sapblatt
Well-known member
- Joined
- Oct 22, 2004
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Great weekend was my first stab at carrying a heavier pack (45 pounds) as I traversed the Wildcat Ridge Trail on Saturday morning to spend two nights at the Carter Notch hut.
When the guide book says that you may find the Wildcat Ridge Trail difficult with a heavy pack they know what they are talking about. I usually hike near book time - not this time as it took me seven long hours to make it to the hut. The scrambles going up the E peak were very challenging, but definitely doable. I was impressed by the trail work that had been done to make this trail hikable. There are steps cut into the boulders and real cool crevasse that was made passable by the placement of large rocks into the crevasse. It was also cool to see snow for the first time this year - I even found I enjoyed the snow away from my commute and the city!
The descent into Carter Notch was rather harrowing as the top third was icy and snowy and very slow going. Only slipped a few times and did not fall! The hut was a raucous time as the Red Sox took game one of the World Series!
Saturday morning, after fighting off the effects of a generous hut mate's gift of Scotch I managed to ascend Carter Dome via the Carter Moriah trail. The thirty degree temperatures did not matter for long as I heated up in a hurry. This trail starts out steeply but is really nice as you approach the Dome. Too bad there is no view, as it is a nice spot near the large cairn just before the summit.
I continued onto Mount Hight with plans to hit Zeta Pass and Middle and South Carter but a combination of being tired and fog made me reconsider - and I am glad that I did. I headed back to Carter Dome and hit the Rainbow Trail down into the Wild River area. This was a wonderful, seldom hiked trail that featured an easy descent of Carter Dome and real cool alpine zone about halfway down. I would guess there are nice views from there if it was not foggy! A little further down was an impressive stand of birch trees that seemed to take up dozens of acres on end. I continued onto the Wild River Trail and the Wildcat River Trail back to the hut. Both of these trails are beautiful and remote and very mucky - postholed in mud up to my knees a couple of times. Somewhere around my 10th or 11th mile I meandered back to the hut.
I met some real great people on sunday night...a group of older men that had been hiking together for years that had great stories and an unreal cook with them and couple of other guys who came from Imp Shelter and were heading over Wildcat.
One gripe I have is that many of the WMNF trails are in desparate need of being blazed. The Rainbow Trail was not blazed at all except in the mid alpine zone, and these were severely faded. In the birch stand it was nearly impossible to follow the trail as all the leaves were covering the trail. O took my time and managed to not get lost. Anyone know where or how to address this issue? Sooner or later someone will get very lost out there.
19 mile brook trail out was a great easy walk in the woods to end a great weekend.
When the guide book says that you may find the Wildcat Ridge Trail difficult with a heavy pack they know what they are talking about. I usually hike near book time - not this time as it took me seven long hours to make it to the hut. The scrambles going up the E peak were very challenging, but definitely doable. I was impressed by the trail work that had been done to make this trail hikable. There are steps cut into the boulders and real cool crevasse that was made passable by the placement of large rocks into the crevasse. It was also cool to see snow for the first time this year - I even found I enjoyed the snow away from my commute and the city!
The descent into Carter Notch was rather harrowing as the top third was icy and snowy and very slow going. Only slipped a few times and did not fall! The hut was a raucous time as the Red Sox took game one of the World Series!
Saturday morning, after fighting off the effects of a generous hut mate's gift of Scotch I managed to ascend Carter Dome via the Carter Moriah trail. The thirty degree temperatures did not matter for long as I heated up in a hurry. This trail starts out steeply but is really nice as you approach the Dome. Too bad there is no view, as it is a nice spot near the large cairn just before the summit.
I continued onto Mount Hight with plans to hit Zeta Pass and Middle and South Carter but a combination of being tired and fog made me reconsider - and I am glad that I did. I headed back to Carter Dome and hit the Rainbow Trail down into the Wild River area. This was a wonderful, seldom hiked trail that featured an easy descent of Carter Dome and real cool alpine zone about halfway down. I would guess there are nice views from there if it was not foggy! A little further down was an impressive stand of birch trees that seemed to take up dozens of acres on end. I continued onto the Wild River Trail and the Wildcat River Trail back to the hut. Both of these trails are beautiful and remote and very mucky - postholed in mud up to my knees a couple of times. Somewhere around my 10th or 11th mile I meandered back to the hut.
I met some real great people on sunday night...a group of older men that had been hiking together for years that had great stories and an unreal cook with them and couple of other guys who came from Imp Shelter and were heading over Wildcat.
One gripe I have is that many of the WMNF trails are in desparate need of being blazed. The Rainbow Trail was not blazed at all except in the mid alpine zone, and these were severely faded. In the birch stand it was nearly impossible to follow the trail as all the leaves were covering the trail. O took my time and managed to not get lost. Anyone know where or how to address this issue? Sooner or later someone will get very lost out there.
19 mile brook trail out was a great easy walk in the woods to end a great weekend.
That's quite a load for a weekend! 
