Total trip duration: 7:40:33
Distance: 13.5 miles
Hikers: Vance and Quinn
4000 footer completion count: Middle Carter #34 (4,610 feet), South Carter #35 (4,430 feet), Carter Dome #36 (4,832 feet)
We enjoyed great weather across four peaks today. Our route was as follows: Imp trail > North Carter trail > Carter-Moriah trail [Middle Carter] > Carter-Moriah [South Carter] > Carter-Moriah > Zeta Pass > Carter Dome trail [Carter Dome] > Carter Dome trail [Mount Hight] > Zeta Pass > Carter Dome trail > Nineteen Mile Brook trail
We dropped our bikes at the Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead and then drove a bit further down the road to the parking area for the Imp trail.
Lookout Shelob, here comes Gandalf The Green! The section of the Imp we were on was a dark, damp arachnid layer! Fortunately, Quinn was armed with his "spider(web) smiter!"
We took turns leading the way. One wrong move and your arms, neck and head were covered in creepy cobwebs!
The sun began to break through as we neared the top of the Imp trail.
We were ecstatic to find ourselves on the Carter-Moriah trail (which is also the Appalachian Trail). We took some time to discuss how
interesting it was to be traveling along the trail that Scott Jurek
passed through last month while breaking the AT speed
record (46 days, 8 hours and 7 minutes). Shortly after we arrived at the Carter-Moriah, we ran into someone who had been on the AT for 86 days. He had run with Scott within his first 10 days on the trail. He was still hoping to finish within 100 days but he was really hurting after battling with trench foot while trekking through a very wet Pennsylvania.
We were considering including North Carter (not an official 48) in our
trek but the peak was currently in the clouds without any views so we headed toward Middle Carter.
It was easygoing along the ridge and there were lots of wooden planks to help keep our feet dry!
The clouds were moving in and out. One minute we'd have amazing views and the next we'd be in a whiteout.
All alone at Middle Carter.
Thankfully, the little plank bridges continued to be there when you needed them!
As we made our way south, the clouds lifted higher and higher and it got brighter and brighter. Time for the shades!
The Truffula tree lives in the White Mountains!
There were a number of little paths just off the main trail that offered extended views. I think we indulged in every one!
Ascents of both South Carter and Carter Dome afforded some solid beast mode terrain!
Once again, nobody was around to grab a picture for us on South Carter. However, that didn't stop us from having some big laughs for ourselves!
Allow me to introduce our new Spruce Grouse friend (affectionately known as Mr. Norris of the Forest). The following picture doesn't do him justice. He walked up to the trail to check us out but as we got closer, he made for safer ground. He reminded us a lot of our little bantams. Quinn could've stayed there all day watching him do his thing! It was all I could do to keep him from bringing Mr. Norris home to join our flock!
We met a number of creatures big and small on our journey today. This Chinook was called Zealand. He was born locally in Intervale, NH and apparently enjoys hiking the Whites!
The views of the Northern Presidentials was superb!
Just off the southwestern side of the Carter Dome peak, there were more excellent views. We chatted with a some friendly hikers visiting from other parts of the country. Everyone we met on top had stayed at Carter Notch Hut the night before.
We enjoyed some lunch and finished up with some tasty Oreos.
Quinn spotted this beauty on the way over to Mount Hight!
We weren't sure we were going to include Mount Hight earlier in the day when the clouds were hanging low. We were so thankful that the clouds lifted and we had the opportunity to make the climb. Hight was by far the highlight of today's peaks. We had 360 degree views; all of the surroundings save the very top of Mount Washington could be seen. If you're up on Carter Dome, don't skip this one. It's a real gem!
Enjoying a rest on the bench at the intersection of trails before making our descent.
We both agreed that the hike down was superb. The terrain and steepness was just right and the water flowing from the mountain as we walked along really added to the experience.
Toward the bottom we ran into a group that took our picture for us. They were just getting started on a ten day hike south, staying at the AMC huts and facilities along the way. It sounded like a great adventure!
This was a great day for creature sightings. Quinn had a quick chat with this little amphibian that was making his way to higher ground.
I can imagine these big planks are mighty handy when the river is running high.
Nineteen Mile brook was extraordinary. On a number of occasions we had to fight the urge to jump in for a swim.
And we're back! Well, almost. We hopped on our bikes and made our way down route 16 and back to our car. It was a nice, easy downhill cruise!
Quinn's Take
On Thursday my dad and I hiked Middle Carter, South Carter and Carter Dome. First we dropped our bikes off at 19 Mile Brook. We headed to the Imp Trail. Once we got to the trail, we started up the mountain. It was very rocky and spider webby!! A little ways up I found a walking stick. The mountain was getting steep so the stick came in handy. Then we hit BEAST MODE!
We spotted a sign that said 0.2 miles to the top of Middle Carter. Before we reached to peak we met a man who was hiking the Appalachian trail. He had trench foot. Yuck!! We finally got to the top of MIddle Carter. We had a little snack and headed down a hill to South Carter.
Further down the mountain, I realized that I left my walking stick at the top. NO! I was not happy about that! We hit a few more Beast Modes as we made our way to the top of South Carter. Once we got to the top we had a little rest but didn't stay long because there weren't any views. As we headed down, we saw a lookout and stopped to see the awesome views!! It was nice going down hill for a bit before we saw a sign that said 0.8 miles to the top of Carter Dome.
We spotted a critter which we learned was a Spruce Grouse. It reminded me of a bantam hen and I wanted to take it home. We named it Mr. Norris of the forest. We hiked up Carter Dome. We came across a dog and its owner. Her dog was really cool because it was a Chinook and it's name was Zealand!
We continued and found another sign that said 0.4 miles to the top of Carter Dome. At the peak of Carter Dome, there were some nice people and we had lunch while enjoying the view. My dad and I had an Oreo special! As we hiked down the mountain, we decided to go to Mount Hight rather than follow that trail we took up. There were killer views at the top of this mountain! We were so happy that we decided to add this peak to our hike!
We descended the mountain and finally got to the trail intersection where it was 3 miles to the bottom. On the way, we saw a toad and named it Oreo. I felt very tired at the end of the trail. We hopped on our bikes and rode a mile down hill back to the our car in the parking lot.
We drove down the rode to take a dip in the river. It felt very refreshing and it restored my legs! If I had to pick one of these mountains as my favorite I would pick South Carter because it had so many Beast Modes!!
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