Date: 2014-08-19
From: Pinkham Notch/White Mountains Hostel

To: Mount Moriah
Miles today: 15.2

Had a great filling breakfast at White Mountain Lodge and Hostel. These people are wonderful hosts and anyone who can should make this a must stop. Four of us got a ride back to Pinkham Notch where the others were slack packing all 21 miles back to the hostel that day but I was going as far a Imp Shelter about 12 miles and then hike to the hostel the next day. One of the major drawbacks of hiking in the Whites continues to be the lack of blazes. While the people in the area are quite familiar with the trails, those of us that only use them once are frustrated by the uncertainty we face when trying to either find a trail or pick a trail at an intersection that has multiple trails coming together. The AMC really needs to rethink their position on blazing and the ATC needs to push for more blazing on these trails.That said, of course I had some problem finding the trail at the Visitors' Center and had to ask a desk clerk. There were no blazes, I had to just go out the entrance and cross the road where I could pick it up and did. It was a beautiful day - the polar opposite of the day I climbed Mount Washington and it felt good to be out. The climb up Wildcat ridge was just that, a CLIMB not a hike! It was challenging to say the least but did provide a number of views from ledges back across to Washington and down into the valley. It took some time picking my way up the rock faces as at some points I was unsure where the trail was going and was trying to pick the safest way up. I got to Wildcat A and Lo and Behold there was a Gondola for the ski resort operating there! I continued up and over Wildcat A (4422) and had an awesome view down into Carter Notch where I could see the Carter Hut and the ridge going up the other side. Going down was really long and steep and my knees were talking to me so I stopped into the Hut for a break. 3 of the Hut Croo are either current or former SLU students and I surprised them when I talked to them about local places in that area. One of the girls had just come back from swimming in the lake next to the hut and when I asked her if it was colder than the water at Lampson Falls she laughed and said yes. I lucked out for lunch as they offered me some turkey breast that they had to use up. Yes, it was still fresh but they did not have a lot of clients staying there and would end up having to pack it out so I was gracious enough to eat about a half a pound of it and it was good. Climbed out of the notch up to Carter Dome where there were many nice views then it was off to Mount Hight where I got some pictures and even better cell reception. I was able to call my wife Laura, my son Kris and my parents. Its always an added bonus when I can talk to my family. Going down Mt. Hight was treacherous!!!! Whoever it was that made this trail was not in his right mind when he did it. Despite being as careful as possible I ended up falling a couple of times. they weren't bad falls but on one as I started to slid down a boulder face I tried to catch myself by grabbing a nearby fir tree but ended up pulling on my shoulder pretty hard. Its pretty sore now and I hope nothing long term. Man I feel like I'm slowly falling apart. The climb over Middle and North Carter were endless but had a number of nice views. The day was getting late and I'm not sure If I want to go down into Imp which is supposedly a ways down a steep hill or push on and try to find a spot on Mount Moriah to watch the sunset. Since its a nice day and I still have enough daylight I decided to push on despite my aching knees as it would be a great way to spend the last night in the Whites. There's a interesting phenomenon that occurs when hiking in that the miles at the end of the day are much longer than the ones at the beginning or so it seems. This is even more so when going up or down which is all the time! I finally made it to the South West shoulder of Moriah where I found a great spot to cowboy camp. It was perfect timing as the sun was just 30 minutes from setting and allowed me to set up for the night. As I ate dinner I was able to get some wonderful pictures with great color. I'm so glad I decided to push on. What a great way to spend my last night in the Whites!!!!