marty
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Ray and I decided to hike some more small jewels today. We decided to try South and Middle Moats in Conway, NH, after receiving a recommendation from Mohamed Ellozy and some favorable NH Trail Conditions posts from Forestgnome and others. Here are a few pix of this hike: So.and Middle Moat
We left Ray’s house about 8:15 and got to Passaconaway Road in Conway about 10 am, only to find it with a thin glaze of ice from freezing rain overnight. We crawled down the road and quickly saw a car stuck in a large snow bank. Along with another guy, we pulled it out and headed to the Moat Mountain parking lot.
We met a couple of people right at the trailhead who were returning from walks/hikes. The second was a local teacher and very experienced hiker. They were the only people we saw for the rest of our hike!
The trail was packed out below, but the snow was soft, so we quickly switched to snowshoes. We kept them on for the rest of the hike. The first mile starts out gradual, with switchbacks and flat sections. As it was partly sunny and mild, we quickly shed layers. It then gets really steep and you quickly start to see views that become increasingly more expansive. Mt. Chocorua was our constant companion to the south. About ¾ way up the trail, it was primarily open, with views including the Sandwich Range, Pemi, Baldfaces, Carter-Moriahs and the Presi’s (until the clouds engulfed them).
The summit of S. Moat is an impressive collection of rocks and an amazing 360 degree view. The wind picked up considerably here and we had to add layers to stay warm. Just north of the summit, all footprints were gone and no trail markers existed. We just picked out a route and made it to Middle Moat fairly easily, with most of the trip in the open with amazing views. Middle Moat also has a 360 degree view and we went a bit beyond it, as the ridge just continued to be opened. We thought about going to Red Ridge, but decided to turn back, as the trail breaking in soft, deep snow was a bit tiring!
We headed down and it was not as easy as we hoped. The heavy, soft snow slowed us down, so we took our times and enjoyed ourselves. We got to the car, wolfed down a million pretzels and headed home.
Ray, always a pleasure to hike with you, my friend!
Summing it up, the Moats are beautiful mountains with great views. It was especially enjoyable having them to ourselves. We cannot wait to do the rest of this range!
Regards,
Marty
We left Ray’s house about 8:15 and got to Passaconaway Road in Conway about 10 am, only to find it with a thin glaze of ice from freezing rain overnight. We crawled down the road and quickly saw a car stuck in a large snow bank. Along with another guy, we pulled it out and headed to the Moat Mountain parking lot.
We met a couple of people right at the trailhead who were returning from walks/hikes. The second was a local teacher and very experienced hiker. They were the only people we saw for the rest of our hike!
The trail was packed out below, but the snow was soft, so we quickly switched to snowshoes. We kept them on for the rest of the hike. The first mile starts out gradual, with switchbacks and flat sections. As it was partly sunny and mild, we quickly shed layers. It then gets really steep and you quickly start to see views that become increasingly more expansive. Mt. Chocorua was our constant companion to the south. About ¾ way up the trail, it was primarily open, with views including the Sandwich Range, Pemi, Baldfaces, Carter-Moriahs and the Presi’s (until the clouds engulfed them).
The summit of S. Moat is an impressive collection of rocks and an amazing 360 degree view. The wind picked up considerably here and we had to add layers to stay warm. Just north of the summit, all footprints were gone and no trail markers existed. We just picked out a route and made it to Middle Moat fairly easily, with most of the trip in the open with amazing views. Middle Moat also has a 360 degree view and we went a bit beyond it, as the ridge just continued to be opened. We thought about going to Red Ridge, but decided to turn back, as the trail breaking in soft, deep snow was a bit tiring!
We headed down and it was not as easy as we hoped. The heavy, soft snow slowed us down, so we took our times and enjoyed ourselves. We got to the car, wolfed down a million pretzels and headed home.
Ray, always a pleasure to hike with you, my friend!
Summing it up, the Moats are beautiful mountains with great views. It was especially enjoyable having them to ourselves. We cannot wait to do the rest of this range!
Regards,
Marty
