Also on this trip

Trails Used

Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Appalachian Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, bushwhack back to Lost Pond Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Short version: SEND IT! Night & day from my experience in this range last Friday. Some running water on trails primarily above 2800' but all 1-2" at most. Plenty of washout debris on trails from the waterfall Friday- sticks, leaf piles, logs, etc. but nothing hazardous. Snow hanging on primarily from ascent to Hight through Carter Dome. Some ice but all manageable without the need to pull out micros. Gorgeous day and was able to take my time having done Moriah already off my originally planned day route. Hight is a treat!!!

Water Crossings

All but Ellis River crossable. Ellis River was borderline but reaching at end of hike, opted to head down river. Bridge is available to Pinkham (despite Appalachian signs saying otherwise).

Wildlife

Black flies & deer flies but they were shockingly not being their typical stalker, pestering selves.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Pine Mountain Tr, Chapel Rock Spur, Pine Mtn Horton Center Rd, Dolly Copp Rd, Campground Rd, Great Gulf Link, Great Gulf Tr, Route 16, 19 Mile Brook Tr, Carter Moriah Tr, Gorham Roads

Trail Conditions

Notes

The Carter Notch Hut caretaker told me they got 3" of rain in the recent storm. Overall, conditions were extremely wet for most of this route. I'd expect they would be noticeably better by tomorrow, though. Climbing up and over Pine Mountain wasn't too bad, mostly a mix of dry trail, wet trail, and relatively minor mud. The conditions on this part of the day were pretty much as good as I could have realistically expected. The Great Gulf Link and the very short stretch of the Great Gulf Trail were also in pretty good shape. 19 Mile Brook was decent with only a few really wet spots up to the Carter Dome Trail intersection, then between there and the hut I felt like I was climbing up a stream bed. I was able to rock hop pieces of it, but by that point, I mostly just accepted that my feet were going to be very wet all day. Above the hut heading to Carter Dome, the trail was more just damp with a lot less standing or running water. The only real stretch of significant/unavoidable snow I encountered was between the summit of Carter Dome and the intersection of the Carter Dome Trail and the Carter Moriah Trail. There was a fairly consistent monorail for this 0.4 mile stretch that was typically 2-3 feet tall and was often less than 8" wide. Shockingly, I did not posthole once and never felt the need to wear spikes. The Carter Moriah trail heading to Mount Hight and down to Zeta Pass was almost entirely snow free, and not terribly wet. The stretch of trail between Zeta Pass all the way to North Carter was 99% snow free, as well. Descending the north side of North Carter had a few small patches, but they were mostly avoidable. All the rocks were soaked, but I was able to descend safely when I watched my step. Between that ~0.3 mile rough stretch and the summit of Moriah, the conditions were a little better but still quite wet. The first 2.5 miles descending from the summit of Moriah down to Gorham were pretty frustrating with all the wetness and bad footing, but conditions improved dramatically after Mount Surprise. I ended up doing about 27 miles and 8,500' of gain in total. If you want to avoid the worst of the runoff from the storm, I would recommend hitting Pine Mountain. Otherwise, the Carters and Moriah will need a few more days to dry out.

Parking

Plenty of room in the Pine Mountain Trail parking lot on the corner of Railroad St and Church St.

Water Crossings

I don't recall having issues on any water crossings on this route, but to be fair, I think that may be because some of the trails themselves are basically streams at this point.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

All in all a pretty straightforward hike. Some monorail after the split up to the hut. The climb up to Carter Dome was clear until after Pulpit Rock where unstable monorail and deeper snow started. Traction used all the way to Mt Hight except for the top of the Dome where it's completely Dry. Very steep and icy coming off Hight, good traction is a must here. After that, the way down is fairly easy.

Parking

No issues parking at nineteen mile brook trailhead.

Water Crossings

Most were easily manageable with a few rock hops. Some rocks had black ice on them so be cautious.

Wildlife

Very few, not bothersome at all.

Also on this trip

Trails Used

Nineteen Mile Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail

Trail Conditions

Equipment

Notes

Trails were a mix of snow and wet trails today. Nineteen Mile started out dry and fast, not a lot of rocks to move around. The trail followed a raging brook with tons of little waterfalls. The trail became very wet around the second bridge crossing, and the elevation became slightly more difficult. The pond at the bottom of the Carter-Moriah Trail was about half frozen still but there was plenty of water flowing into in. Barebooted the hike, but micro-spikes wouldn't hurt. It wasn't about slipping so much as it was staying at the center of the monorail, so you didn't posthole 3 or 4 feet! The wet snow gave plenty of traction by itself so that wasn't the issue. The snow is very soft and fragile so take caution. Chose to stay on the Carter-Moriah to head up Mt. Hight. Probably quicker to just take the Carter Dome Trail but I had the time and I hadn't been up there yet so I added it. The hike to South Carter and Middle Carter was a mix of monorail and wet ground. Multiple sections of water flowing down the trail reminded me of hiking up Cascade Brook on Isolation. Saw plenty of people today, unlike the nobody I saw last weekend on Cabot. Hit the Carter Dome Trail on the way down and took it back to Nineteen Mile. Very nice hike today, about 15 miles.

Parking

There should have been plenty of parking but for some reason, people think they need to leave 5 feet between cars. I'd say that about 4 more cars would have fit in the small lot if people were more considerate. Parking was along Rt. 16.

Water Crossings

Multiple water crossings on this hike. 19 Mile brook has bridges to cross the water, but the crossings on the Carter Dome Trail were very high. There were logs over the crossings if you have the balance to cross. I don't so I used rocks slightly submerged to hop over. Waterproof boots will be enough to not get wet. The water levels are high.

Wildlife

No bugs yet.