Love Goat Films: Carter-Moriah Trail

Trip Details
Date: February 21^st, 2020
Total Distance: 9.02 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 4 hr 36 min
Total Elevation: 3360 ft gained
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Mt. Moriah holds a special place in my hiking heart as it is the first hiking trip in the decade or so of hiking that I have done where we had to turn around before making it to the summit. Last winter, BishopX and I attempted to get to the summit via the Carter-Moriah Trail from Bangor St. The trail was unbroken, it was cold, we had a time we needed to finish by, and it was our first hike of the winter season. All factors that added up to create a perfect storm and us turning around about 3/4 of the way to the top.

This season we wanted to redeem ourselves. I noticed a lot of people take the Stony Brook Trail way to the summit in the winter and it sounded like an easier trip. Add in the fact that you can take the herd path shortcut in the development through the undeveloped cul-de-sac (want a plot of land in Gorham, NH with tons of acreage and border by the national forest? Plot 1 and Plot 2).

The parking lot just off route 16 at the entrance to the development.

Thankfully the plow runs a one car width track for a few hundred feet of the undeveloped cul-de-sac. Plenty of room for a few cars if you are in a group, otherwise I would park like this or you risk getting blocked in.

Looking down the plot track and towards the cul-de-sac.

We were the first ones to use the herd path since the most recent snow, but it was easy trail breaking. The herd path is about a half-mile so you ultimately shave off a mile for the round-trip if you were to take the Stony Brook Trail from the start.

Looking down the herd path from the junction with Stony Brook Trail.

Stony Brook Trail up to the ridge is nothing significant. Gradual elevation gain. Thankfully, one individual in front of us had broken out the trail so we had minimal trail breaking to do.

The ridge is a rather dull and long 1.25 miles of small ups and downs where you think you are maybe at the summit until you reach the top of the spot to only see the summit still a far distance away. The saving grace is the knobs all have nice clearings with 360º views.

The Baldfaces

Eventually we found ourselves at the junction for the summit spur trail. It was exciting to conquer the mountain after last years debacle. Though the weather had forecast windchill values below zero, we found the temperature in the single digits and only a light wind. The blue skies and sun beating on us made it comfortable up on the summit so we could take some photos and grab a bite.

The Appalachian Trail from the junction with the Carter-Moriah Trail is untouched in the winter.

We could have taken the Carter-Moriah Trail from Bangor St., today, too. Both were broken out.

The summit spur.

This ice was all over the ridge and I thought it was cool. It looked more like frozen snowy globs instead of the usual rime ice you see.

The Presidentials

The Carters

The Baldfaces

Old Speck is on the left and dead center in the distance is Sugarloaf Mt (Maine's second highest peak and ski resort).

Two old pins just barely sticking out of the snow.

The trip back off the summit and all the way back to the car was uneventful. It felt like it took awhile, but overall we made good time back to the car.

Looking back at the summit from one of the clearings. This is one of the more misleading mountains.

This shows where the herd path enters the treeline.

On the way up the GPS cut out so the mileage is about spot on though the summit height and elevation gain are off. It is weird as a did a calibration just before the start of the hike.

Trip Details
Date: January 26^th, 2018
Total Distance: 14.04 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 8 hours 6 minutes
Total Elevation: 5217 ft gained
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BishopX and I got a later than normal start this winter so we went for a trifecta on a cold and windy, but otherwise beautiful day on the mountains. Unfortunately, I am still paying for this hike as the toll it took on my immune system allowed the plague to win over hence why I am writing this a bit later than I wanted.

Since I hiked these mountains just a few months back there is not much new to report. Some highlights were:

The Imp Trail and North Carter Trail had a monorail that was covered by crusty new snow. We used spikes throughout this point. Two large blow downs on the Imp Trail required you to work your way around them in the woods.
We put snowshoes on once we got on the ridge. They probably were not necessary, but as we got further on the ridge (closer to Zeta Pass and Carter Dome) the drifts became evident and they helped through there. There was evidence of someone on the ridge bare booting so traction was not all necessary.
Middle Carter had a few feet of snow on it as the geocache that was previously over BishopX's head was now at chest level.
After Middle Carter the blow downs start piling up one after the other and they continue till about Zeta Pass. This trail is going to need some serious trail work come springtime. A lot of them requiring you to crawl under them.
There is a blow down resting on the summit of South Carter.
The forecast predicted for dying winds as the day went on and by the time we got to the summit of Mt. Hight the wind had dyed down enough that we could take some photos and enjoy the amazing 360º views.
I was not nearly in the shape I was during previous years (plus the cold coming on probably did not help) so 616 ft ascent of to Mt. Hight was killer.
The cliff outlook right at the start of the steep descent into the Carter Notch was sheer ice so we strapped on our new Black Diamond crampons to test them out. We had hoped for some butt sliding down the entire descent from Carter Dome, but the snow was too icy so it was not fun. We still took advantage of it where we could and got a couple of decent runs in on the steep part.
Nineteen-Mile Brook is a monotonous slough that I hope to not do again in the near future.

Here is some pictures from our journey:

Camp Dodge is closed for the season!

The Imp Trail is faintly visible.

This is the second blow down on the Imp Trail. The trail goes right through it. A bushwhack is forming to the right through the thick woods.

Our first view of the Presidentials from the outlook before Middle Carter.

Northern Presidentials

Looking down Pinkham Notch.

BishopX on Middle Carter's summit. The cairn is buried in the snow.

The geocache is in tree (you would have to zoom in to see it as I did not when I took the photo...sorry). It is now at chest level, which is probably close to two feet lower than normal.