H
HikerBob
Guest
The Wildcat Ridge trail:
"...more difficult and time-consuming than one might infer from a casual glance at the map..." AMC White Mountain Guide
"...is substantially more strenuous than the distance and elevation gain would suggest, many plan to add Carter Dome to the outing, but few actually do so!" Mohamed Ellozy
"What the hell was I thinking???" HikerBob
OK - So in my defense I did say Carter Dome was a maybe and I had read the above references and knew it would be a tough addition. On the day I still had enough time but the Wildcats (and all those pesky Wild Kittens) plus the heat and humidity had drained me. One look at the climb to Carter Dome from the outlook on Wildcat A put the seal on what I had already decided, I would be heading down 19 Mile Brook trail when I reached it.
Despite the strenuous nature of the trail I really enjoyed the climb up from Glen Ellis. Lots of scrambling and fantastic glimpses and full views back to George and the gulfs. There was one particular spot where the trail traverses a cliff with footing aided by rock drillings that would be unnerving in the wet and downright scary in winter. No margin of safety and a fall would hurt... a lot.
Once on the ridge there is only one word to describe things 'updown'. If you don't think 'updown' is a word, you haven't hiked this trail! I lost count of, and gave up counting, all of the humps and dips. Just when you figure you must be on the last bit of 'up' to one of the summits it'll throw another dip, col or sag at you just to make you climb a little more.
The early morning views were clear but things got hazy as the day wore on and the heat and humidity increased. After the seemingly endless ups and downs of the ridge the views from the outlook off of Wildcat A into Carter Notch and of the Carters are a fantastic reward.
Bob
"...more difficult and time-consuming than one might infer from a casual glance at the map..." AMC White Mountain Guide
"...is substantially more strenuous than the distance and elevation gain would suggest, many plan to add Carter Dome to the outing, but few actually do so!" Mohamed Ellozy
"What the hell was I thinking???" HikerBob
OK - So in my defense I did say Carter Dome was a maybe and I had read the above references and knew it would be a tough addition. On the day I still had enough time but the Wildcats (and all those pesky Wild Kittens) plus the heat and humidity had drained me. One look at the climb to Carter Dome from the outlook on Wildcat A put the seal on what I had already decided, I would be heading down 19 Mile Brook trail when I reached it.
Despite the strenuous nature of the trail I really enjoyed the climb up from Glen Ellis. Lots of scrambling and fantastic glimpses and full views back to George and the gulfs. There was one particular spot where the trail traverses a cliff with footing aided by rock drillings that would be unnerving in the wet and downright scary in winter. No margin of safety and a fall would hurt... a lot.
Once on the ridge there is only one word to describe things 'updown'. If you don't think 'updown' is a word, you haven't hiked this trail! I lost count of, and gave up counting, all of the humps and dips. Just when you figure you must be on the last bit of 'up' to one of the summits it'll throw another dip, col or sag at you just to make you climb a little more.
The early morning views were clear but things got hazy as the day wore on and the heat and humidity increased. After the seemingly endless ups and downs of the ridge the views from the outlook off of Wildcat A into Carter Notch and of the Carters are a fantastic reward.
Bob
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