Due to the vagaries of scheduling and a desire to test out my back (coming off an injury) with a full pack before wandering the Pemi by my lonesome for three days, I headed up to the Carters hoping to bag some peaks and enjoy some solitiude.
I took the 19 Mile Brook Trail up on Wednesday afternoon. It was hot, muggy, and apparently the breeze had taken a day off. Oh, did I mention buggy. Not a pleasant environment for a hike - even with the reasonable grade the stream gurgling off to my right. Due to my lack of fitness - I hadnt quite realized the extent of it until this hike - from a lack of exercise due to some persistent back trouble over the last 8 months and the muggy heat, I worked up quite a sweat and was dragging when I reached the first lake. Perfectly, the breeze chose that point to make an appearance and I slowly worked my way over to the hut scoping out the beautiful terrain and views.
I reached the hut only to be informed that...I was the only person staying there for the night. A little later a thru hiker decided to spend the night based on the approaching darkness and the rain that appeared ready to come with it. Conversation was lacking given there were only four of us, so I grabbed a book and headed over to my bunkhouse (no one else in it). A little after 9, three girls showed up in the bunkroom next to me. It had been raining pretty heavily and steadily at that point for over an hour and the wind had really picked up.
The next morning I spoke to the girls, who were three recent high school graduates starting day 2 of a trip that was going to take them from the imp to franconia notch. They found the hike along the imp and over carter dome longer and tougher than they anticipated and got caught in the rain and darkness. They were still squeezing water from their packs and gear when I headed out...
I started up the trail to Carter Dome and found that someone kept moving the summit a little further away each time I thought I was about to reach it. It was steep and my body protested for the last half of it. The only solace was some amazing views of the presidentials and some views back down from where I had come. I reached the top in (shows how slow I was going) in an hour and fifty minutes. After resting a few mins and having a snack and some gatorade, I mozied over to Mount Hight.
Seeing the views from the summit of Hight, I think I fell in love with the mountain. It was a crystal clear day, warm with a breeze, and at this point I was feeling exception. I lounged on the summit and took some pics and enjoyed the combination of the views, the breeze, and the solitude. Just as I began heading down toward Zeta Pass, I heard voices of some people coming up and was glad I had decided to move along. Given how perfect things had been on the summit, I did not want to really share it with anyone else
The climb down to Zeta Pass was steep but seemed to pass fairly quickly. Upon reaching Zeta Pass, I hung out for a while on the bench there and again enjoyed some solitude and a bite to eat. It really is a beautiful spot. At that point, given my now recognized lack of fitness and the good feeling I had aquired on Mount Hight, I decided I would abandon my earlier plan of dropping my pack and heading over to the summits of South and possibly Middle Carter. I figured the mountains would still be there when I came back and that it was better to end the trip on a positive note than hobbling down from the Carters and cursing the world later in the day. That decided, I headed down the Carter Dome trail.
While the seven switchbacks appeared to be seventy, they sure took the starch out of what would have been a steep descent. I arrived at the intersection of the 19 Mile Brook Trail and kept right on going. Arriving at the dam, I stopped for a bit and took off my boots and let my feet and legs soak in the cool and refreshing water. I chatted for a bit with an older gentleman who had just decided to walk up the trail that he said he had fond memories of even though he wasnt planning on going ot the hut or the summit. We talked for a bit and he headed out. After a few more minutes, I rebooted and shouldered my back and headed back down. A few hundred yards down the trail, I saw the older guy sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream and looking pretty content. We exhanged waves and I continued on.
I arrived back at the parking lot and was feeling pretty good. Even though I hadn't accomplished much of what I had planned, I left the woods feeling positively happy and already thinking about a return trip...
I took the 19 Mile Brook Trail up on Wednesday afternoon. It was hot, muggy, and apparently the breeze had taken a day off. Oh, did I mention buggy. Not a pleasant environment for a hike - even with the reasonable grade the stream gurgling off to my right. Due to my lack of fitness - I hadnt quite realized the extent of it until this hike - from a lack of exercise due to some persistent back trouble over the last 8 months and the muggy heat, I worked up quite a sweat and was dragging when I reached the first lake. Perfectly, the breeze chose that point to make an appearance and I slowly worked my way over to the hut scoping out the beautiful terrain and views.
I reached the hut only to be informed that...I was the only person staying there for the night. A little later a thru hiker decided to spend the night based on the approaching darkness and the rain that appeared ready to come with it. Conversation was lacking given there were only four of us, so I grabbed a book and headed over to my bunkhouse (no one else in it). A little after 9, three girls showed up in the bunkroom next to me. It had been raining pretty heavily and steadily at that point for over an hour and the wind had really picked up.
The next morning I spoke to the girls, who were three recent high school graduates starting day 2 of a trip that was going to take them from the imp to franconia notch. They found the hike along the imp and over carter dome longer and tougher than they anticipated and got caught in the rain and darkness. They were still squeezing water from their packs and gear when I headed out...
I started up the trail to Carter Dome and found that someone kept moving the summit a little further away each time I thought I was about to reach it. It was steep and my body protested for the last half of it. The only solace was some amazing views of the presidentials and some views back down from where I had come. I reached the top in (shows how slow I was going) in an hour and fifty minutes. After resting a few mins and having a snack and some gatorade, I mozied over to Mount Hight.
Seeing the views from the summit of Hight, I think I fell in love with the mountain. It was a crystal clear day, warm with a breeze, and at this point I was feeling exception. I lounged on the summit and took some pics and enjoyed the combination of the views, the breeze, and the solitude. Just as I began heading down toward Zeta Pass, I heard voices of some people coming up and was glad I had decided to move along. Given how perfect things had been on the summit, I did not want to really share it with anyone else
The climb down to Zeta Pass was steep but seemed to pass fairly quickly. Upon reaching Zeta Pass, I hung out for a while on the bench there and again enjoyed some solitude and a bite to eat. It really is a beautiful spot. At that point, given my now recognized lack of fitness and the good feeling I had aquired on Mount Hight, I decided I would abandon my earlier plan of dropping my pack and heading over to the summits of South and possibly Middle Carter. I figured the mountains would still be there when I came back and that it was better to end the trip on a positive note than hobbling down from the Carters and cursing the world later in the day. That decided, I headed down the Carter Dome trail.
While the seven switchbacks appeared to be seventy, they sure took the starch out of what would have been a steep descent. I arrived at the intersection of the 19 Mile Brook Trail and kept right on going. Arriving at the dam, I stopped for a bit and took off my boots and let my feet and legs soak in the cool and refreshing water. I chatted for a bit with an older gentleman who had just decided to walk up the trail that he said he had fond memories of even though he wasnt planning on going ot the hut or the summit. We talked for a bit and he headed out. After a few more minutes, I rebooted and shouldered my back and headed back down. A few hundred yards down the trail, I saw the older guy sitting on a rock in the middle of the stream and looking pretty content. We exhanged waves and I continued on.
I arrived back at the parking lot and was feeling pretty good. Even though I hadn't accomplished much of what I had planned, I left the woods feeling positively happy and already thinking about a return trip...
