Middle Carter, South Carter, Mt. Hight, Carter Dome - 4/6/14

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Pac-man

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Joined
Jun 13, 2013
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Location
West Lebanon, NH
Trails: Camp Dodge Cutoff, Imp South Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, 19 Mile Brook

Trail Conditions: All over the place today. Hard, crusty snow on Imp with a little soft stuff just beneath. Same with North Carter and Carter-Moriah all the way to Zeta Pass. Finally there were other tracks so things were a little softer up to Carter Dome. The descent to the hut was soft and mushy in places due to a strong sun all day. 19 Mile was hard in places, mushy in others depending on the direction the trail faced.

Equipment: Used micros to the intersection with Carter-Moriah and then threw on the snowshoes for the rest of the day. It's April, so bring both and be prepared to switch back and forth depending on the weather.

Comments: A beautiful "spring" day. We parked at 19 Mile trailhead and took the short walk to Camp Dodge and met up with the Imp Trail. The sun was blazing and the temperature was decent, but the damn wind chill! The trail was crunchy due to a recent storm (of rain/sleet/ice I've heard) so micros worked well. The clouds had all lifted on the way up and the views through the trees to the Presidentials were always a welcome site. Once up to the Carter-Moriah trail, we could feel the winds more and threw on some layers for the ridge. We had some great 360 degree views near Mt. Lethe and quickly zipped over Middle and South before descending down to Zeta Pass. We regrouped and started up to Mt. Hight because, on days like today, it just can't be skipped over. The snow was very soft and slick on the way up, but it was a fairly easy ascent overall, and definitely worth the views, which were breathtaking like usual. Once on Carter Dome, we noticed what people had been talking about, the snowdrifts are incredible there! We descended down to the hut quickly, but that doesn't mean safely. The snow was so soft and mushy it was impossible to get any grip, so some buttsledding was necessary, but it was a little out of control for all of us. Luckily there were no bumps or bruises, just some soaking wet clothes. We regrouped again and made the quick exit from the hut and got some beer and pizza as quickly as possible. First time doing the Carters in snowy conditions, it was a great trip!
 
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