Redemption on Moriah

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.

Cabot

Trip Details
Date: January 10^th, 2020
Total Distance: 12.76 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 6 hr 16 min
Total Elevation: 3366 ft gained
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Well it was time to get my butt back on the mountains so BishopX and I could start working on our winter 4000 footers again. The weather was garbage two weeks prior and this one was looking iffy, but it seemed like we may only get a brief window of snow/rain. With the only chance I would get to hike in January we had to take it so we decided on Mt. Cabot. This hike is all in the trees, has a shelter if weather turns to garbage, and is relatively easy. It was a nice way to warm up after taking a few months off (oh boy was I feeling this and I still do cardio a couple times a week). The bad...well driving to Berlin is downright awful and a six hour round-trip in the car just makes for a super long day.

The Berlin Fish Hatchery is currently undergoing logging so the road to the trailhead is closed about 1.2 miles before the trailhead. There is dedicated parking after you make your way around the lake.

Room for three to four cars here and...

another three to four cars here. These two spots are specifically labeled. You could maybe park across the street where I was standing to take this photo, but it is not labeled as hiker parking.

Start of the road walk.

As soon as we started the road walk, the snow/mixed precipitation started coming down hard. I actually ended up moving to a rain jacket and putting my goggles on. I paid for this on the way up though because by the time the precipitation switched to just snow it was starting to slow down and I was too in the zone and now my base layer was getting pretty wet (rain jackets do not breathe). I pushed through with minimal stopping to the cabin where it was nice to strip off my wet layers and get nice dry stuff on. After some food and the aid of some hand warmers I was nice and toasty again in a few minutes. We actually ended up passing Trish, Alex, and Sage (the creators of the Terrifying 25 list that we completed last year) as they were coming down from the cabin and we were heading up. BishopX and I did not put it together until we were at the cabin and were bummed we did not get to say hi and chat about hiking for a minute or two (we conversed via email after the fact to confirm it was in fact them).

Start of the actual trail.

BishopX had some information on accessing this trail during the summer and was hoping we got to ascend it in the winter. No one does this by the looks of it and I am glad we did not attempt to break that trail out.

One of the few views on this hike. We were in the clouds.

The cabin (no longer managed by the forestry service), though usable, has seen better days and unfortunately smelled of stale cigarettes.

Not far from the cabin is the actual summit and thankfully there is a sign so you know where you are on it. If we get much more snow, finding this sign may prove challenging.

It was a winter wonderland up here.

BishopX at the cabin.

Both of us at the cabin.

The way down we tried to cruise as fast as possible to get down before the sunset. We made it, but it was close. There is nothing exciting about this trail. It meanders for a longtime both in its descent and in reaching the trailhead. The road walk just adds to that meandering. Eventually we found our way back to the cars and headed out of the Berlin Fish Hatchery in the dark.

The logging operation is currently right next to the parking spaces.

The track has about an extra 1.25 miles on it from drift.

Great North Woods Adventure 2019 - Mt. Prospect Fire Tower

Trip Details
Date: September 22^nd, 2019
Total Distance: 2.2 mi (via Garmin fenix 5X)
Total Time: 1 hr 11 min
Total Elevation: 745 ft gained
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To finish off our three days of hiking in the Great North Woods of NH, we knocked off one more fire tower from the Fire Lookout Tower Quest Program. This one is a unique stone structure and is located in Weeks State Park. You can drive right up to this one, but we elected to hike up it from a lightly used trail.

• The Old Carriage Path makes a straight shot from a residential road to the north of the state park to the auto road that goes to the summit. You have to walk the auto road for the last 1/4 of a mile or so.
• The incline is consistent for the short trail until you get to the auto road. For what looks like an easy hike actually requires a bit of effort.
• The trails are not heavily used and slightly overgrown at times.
• The fire tower is quite unique and has a fair amount of character.
• The summit area has a museum in the old mansion, but we did not visit it.

I did not notice any active logging, but maybe it is happening a good distance off trail.

The old carriage house on the summit.

The old mansion.

Sugarloaf Mt

Mt. Cabot and the Kilkenny Ridge

Mt. Washington

Wild apple tree

Here is where you leave the auto road for the trail.

Some slight GPS drift while we were in the fire tower and had lunch.