Carter Moriah Question

[Joe]

Been lurking here for a while so I guess it is time to come out of the woods - so to speak. Planning a hike for later this summer - sometime around the end of July and would appreciate some feedback or comments from those that may have done something similar.

Plan:
Day 1 - Head up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to Carter Notch hut
drop gear at the hut and head out to Wildcat D over the Wildcat Ridge Trail

Day 2 - Take the Carter Mariah Trail to
Carter Dome, Mt Hight, South Carter, Middle Carter, North Carter
Head down North Carter Trail to lower Imp Trail

Participants:
One with limited hiking experience - did Crawford Path up to Mizpah Hut over to Pierce and Eisenhower then down Edmands path - caught the bug
One about 1/3 of the way through the his 48 4k list
One who seldom seems to sweat


Thanks,
Joe

 

[Jim lombard]

I've done Day 1 before but after a night's sleep at the hut not all on the first day. Kevin is right, the approach up the ski trail and then across the ridge is much better. Did day 2 with a niece who handled it just fine.

 

[Jasonst]

I did the ridge (Wildcat to Moriah) once as a dayhike and I think your plan is do-able, provided you all are in good shape. I would echo Kevin's concerns with the PUDS but you will be "pack free" so I think you should be able to cruise. If you approached via the ski trails, you would have to haul your packs over the PUDS and that might not be desireable either.

Also, don't under estimate day 2. The climb out of Carter notch can be intense if you are burned out from day 1. Have fun and good luck. Also remember that beyond the hut, there really isn't any reliable water until you get lower down on the North Carter trail, and perhaps not until you hit the IMP trail. Extra water means extra weight!

 

[forestgnome]

Welcome, Joe

Try not to miss the summit if Mt. Hight.

 

[SherpaKroto]

I'd just ridge walk it all. Start at Pinkham's and head up Wildcat Ridge Trail, then across the ridge to Carter Notch playing Wildcat Alphabet soup on the way with E,D,C,B,A. Day 2: definitely go over Mt Hight. Drop pack at North Carter Trail before heading up North Carter Summit. On descent, definitely take the northerly (right, descending) fork to the Imp Face. Doing this will get you 2 of the finest views in the Whites, IMHO.

 

[poison ivy]

I'd also suggest going with Sherpa Kroto's suggestion. Heading up Wildcat Ridge is a little bit challenging (and I wouldn't suggest this in bad weather) with a full pack, but definitely worth it for the great views. The mileage isn't that bad so you can take it pretty slow if you need to.

I did a similar trip to this last September without any difficulty -- Up Wildcat Ridge to Carter Notch hut for night one, then over Carter Dome, Hight, the Carters to Imp shelter for night two and over to Moriah on night three. It was a great trip and the views from Mt. Hight are definitely not to be missed!

- Ivy

 

[Eric Savage]

Don't drop *all* of your gear

I hope it goes without saying or can be inferred from previous posts but just in case someone less savy than yourself is reading this:
If you go with the original plan (whose only advantage is a shorter road walk if you can't spot cars or get a ride), You'll definitely want most if not all of your day-trip gear for the out and back to Wildcat D. It's 5-6 miles round trip and as mentioned before, not a cakewalk.

 

[Puck]

this range is on my menu for this summer. so how do you handle tranporation to and from trailheads? do you spot a car...use a shuttle, hitch hike or para sail?

 

[David Metsky]

Spot a car, hitch, or stash a bike at the southern end (higher elevation).

Here's a trip report from a similar trip.

-dave-

 

[Puck]

David

nice trip report and pics....so you were an accomplice in a prop stealing? So where is it now?

 

[MichaelJ]

What Poison Ivy said. Last September, she & I did this trip. On the first day, we went up the Wildcat ledges from Pinkham and did the ridge walk. It's a long way but really not bad at all (you'll want good weather) as the ridge has PUD's but they're not extensive. The views back behind the Wildcats are pretty neat. The views across to Washington are incredible. The descent into the Notch is pretty mellow for end-of-the-day legs, too.

Day 2 you're nice and fresh heading up out of the Notch, and after the first 1/4 mile (and do visit the signed "viewpoint") it eases out nicely. Don't miss Mt. Hight. The descent there will make your quads twang, but then Zeta Pass up to South Carter is very relaxed. The ridge from there on is even nicer than the Wildcats. The only difference from your trip is that we went down North Carter (steep!) to the Imp Shelter and you'll turn back to the North Carter Trail. You *might* find water at Zeta Pass but I would be prepared for the possibility of no water at all from Carter Hut to the end of your trip. Since the Hut has potable water, I would leave the filter behind and just carry extra water.

Both ridges are nice trails - not eroded, not rock-hopping. If I could do it, anyone can.

You can see pics of our trip here. From another trip, I can also show you the view from the lookout that SherpaK suggests.