Date: 2004-08-23
From: Carter Notch - AMC Hut

To: US 2, Gorham (Merrimack, NH)
Miles today: 15.2
Weather: clear sky

GorhamMileage Countdown: -297.9I was being driven home today by my fraternity brother (interesting that we have lived 2/3 of our lives since being active in that fraternity, but still call each other brothers), Bill, and his wife Linda, who live in the Lakes Region of NH. I had estimated I would be at the trailhead by 4 PM, which automatically put time pressure on myself. So I was up as soon as I could see my hand in front of my face, and was on the trail by 6:30. The climb out of Carter Notch was long and steep, but since it was nearly all steplike, with no scrambles up 10' rock walls, I was on top of Carter Dome almost before I knew it. That was the highest peak of the day, but since it was tree-covered there weren't such good views. But the next mountain, Mt Hight, only slightly lower than Carter Dome, was rock-capped and provided a 360-degree panorama including the Presidentials, Carter Dome and all of the peaks I would climb for the rest of today.By the time I got to Middle Carter, I was ahead of schedule. Since that was a good spot for cell phone reception, I called Bill to confirm our meeting time. But then I got a rude shock as I was climbing down the next mountain, North Carter. According to the printed information on that stretch, I would descend about 1000' over the course of 2 mi. But it turned out that almost all of the descent was in much less than a mile, with more than a mile being pretty level. That steep downhill had some parts that were every bit as tough as the descent down So Kinsman. The only positive aspect was that the weather was still gorgeous, so I didn't need to deal with rain-slicked rocks. That descent threw me way off my schedule, so I was rushing some on the next stretch, the climb up Mt Moriah. If I had been able to bag Jefferson and Adams three days ago, Moriah would have completed my requirements for the 4000' club. As it was, it was merely my 46th. But it was the type of climb I enjoy the most, almost completely large expanses of rock, tilted at an angle parallel to the mountain's slope, allowing one to just walk right up.The last bit up to the summit was 0.1 mi off the AT up a very steep scramble. But I dropped my pack at the bottom and got to the top quickly, another 360-degree panorama. But whereas everything had been clear from Mt Hight a few hours earlier, now a massive cloud formation was making its way over Mt Washington, and it looked like there was rain coming.After scrambling down from the summit, I found I had made up for most of the time I had lost earlier, so set off down the final, long, downslope at a fast rate. The first part was steep, but walkable, though it did give the soles of my feet quite a pounding. The last 2 plus miles was a very gentle downslope and I could move along a quite a clip. I ended up getting to the trailhead at 4:03 in a light sprinkle, a few minutes ahead of my friends who had made a wrong turn.The way home led through Franconia Notch, and near No Woodstock where I had spent a couple of nights a week ago. So we stopped in at the Woodstock Inn for dinner and a micro-brew. Thence to Merrimack just as it was getting dark, and a night in my own bed. Aahhhh!Milestone: I now have under 300 miles to go to reach Katahdin.4000' Club - Peaks Bagged: 4 (Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, Moriah); Peaks Left: 2 (Jefferson and Adams, to be done at a later date)