BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 23, 2014: Wildcats-Carters-Moriah Traverse
Trails: Lost Pond Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Stony Brook Trail
Summits: Wildcat D, Wildcat A, Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, Mount Moriah
Hikers: Rebecca Schubert and me
The weekend plans included a couple of back-to-back days of multi-peak hikes. The first hike was sure to be a full day; Rebecca and I decided to get started early. One vehicle was spotted at Stony Brook Trail and we started from PNVC hiking south-to-north. We left from PNVC, crossed the highway and set off on Lost Pond Trail. This short trail provides a nice one mile warm-up before starting into the climb to Wildcat E peak. The hike started with headlights but as we made our way through the climb the daylight conditions gradually arrived and the lights were retired for the day.
Climbing to Wildcat E peak was the usual routine of climb and stop to get the heart rate back down, and then go again. It’s frustrating but necessary. Slowly we made our way to the top and on past the ski area operations to Wildcat D peak for our first target 4K for the day. We stopped long enough for a couple pictures and a quick snack but knew we needed to keep moving; there was a lot of hiking in our plan for the day.
We headed across Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A and then to Carter Notch. The trip is rough with a good elevation loss to Wildcat Col and then a re-climb to C, B, and finally A Peak. We stopped there for a couple more summit pictures and a couple shots of Carter Notch. The conditions were warm and humid and I was concerned about water consumption. We reached Carter Notch, did a quick check, and decided to visit the Carter Notch Hut to top-off our supply; we were both going through water faster than planned.
This hike was also an experiment for me. For the first time I was using electrolyte replacement capsules to help with cramping. So far they seemed to be working well with no indication of leg cramps at all.
We headed back to the south end of Carter-Moriah Trail and started the steep climb to Carter Dome. It was a familiar routine; climb and stop to settle the heart rate, then climb some more. One bite after another we made our way to the summit. Along the way we were passed by a very fragrant hiker headed to Maine. We reached the summit, have a short break and refreshment, and soon continued on our way north.
The next target for the day was South Carter. We cruised to Zeta Pass, stopped to dump the boulders from my boots, and kept hiking. It’s a long hike and when adding all of the time for breaks, etc., we were moving at ~15% over book time. That’s okay and planned for, but we needed to keep moving if we were to finish the plan for the day. We had a number of good bail-out points along the way but didn’t want to use any of them. We hit South Carter, got a quick summit picture and kept moving. Along the way we also bumped into a couple familiar faces; June & John (or is it John & June). We visited for a while before continuing on our way. It’s always a treat to see friends on the trail. After saying goodbye to June & John we focused on making our way north to our remaining targets. We cleared North Carter and I managed to give my knee a good shot on the steep descent to the north. Because of the blood thinner that I take even a small injury looks bad and the knee looked really bad. Rebecca pulled out a bottle of liquid bandage to help stop the bleeding. Eventually everything was under control and we were again moving north.
Somewhere along the way Rebecca made a comment concerning our completion time. My response was “We don’t need to hike Moriah.” Rebecca’s response to that was “Yes we do.” I really enjoy hiking with Rebecca.
We had a plan for the weekend and knew Sunday would be a difficult day, after a tough Saturday. It was just a matter of stay focused and work your plan. We kept heading north to Moriah. There were a number of folks headed to Imp Shelter for the night from the south and north. Eventually we passed the last group near Stony Brook Trail junction. We didn’t even hesitate at Stony Brook junction, just keep hiking for Moriah.
The climb to Moriah isn’t bad, even late in a long day. I’m convinced all of the open ledge areas and the associated views make the climb much more pleasant. We worked our way up through the sections of ledge and were soon on the lower ridge and heading to the summit. After a short walk back to the high point we were ready to make the u-turn and start our exit hike.
Moriah to the trailhead is a short five miles of nearly all downhill. We managed to fall into a comfortable pace and generally just walk to the waiting vehicle. That was it for day #1 of a back-to-back pair. We still had day #2 waiting for us in Franconia Notch.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Lost Pond Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Stony Brook Trail
Summits: Wildcat D, Wildcat A, Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, Mount Moriah
Hikers: Rebecca Schubert and me
The weekend plans included a couple of back-to-back days of multi-peak hikes. The first hike was sure to be a full day; Rebecca and I decided to get started early. One vehicle was spotted at Stony Brook Trail and we started from PNVC hiking south-to-north. We left from PNVC, crossed the highway and set off on Lost Pond Trail. This short trail provides a nice one mile warm-up before starting into the climb to Wildcat E peak. The hike started with headlights but as we made our way through the climb the daylight conditions gradually arrived and the lights were retired for the day.
Climbing to Wildcat E peak was the usual routine of climb and stop to get the heart rate back down, and then go again. It’s frustrating but necessary. Slowly we made our way to the top and on past the ski area operations to Wildcat D peak for our first target 4K for the day. We stopped long enough for a couple pictures and a quick snack but knew we needed to keep moving; there was a lot of hiking in our plan for the day.
We headed across Wildcat Ridge Trail to Wildcat A and then to Carter Notch. The trip is rough with a good elevation loss to Wildcat Col and then a re-climb to C, B, and finally A Peak. We stopped there for a couple more summit pictures and a couple shots of Carter Notch. The conditions were warm and humid and I was concerned about water consumption. We reached Carter Notch, did a quick check, and decided to visit the Carter Notch Hut to top-off our supply; we were both going through water faster than planned.
This hike was also an experiment for me. For the first time I was using electrolyte replacement capsules to help with cramping. So far they seemed to be working well with no indication of leg cramps at all.
We headed back to the south end of Carter-Moriah Trail and started the steep climb to Carter Dome. It was a familiar routine; climb and stop to settle the heart rate, then climb some more. One bite after another we made our way to the summit. Along the way we were passed by a very fragrant hiker headed to Maine. We reached the summit, have a short break and refreshment, and soon continued on our way north.
The next target for the day was South Carter. We cruised to Zeta Pass, stopped to dump the boulders from my boots, and kept hiking. It’s a long hike and when adding all of the time for breaks, etc., we were moving at ~15% over book time. That’s okay and planned for, but we needed to keep moving if we were to finish the plan for the day. We had a number of good bail-out points along the way but didn’t want to use any of them. We hit South Carter, got a quick summit picture and kept moving. Along the way we also bumped into a couple familiar faces; June & John (or is it John & June). We visited for a while before continuing on our way. It’s always a treat to see friends on the trail. After saying goodbye to June & John we focused on making our way north to our remaining targets. We cleared North Carter and I managed to give my knee a good shot on the steep descent to the north. Because of the blood thinner that I take even a small injury looks bad and the knee looked really bad. Rebecca pulled out a bottle of liquid bandage to help stop the bleeding. Eventually everything was under control and we were again moving north.
Somewhere along the way Rebecca made a comment concerning our completion time. My response was “We don’t need to hike Moriah.” Rebecca’s response to that was “Yes we do.” I really enjoy hiking with Rebecca.
We had a plan for the weekend and knew Sunday would be a difficult day, after a tough Saturday. It was just a matter of stay focused and work your plan. We kept heading north to Moriah. There were a number of folks headed to Imp Shelter for the night from the south and north. Eventually we passed the last group near Stony Brook Trail junction. We didn’t even hesitate at Stony Brook junction, just keep hiking for Moriah.
The climb to Moriah isn’t bad, even late in a long day. I’m convinced all of the open ledge areas and the associated views make the climb much more pleasant. We worked our way up through the sections of ledge and were soon on the lower ridge and heading to the summit. After a short walk back to the high point we were ready to make the u-turn and start our exit hike.
Moriah to the trailhead is a short five miles of nearly all downhill. We managed to fall into a comfortable pace and generally just walk to the waiting vehicle. That was it for day #1 of a back-to-back pair. We still had day #2 waiting for us in Franconia Notch.
Pictures will follow.
