BIGEarl
Well-known member
June 30, 2013: Carter Dome, Hight, and The Carters
Trails: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, North Carter Trail, Imp Trail
Summits: Carter Dome, Mount Hight, South Carter Mountain, Middle Carter Mountain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Six years ago to the day, Sue and I first met and hiked together. We have covered a lot of miles together since, and completed hundreds of hikes together. Over the past few years we have talked about hiking again on June 30, but it never happened, until now. Today was the first time we again hiked on June 30 together since our first hike.
Our Plan A for the day was a visit to the Northern Presidentials. The weather forecast from the experts seemed to indicate we would probably be forced into an early exit and decided something more sheltered would make more sense. Our Plan B hike was waiting across the street.
The timing estimates for Plan A and Plan B were similar so there was no need to re-set the alarm clock, simply head to a different parking place in the mountains. As we were driving through the Gorham area the conditions seemed much better than predicted, but the bad weather wasn’t expected to settle in until midday, arriving from the west/southwest. It was still early and NMB trailhead hadn’t started to get busy. We grabbed our things, made note of the very high humidity, and started up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail.
Even with all of the recent rain, the trail is in terrific shape with very little mud. We settled into a comfortable pace and cruised to the Carter Dome Trail junction. Along the way another pair passed us and soon was out of sight. At the trail junction we briefly discussed the options for climbing Carter Dome. We could simply take Carter Dome Trail and follow it to the summit or continue to Carter Notch and ascend via Carter-Moriah Trail. For a little variety we decided to head to Carter Notch.
The second half of Nineteen Mile Brook Trail had a little more water and mud but it drains well and the mud was easy to get past. There were no other obstacles along the way. Soon we were at Carter Notch, getting a few pictures and feeding a few black flies. It didn’t take long; we wandered over to the Carter-Moriah Trail (CMT) junction and started to climb. The experts also predicted winds in the vicinity of 20 mph between 2500 and 4000 feet. That amount of wind would be enough to provide relief from the biting insects. Unfortunately, the experts were wrong in the wrong direction; we had calm conditions all day and the biting insects were enjoying a picnic.
Even with the very high humidity, climbing Carter Dome from Carter Notch is a pleasant approach. CMT is a terrific trail; there is very good footing for the full climb, and several nice viewpoints along the way. A short distance below the summit we met the pair that had cruised past on the lower Nineteen Mile Brook Trail; they took Carter Dome Trail up. We reached the summit, got a few pictures, had a snack, and quickly took off. The black flies were pretty aggressive.
As always, I keep a close watch on our time at key locations along our hike routes. Driving to the mountains is expensive and we usually try to fill the day taking full advantage of the available time. Start early, finish late, and have lots of hiking in between is our usual approach. The time check on Carter Dome indicated we were running ahead of plan and in great shape. As we were leaving the summit area we came to the trail split; Carter Dome Trail continued straight to Zeta Pass and CMT went right. Sue looked at me and it was easy to tell what she was thinking. There was no good reason to skip it this time through and we made the turn for Mount Hight. The short section of Carter-Moriah Trail between the upper junction with Carter Dome Trail and Mount Hight had the most standing water and mud of any trail segment we hiked all day. In one section there was an off-trail herd path established to bypass the problem. We reached the summit, still not even a breeze, and the black flies were thick. We got a few pictures and took off.
We simply continued on CMT to the lower junction with Carter Dome Trail, made the turn and were soon at Zeta Pass. We made a brief stop there. Sue was standing still and gazing at an area on the opposite side of the trail from the bench. I looked at her and said “you’re thinking about the big snowman that you built there, aren’t you?”. Sue just smiled (Sue has a nice smile). We got a couple pictures at the bench and continued north on CMT to South Carter.
A short distance below the summit of South Carter we met a large group on their descent. Not the hike leader, but the lead hiker (Joanie) passed and then recognized Sue and Me. We all stopped for a brief visit. It’s always fun to meet new people on the trail. This group was an AMC-NH hike of South Carter and Middle Carter. Soon we were all on our way. From there we only had the final steep pitch to the summit. We were there only long enough to get the usual pictures and we were gone; the black flies helped move us along.
Leaving South Carter has some ledges to get past and then we found sections of water and mud. A short distance north of the summit a group came up from behind; it was Larisa and a couple friends (human and canine). They all passed in a blur but Larisa was able to stop for a quick Hi! And a couple hugs. I’m guessing they started at PNVC and were probably headed for Rattle River Trailhead. Under the conditions, that would be a very tough day for normal people. This crew was just out for a cruise in the mountains.
At this point in our hike most of the elevation gain for the day is behind us. The final climb to Middle Carter Mountain is a mild ascent. We made our way up the final pitch to the summit and again were able to only stop long enough for a couple summit pictures. There are no real views from Middle Carter so even without the black flies there would be no reason to hang around. Our next target was a little further north; the North Carter Trail. From here we’re on our exit hike.
The exit route we were on included North Carter Trail, Imp Trail, and the shortcut through Camp Dodge. With the truck sitting at NMB trailhead, the shortcut saves a couple miles (trail miles and road walk miles). At the end of a long day, and with the high humidity and black fly population it had been a long day, avoiding a couple miles is a welcomed change.
North Carter Trail is a rough trail. There are lots of rocks, many of them are green and wet and very slippery. There are many wet and muddy areas. The trail roughness and extra effort it takes to get through it simply puts the finishing touch on tired and sore muscles. It’s a short trail, only 1.2 miles, but that’s enough. At the bottom of North Carter Trail we picked up the south section of Imp Trail. Trail conditions became friendlier and we cruised to the shortcut. A couple times I asked Sue if she could hear highway noise; I generally don’t hear anything and rely on Sue to keep me up to date on these details. Hopefully, this is about to change.
As we descended I noticed a clearing in the woods ahead and on the right. It was the old log yard at the Camp Dodge shortcut. At that point I knew we were nearly done. We came to the old access road, made the turn, and headed for Camp Dodge. The place was packed with vehicles and people. I have never seen this level of activity on past trips through the area. We just kept walking, hit Route 16, made the turn to follow it south and were soon at the NMB trailhead and the truck.
This was the second hike in a row that my feet have made it through the day with no complaints. I used the same boot/insole combination that I used on the previous hike. Most likely on our next time out I’ll at least start the day with Superfeet Green insoles – I need to do the test. Plus, the Superfeet are more rigid and might provide a little extra protection from sharp rocks, etc. The Dr. Scholl’s Active Series will be in my pack, just in case.
Thanks Sue, for everything. Hiking with you over the past six years has been an adventure that I hope never ends.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, North Carter Trail, Imp Trail
Summits: Carter Dome, Mount Hight, South Carter Mountain, Middle Carter Mountain
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Six years ago to the day, Sue and I first met and hiked together. We have covered a lot of miles together since, and completed hundreds of hikes together. Over the past few years we have talked about hiking again on June 30, but it never happened, until now. Today was the first time we again hiked on June 30 together since our first hike.
Our Plan A for the day was a visit to the Northern Presidentials. The weather forecast from the experts seemed to indicate we would probably be forced into an early exit and decided something more sheltered would make more sense. Our Plan B hike was waiting across the street.
The timing estimates for Plan A and Plan B were similar so there was no need to re-set the alarm clock, simply head to a different parking place in the mountains. As we were driving through the Gorham area the conditions seemed much better than predicted, but the bad weather wasn’t expected to settle in until midday, arriving from the west/southwest. It was still early and NMB trailhead hadn’t started to get busy. We grabbed our things, made note of the very high humidity, and started up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail.
Even with all of the recent rain, the trail is in terrific shape with very little mud. We settled into a comfortable pace and cruised to the Carter Dome Trail junction. Along the way another pair passed us and soon was out of sight. At the trail junction we briefly discussed the options for climbing Carter Dome. We could simply take Carter Dome Trail and follow it to the summit or continue to Carter Notch and ascend via Carter-Moriah Trail. For a little variety we decided to head to Carter Notch.
The second half of Nineteen Mile Brook Trail had a little more water and mud but it drains well and the mud was easy to get past. There were no other obstacles along the way. Soon we were at Carter Notch, getting a few pictures and feeding a few black flies. It didn’t take long; we wandered over to the Carter-Moriah Trail (CMT) junction and started to climb. The experts also predicted winds in the vicinity of 20 mph between 2500 and 4000 feet. That amount of wind would be enough to provide relief from the biting insects. Unfortunately, the experts were wrong in the wrong direction; we had calm conditions all day and the biting insects were enjoying a picnic.
Even with the very high humidity, climbing Carter Dome from Carter Notch is a pleasant approach. CMT is a terrific trail; there is very good footing for the full climb, and several nice viewpoints along the way. A short distance below the summit we met the pair that had cruised past on the lower Nineteen Mile Brook Trail; they took Carter Dome Trail up. We reached the summit, got a few pictures, had a snack, and quickly took off. The black flies were pretty aggressive.
As always, I keep a close watch on our time at key locations along our hike routes. Driving to the mountains is expensive and we usually try to fill the day taking full advantage of the available time. Start early, finish late, and have lots of hiking in between is our usual approach. The time check on Carter Dome indicated we were running ahead of plan and in great shape. As we were leaving the summit area we came to the trail split; Carter Dome Trail continued straight to Zeta Pass and CMT went right. Sue looked at me and it was easy to tell what she was thinking. There was no good reason to skip it this time through and we made the turn for Mount Hight. The short section of Carter-Moriah Trail between the upper junction with Carter Dome Trail and Mount Hight had the most standing water and mud of any trail segment we hiked all day. In one section there was an off-trail herd path established to bypass the problem. We reached the summit, still not even a breeze, and the black flies were thick. We got a few pictures and took off.
We simply continued on CMT to the lower junction with Carter Dome Trail, made the turn and were soon at Zeta Pass. We made a brief stop there. Sue was standing still and gazing at an area on the opposite side of the trail from the bench. I looked at her and said “you’re thinking about the big snowman that you built there, aren’t you?”. Sue just smiled (Sue has a nice smile). We got a couple pictures at the bench and continued north on CMT to South Carter.
A short distance below the summit of South Carter we met a large group on their descent. Not the hike leader, but the lead hiker (Joanie) passed and then recognized Sue and Me. We all stopped for a brief visit. It’s always fun to meet new people on the trail. This group was an AMC-NH hike of South Carter and Middle Carter. Soon we were all on our way. From there we only had the final steep pitch to the summit. We were there only long enough to get the usual pictures and we were gone; the black flies helped move us along.
Leaving South Carter has some ledges to get past and then we found sections of water and mud. A short distance north of the summit a group came up from behind; it was Larisa and a couple friends (human and canine). They all passed in a blur but Larisa was able to stop for a quick Hi! And a couple hugs. I’m guessing they started at PNVC and were probably headed for Rattle River Trailhead. Under the conditions, that would be a very tough day for normal people. This crew was just out for a cruise in the mountains.
At this point in our hike most of the elevation gain for the day is behind us. The final climb to Middle Carter Mountain is a mild ascent. We made our way up the final pitch to the summit and again were able to only stop long enough for a couple summit pictures. There are no real views from Middle Carter so even without the black flies there would be no reason to hang around. Our next target was a little further north; the North Carter Trail. From here we’re on our exit hike.
The exit route we were on included North Carter Trail, Imp Trail, and the shortcut through Camp Dodge. With the truck sitting at NMB trailhead, the shortcut saves a couple miles (trail miles and road walk miles). At the end of a long day, and with the high humidity and black fly population it had been a long day, avoiding a couple miles is a welcomed change.
North Carter Trail is a rough trail. There are lots of rocks, many of them are green and wet and very slippery. There are many wet and muddy areas. The trail roughness and extra effort it takes to get through it simply puts the finishing touch on tired and sore muscles. It’s a short trail, only 1.2 miles, but that’s enough. At the bottom of North Carter Trail we picked up the south section of Imp Trail. Trail conditions became friendlier and we cruised to the shortcut. A couple times I asked Sue if she could hear highway noise; I generally don’t hear anything and rely on Sue to keep me up to date on these details. Hopefully, this is about to change.
As we descended I noticed a clearing in the woods ahead and on the right. It was the old log yard at the Camp Dodge shortcut. At that point I knew we were nearly done. We came to the old access road, made the turn, and headed for Camp Dodge. The place was packed with vehicles and people. I have never seen this level of activity on past trips through the area. We just kept walking, hit Route 16, made the turn to follow it south and were soon at the NMB trailhead and the truck.
This was the second hike in a row that my feet have made it through the day with no complaints. I used the same boot/insole combination that I used on the previous hike. Most likely on our next time out I’ll at least start the day with Superfeet Green insoles – I need to do the test. Plus, the Superfeet are more rigid and might provide a little extra protection from sharp rocks, etc. The Dr. Scholl’s Active Series will be in my pack, just in case.
Thanks Sue, for everything. Hiking with you over the past six years has been an adventure that I hope never ends.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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