NewEnglandTrailConditions.com
NewEnglandTrailConditions.com:
MA
|
ME
|
NH
|
RI/CT
|
VT
|
Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Moriah, NH
Trails
Trails: Bushwhack, Pea Brook Slide, Kenduskeag Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, herd path
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Monday, October 24, 2022
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Dropped a car at the power lines and started at pea brook bridge on US 2. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Water still flowing pretty good since the rains the last couple of weeks. Had to cross Pea brook about 6 times on the way to the slide and got my feet wet in the process. Someone more athletic would stay dry. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails are in great shape and clear. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Couple of friendly dogs on the way down, one going up, and one curious dog that hiked with us a bit as we passed the owner. 
Bugs
Bugs: Crazy black flies after Mt. Surprise on the way down Carter-Moriah. Very "surprising" and very annoying. 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Small piece of blue plastic in the middle of the woods, no balloons though. 
 
Comments
Comments: A very fine day in the woods with trailslippah. The weather was fantastic. It was a bit hazy, as it's been all summer. The wood smoke that people are now burning seemed to give us both a little congestion and triggered my asthma a bit, but not too bad.

They first part of the hike is an unofficial trail that goes about a mile to "the basin", which is a lovely set of pools. After that it's a easy open bushwhack with some herd paths and logging roads mixed in. We stayed on pea brook until the first fork, except when we found some old logging roads that would last a few hundred yards. Each time we got too far from the river, we regretted it and it was painful getting back. The Pea Brook itself is quite lovely, there were many swimming holes and cascades and I'd imagine this would be a great place to make camp on a hot summer day, maybe do a little fishing. Took a more parallel route on the east side of the river after the first fork and stayed within visual range until we reached the bottom of the slide, which is marked by an enormous pile of blowdowns.

Once we reached the slide we were able to navigate up to the top without retreating to the woods. There was water flowing almost all the way to the top. What a beautiful slide!

When we passed the trigger point, we choose to follow Gwenn's track that Anthony had downloaded, making a beeline to the summit. It was very steep and, in places, extremely thick. The ground was very mossy, and aside from the scratches, it was a very beautiful forest, with lots of giant boulders mixed in and some cliffs to work around. Anthony stayed ahead of me, as usual. At around 3800 feet he warned me to stay more easterly than him. I stumbled on a beautiful scrub pine stand with amazing views to the north and north west, including a phenomenal view of Pine Mountain. It can be seen on sat photos as a lighter shade of green. But I paid for it in blood. As I made my way up to the Kendoskeag Trail, the scrubs grew and turned into a THICK spruce stand. Somewhere along the way I broke out again and got an amazing view of the cliffs on the east side of Moriah, but neglected to take a picture in my struggle. Soon I brook out into more mossy and open spruce and followed Anthony's voice to the intersection just below the chimney, which was quite a surprise to me, i didn't expect to be SO close to the summit.

If I do it again, I'd like to try going Southeast from the trigger and skirting the main bulges of Moriah, hitting the Kenduskeag Trail at about 3600'. I have a feeling it would be a much easier whack.  
Name
Name: little bob 
E-Mail
E-Mail: rcorsaro@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2022-10-24 
Link
Link: https://www.strava.com/activities/8008928224 
Bookmark and Share Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

Copyright 2009-2024, All Rights Reserved