Two Carters for the Price of One

Trip Details
Date: October 6^th, 2017
Total Distance: 11.89 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 6 hours 6 minutes
Total Elevation: 3599 ft gained
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Closing out the hiking season early this year with the goal to get Boomer two more 4000 footers and help to get Mr. No Pants peaks 29 and 30. I remember a few years back when he was a wee young lad and we took him up his first 4000 footer, Mt. Moosilauke. The goal of this trip was to finish the Carter Range while also exploring the Camp Dodge shortcut that I had never taken before.

To save as much time as possible we left one car at the Nineteen-Mile Brook Trailhead and then headed over to the Great Gulf Trailhead. The Great Gulf Trailhead is practically across the street from Camp Dodge. I read a few trip reports, but was a bit unsure especially since I had Boomer with us. It was pretty straightforward and the bushwhack was basically on an old road that should really become an official trail.

Stay left at the fork and head down the road following the signs for "AMC Staff".

My camera did some weird focus thing here as only the tree on the right is in focus. The point is that as you walk up the road the cabins are on your right (one is on your left). Just continue down the road heading towards the woods directly in front of you.

This is the start of the bushwhack.

The bushwhack. It is an old road.

Imp Trail - South, looking back towards the bushwhack. This is what you are looking for if you are coming from the other direction.

At the point we got onto the Imp Trail the rain started and did not stop for an hour. It was miserable. To add insult, the trails were as eroded as I remember. Both the Imp Trail and the North Carter Trail are both badly eroded and could use a re-route. It was a welcome sight when we reached the junction with the Carter-Moriah Trail.

When we got to the last two ledgy humps prior to the summit of Middle Carter, we got some great views into the Wild River Wilderness and the Great Gulf Wilderness.

Bog areas at 4000+ feet. Very interesting to me.

Middle Carter

This photo shows how nice it looks out in the valleys, but on the ridge we were in the dreary gray damp clouds.

Mt. Madison's Howker Ridge

BishopX and Mr. No Pants making it on to the last ledgy hump.

The Great Gulf Wilderness and northern Presidential mountains.

Wild River Wilderness

Mt. Washington in the clouds.

Wild River Wilderness and look at those colors!

Minutes later we were on the summit of Middle Carter. I still cannot find the label that I have seen pictures of in the past.

From the viewpoint, the Baldfaces are in the distance.

Looking over to Mt. Moriah.

Found a geocache on the summit.

We then made rather quick work of the trip over to South Carter where we took some time to eat our tuna packets.

Found where the label for South Carter was at one point.

Once I started to shiver, it was time to get moving again. Next up Zeta Pass.

Boomer was not in a picture taking mood at this point.

There was a haze in the woods and minimal sunlight was getting into this area.

I tried taking a second photo but realized it was not going to work but I had already triggered the shutter. It created this kind of creepy effect. Either that or a caught a portal into another dimension.

The remainder of the hike was pretty mundane as we headed down the Carter Dome Trail to the Nineteen-Mile Brook Trail.

The mileage is off but as I was hanging out at the junction for the North Carter Trail and Carter-Moriah Trail I noticed it kept increasing my mileage just from the GPS drift.