| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Surprise, Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 11, 2011 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Limited parking at the end of Bangor Road -- three, maybe four cars max. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Ice - Breakable Crust, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
n/a |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
We removed a couple small blowdowns on the lower portion of the trail. The route is now clear to the Moriah summit. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
For dogs, this is the better route up Moriah, I think, because it avoids the rock scramble just below the summit on the south side, which can be difficult for dogs. (Even the late Tuckerman, a famously good rock scrambler, had trouble there.) There's very little water on this route right now, however, just a couple of tiny draws, one just below 3,000 feet and one at about 3,500 feet. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
A previous hiker found half a pair of Microspikes and hung them on the tree at trailside at the 1,800-foot level. (See note in Comments.) |
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 | Comments: |
Really nice day on the Carter-Moriah Trail, and the views from the summit were stunning in all directions. Just as stunning: barely a breath of a breeze at the peak. Wowza! Trail's in excellent shape, but take care on the ice on the ledges. There's a *lot* of ice.
On the way up we met Meb from VFTT, who was coming down, the only person we saw all day. Nice to see her; it had been a while. She said she had barebooted all the way to the summit, but I wondered how she did it -- there were a couple of super-icy spots where I wished I had brought along my Hillsounds mini-cramps. (She *was* wearing Microspikes on the way down.) We put on Microspikes just below the top of Mt. Surprise and kept them on for most of the hike.
About halfway up the ledges, one of my Microspikes broke. Not terribly; I was able to make it work for the duration of the hike, albeit with frequent adjusting. It's not fixable, however, and can't be depended on, so on the way down the mountain I snagged the orphaned Microspike hanging on the tree. If this is yours, email me and I'll gladly return it.
Wonderful day in the mountains with Polly-dog, who bagged her NH4K peak no. 34. Photos at link below. |
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 | Name: |
The Feathered Hat |
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 | E-Mail: |
stevebjerklie at yahoo dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2011-12-11 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.flickr.com/photos/99682097@N00/sets/72157628393927479/ |
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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. |
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