Mt. Hight and Carter Dome

Trip Details
Date: August 25^th, 2017
Total Distance: 11.86 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 6 hours 57 minutes
Total Elevation: 3701 ft gained
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After an extended break due to poor weather up in the mountains on my days off, I finally got a chance to hit the trails again. Mr. No Pants and Boomer joined as we ventured up to the Carter-Moriah Ridge. My only other previous venture on this section of the ridge was during a Wildcat/Carter traverse so I had skipped over Mt. Hight. After numerous reports of its amazing view, I decided for the sake of mileage I would break up the Carters and do them as two separate hikes with one also grabbing Mt. Hight.

This photo is provided by Will Anctil. Used with permission.

This photo is provided by Will Anctil. Used with permission.

 The day was forecasted as partly cloudy with temperatures in the 40-50ºF range on the summit, but we found that it was cloudy with minimal breaks as well as a decent wind to keep things chilly. Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail has great footing and is a gradual climb, which continues as we forked on to the Carter Dome Trail. We would not even see our first steep section until the final push on to the Mt. Hight summit area. Temperatures were cool on Mt. Hight and there were quite ominous looking clouds engulfing the Presidential summits. 

This was probably the worst section of the Carter Dome Trail.

The wood bench at Zeta Pass.

Mt. Washington engulfed in the clouds.

Tuckerman Ravine

Huntington Ravine

The northern Presidentials engulfed in clouds.

South Carter, Middle Carter, and Mt. Moriah

Looking out into the Wild River Wilderness. The Baldface Mountains are just off center.

Carter Dome

The summit.

We spent some time taking photos, but after cooling off enough we started getting uncomfortable and made our way back into the trees. The trip from Mt. Hight to Carter Dome is ridiculously easy. It did not feel like we dropped or climbed up anything for the 0.8 miles between the summits. We hung out for a bit there as the summit was shielded from the wind and ate lunch. I was a bit disappointed by all the broken glass residing on the summit.

Boomer getting some serious love on the summit.

Summit cairn and marker.

Summit cairn

Old fire tower anchors.

Mr. No Pants

View of Mt. Madison from the north summit clearing.

Middle Carter in the clouds from the north summit clearing.

Mt. Hight summit from the north summit clearing.

We then chose to drop down the steep south side of the mountain and into the Carter Notch. I planned it this way as I remembered the climb up this section was miserable and exhausting. Thankfully, even going slow and steady we all made quick time of this section. Going down required a lot less effort and you cover a lot of elevation in a short distance. The view of Carter Lake was a nice finish for that section. 

Wildcat Mountain

Carter Notch Hut

Looking down the start of the steep section.

Carter Lake

Carter Lake

Carter Lake

One of few gnarly parts for this trip was the trail as we made our way around Carter Lake. As soon as we got to the junction with the Wildcat Ridge the trail became gradual once again. The footing was rougher until the junction with Carter Dome Trail and then became a long easy walk out of the woods. This trip is a nice introduction/beginner hike for those wanting a view, want to peakbag a 4000 footer, and do not want to exert a lot of effort. My only complaint is just how long Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail is as it feels like it will never end.

This damn intrigues me. Why is it here in the middle of nowhere on Nineteen-Mile Brook???

The mileage is off by about 1.5 miles from the White Mountain Online Guide. Besides that, I am incredibly happy with this watch and is way easier to use than my old iPhone 4S. If you look at the laps they get a bit wonky during our descent as I hit the lap button on accident.