along the ridge looking for a wind-sheltered spot for lunch, and soon found a sunny spot in the col with good tree cover. As much as I enjoy hiking, I relish that first real break of my feet. Woody had brought a thermos of hot apple cider which really hit the spot. We exchanged stories and got moving again as the chill set in.
As we started back up towards Middle Carter, we reached a rock that allowed a view over the low pines. The clouds had given way to rich blue skies and visibility was excellent. Woody stated out what we were all thinking, “It’s views like this that keep me coming back.” I silently cursed myself for leaving my digital camera at home, but at least I had a disposable camera in my pack.
Below the rock, we saw Jen entangled in the scrub. We wondered what she was up to, until we discovered the wind had blown the camera packaging out of my open pack. Doh.
We traveled along to occasional views and just before the summit of Middle Carter was an absolutely spectacular viewpoint. It felt like you could see clear to Canada, and the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness looked really enticing. Just as one list is ending, the mental list of places to see keeps expanding.
Just a hundred yards ahead was the Middle Carter summit sign. My 44th NH4K, and 10th on the winter NH48 list. It was clearly time to celebrate.
I had brought along a bottle of Yuengling Lager (a personal favorite) and raised a toast to Cantdog, whose Adirondack journeys made this possible. What could make enjoying a favorite vice, while pursuing a favorite hobby even better? Two vices.
I had a smoke and a beer at 4600’. I must shamefully report that it was decadent… and wonderfully so. Ah, the cheap thrills of an addictive personality.
As we headed off towards the North Carter trail, there were many good viewpoints, but wind gusts of around 50mph kept us moving along. I was glad I had my traction gear on in places, but it didn’t stop NH and Jen for nimbly tackling the same terrain without any.
By the time we reached the Imp trail junction, we realized that we weren’t going to beat the sunset. We headed down with a minimum of conversation, watching the sun duck behind the silhouette of the Presidential range, and made it to the cut off for the Dodge camp in the twilight.
Spirits lifted as we hit the pavement and wandered back to our cars. We wished Woody good luck on his new job, exchanged our farewells, and I enjoyed the ‘victory lager’ I had left in the trunk.
Good times. Thanks to New Hampshire for suggesting this hike, and to all for their great company. Look forward to seeing you on the trail again soon.
*
The problem with an early departure, the SherpaKroto towel was left behind, providing a great excuse to revisit these peaks. We had to send our best wishes without Towlie.
The sun kissed the snow-dusted summit of Chocurua and it glowed appreciatively in response. Golden hues oozed down the mountain like honey, gradually driving away the shadows along each contour as the clouds darted just above the peak. It was gorgeous, exciting, and a sign that a great day was just beginning.
I hadn’t even hit the trailhead and the trip was already worth it. If I had no other hiking plans, I might have stayed – but people and places were waiting at the 19-Mile Brook trailhead…
I pulled into the parking lot alongside New Hampshire and the Jeneral, and before long Woody48 came by to introduce himself. We geared up and started up the trail.
The 19-mile brook trail was a treat. Steady but gentle grades along a beautiful river, running strong from the recent rains and unseasonably warm weather. We took the time to introduce ourselves, and had warmed up nicely before we reached the Carter Dome trail junction.
Up until then, the trail had shown few signs of winter, with occasional small pools of ice and small pellets of granular snow gathered on the ground. After the junction, the stretches of ice expanded and Woody and I put on Stabilicers while NH and Jen decided to bareboot the slightly steeper and rockier Carter Dome trail.
With the trees bare, we could see the Carter ridge ahead through the trees, and it seemed clear that things were about to get much steeper soon. While the ridge did pitch up, the switchbacks were a welcome feature. We walked along and chatted enjoying occasional views back towards the cloud-capped Presidentials, occasionally catching the strong breezes through the trees, until arriving at Zeta Pass.
The trip had gone along at such a steady pace, I was shocked that we were already on the ridge, though we were by no means racing the clock. I commented to NH that it was a shame to be hitting these occluded summits, and he replied that the views on Middle Carter weren’t that bad.
We traveled the Carter-Moriah trail, and I still find myself amused with the idea of bog bridges at 4000 feet. I hate it when reality flaunts itself against my perceptions. Aside from a few icy sections and the gusts of wind, we hiked along the bumps of the ridge until we reached the summit of South Carter.
There were a handful of other hikers out that day and we had the delight of bumping into Tom and Atticus on their journey. Tom impressed me with not only the hearty good-natured conversation, but the distances he and his intrepid pup had planned for the day. It is humbling to consider that I couldn’t keep up with his dog.
We took photos around the sign, and climbed a rock to catch a glimpse of Washington and the Northern Presis through the trees. I think we had consensus that some chainsaw therapy would be useful, but we remained good citizens about the matter. I think I began to wish the howling wind would rip these few trees down, but they proudly stood through the gusts as they have many others.
We scurried along the ridge looking for a wind-sheltered spot for lunch, and soon found a sunny spot in the col with good tree cover. As much as I enjoy hiking, I relish that first real break of my feet. Woody had brought a thermos of hot apple cider which really hit the spot. We exchanged stories and got moving again as the chill set in.
As we started back up towards Middle Carter, we reached a rock that allowed a view over the low pines. The clouds had given way to rich blue skies and visibility was excellent. Woody stated out what we were all thinking, “It’s views like this that keep me coming back.” I silently cursed myself for leaving my digital camera at home, but at least I had a disposable camera in my pack.
Below the rock, we saw Jen entangled in the scrub. We wondered what she was up to, until we discovered the wind had blown the camera packaging out of my open pack. Doh.
We traveled along to occasional views and just before the summit of Middle Carter was an absolutely spectacular viewpoint. It felt like you could see clear to Canada, and the Caribou-Speckled Mountain Wilderness looked really enticing. Just as one list is ending, the mental list of places to see keeps expanding.
Just a hundred yards ahead was the Middle Carter summit sign. My 44th NH4K, and 10th on the winter NH48 list. It was clearly time to celebrate.
I had brought along a bottle of Yuengling Lager (a personal favorite) and raised a toast to Cantdog, whose Adirondack journeys made this possible. What could make enjoying a favorite vice, while pursuing a favorite hobby even better? Two vices.
I had a smoke and a beer at 4600’. I must shamefully report that it was decadent… and wonderfully so. Ah, the cheap thrills of an addictive personality.
As we headed off towards the North Carter trail, there were many good viewpoints, but wind gusts of around 50mph kept us moving along. I was glad I had my traction gear on in places, but it didn’t stop NH and Jen for nimbly tackling the same terrain without any.
By the time we reached the Imp trail junction, we realized that we weren’t going to beat the sunset. We headed down with a minimum of conversation, watching the sun duck behind the silhouette of the Presidential range, and made it to the cut off for the Dodge camp in the twilight.
Spirits lifted as we hit the pavement and wandered back to our cars. We wished Woody good luck on his new job, exchanged our farewells, and I enjoyed the ‘victory lager’ I had left in the trunk.
Good times. Thanks to New Hampshire for suggesting this hike, and to all for their great company. Look forward to seeing you on the trail again soon.
*
The problem with an early departure, the SherpaKroto towel was left behind, providing a great excuse to revisit these peaks. We had to send our best wishes without Towlie.
