shamples
New member
Hadn't added a new 4,000 footer in a while and Moriah has been at the top of my next to-do list knowing there were 360 degree views waiting at the top.
Put it off until a day where no rain was expected and Sunday seemed like the best day of this 4th of July weekend. Forecast was partly cloudy but no rain.
Got to Gorham just before 8AM and parked at the end of Bangor St where there isn't much room for parking. Set out on the Carter-Moriah Trail exactly at 8.
The first mile and a half is a steady climb but nice and easy footing besides some muddy sections. I made the mistake of thinking this would be it for the mud once we get higher.
Let's just say the entire mountain of Moriah is completely SOAKED and SATURATED!!! The ledges just before Mt Surprise would have been easy in dry conditions, but with the wet conditions, were a challenge to bushwack around. I was not looking forward knowing we would have to go back down these!
Mt Surprise had some nice clear views but there were many higher clouds that I was hoping would break by the time we got up top.
The rest of the trail up was more wet ledges and slippery roots and one particular tricky mud-swamp crossing where the cedar posts path were broken and many people took a mud dip since it was smack dab in the middle of a mud swamp all around. I managed to keep my feet relatively dry, but many hikers I saw had mud soaked boots and some unfortunates mud up to their knees!!
MUDDY MUDDY SLIPPERY MUD!! Slippery rocks. Slippery ledge. Slippery Roots!
Peaked at 11:40 and was bummed when the summit was still socked in the clouds. No views today! Maybe later in the afternoon, but nothing then. Wind chill was below freezing at the top so we only stuck around for 20 minutes and started back down at Noon.
The hike down was more treacherous with the wet slippery conditions and took 3 hours to get us back to our car at 3PM.
All in all a very disappointing hike. No views at the top and just a challenging more technical climb due to the awful trail conditions up and down. Ya really had to be careful with every single step. One of the more dangerous hikes I have experienced really.
It had me wondering if I chose wrong and should have taken the Stony Brook Trail up and back, but I imagine everywhere must be soaked and needing to take that extra carefulness with each step. Had there been those 360 degree views at the top, it would have still been worth it, but all I was able to do was check Moriah off my 4,000 footer list with a bad taste in my mouth from the muddy wet day that didn't even rain!!! I guess I got lucky with no rain anyway.
Had that trail been completely dry, it would have been a piece of cake trail too as it wasn't very hard or a rock pounder like many trails. But the mountain was way to wet for my liking. Oh well! Still gave me a story and a memory from it.
Put it off until a day where no rain was expected and Sunday seemed like the best day of this 4th of July weekend. Forecast was partly cloudy but no rain.
Got to Gorham just before 8AM and parked at the end of Bangor St where there isn't much room for parking. Set out on the Carter-Moriah Trail exactly at 8.
The first mile and a half is a steady climb but nice and easy footing besides some muddy sections. I made the mistake of thinking this would be it for the mud once we get higher.
Let's just say the entire mountain of Moriah is completely SOAKED and SATURATED!!! The ledges just before Mt Surprise would have been easy in dry conditions, but with the wet conditions, were a challenge to bushwack around. I was not looking forward knowing we would have to go back down these!
Mt Surprise had some nice clear views but there were many higher clouds that I was hoping would break by the time we got up top.
The rest of the trail up was more wet ledges and slippery roots and one particular tricky mud-swamp crossing where the cedar posts path were broken and many people took a mud dip since it was smack dab in the middle of a mud swamp all around. I managed to keep my feet relatively dry, but many hikers I saw had mud soaked boots and some unfortunates mud up to their knees!!
MUDDY MUDDY SLIPPERY MUD!! Slippery rocks. Slippery ledge. Slippery Roots!
Peaked at 11:40 and was bummed when the summit was still socked in the clouds. No views today! Maybe later in the afternoon, but nothing then. Wind chill was below freezing at the top so we only stuck around for 20 minutes and started back down at Noon.
The hike down was more treacherous with the wet slippery conditions and took 3 hours to get us back to our car at 3PM.
All in all a very disappointing hike. No views at the top and just a challenging more technical climb due to the awful trail conditions up and down. Ya really had to be careful with every single step. One of the more dangerous hikes I have experienced really.
It had me wondering if I chose wrong and should have taken the Stony Brook Trail up and back, but I imagine everywhere must be soaked and needing to take that extra carefulness with each step. Had there been those 360 degree views at the top, it would have still been worth it, but all I was able to do was check Moriah off my 4,000 footer list with a bad taste in my mouth from the muddy wet day that didn't even rain!!! I guess I got lucky with no rain anyway.
Had that trail been completely dry, it would have been a piece of cake trail too as it wasn't very hard or a rock pounder like many trails. But the mountain was way to wet for my liking. Oh well! Still gave me a story and a memory from it.
