| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Moriah, North Carter, Middle Carter, South Carter, Carter Dome, Wildcat A, Wildcat B, Wildcat C, Wildcat D, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Polecat ski trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, April 9, 2016 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction, Ice Axe |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Only ones of note were on Stony Brook Trail. They required a bit of studying but were easily crossed. (Note that we started from the Stony Brook Development, not the actual SB Trailhead.) |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Percy likes ice climbing and balked at only one spot: the incredible ice flow coming off Wildcat C. He ran right up North Carter which was a veritable ice climb today. |
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 | Bugs: |
None but apparently the territorial male spruce grouse is still being territorial between Middle and South Carter. Percy must have kept him at bay, but he did "attack" a hiker behind us today. ;p |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Stony Brook Trail started off dry for the first mile or so. Then it was spikes or crampons for the rest of the day. We did the out-and-back to Moriah (pretty icy on the ledge sections) before continuing on up past Imp Shelter and North Carter. As expected, North Carter was insanely icy this day, and we quickly switched over to full crampons... and we used our front points... a lot. Also pulled out the ice ax for one short section. Would not want to descend this section of trail and would absolutely NOT attempt ascending it without full crampons with front points right now.
Trail over Middle, South and the Dome was easy in contrast--switched back to spikes for that section. Descent of Dome into Carter Notch was easier than expected, although still icy. Being south facing, there were actually a few dry spots where we took off spikes... only to put them back on a few hundred feet down the trail.
Refilled our water bottles at the hut and continued up Wildcat A. Spikes sufficed although some might want crampons, especially if descending this section. It was pretty icy. At this point we thought we were home free; however... the incredible ice flows of Wildcat C awaited!! OMG... they went on and on and on for awhile. We switched back to crampons for this section and would not recommend attempting it in just spikes right now. It was slow going through here. At one spot Percy whined once and refused to proceed, and Cruddy had to reclimb a section to show him a safe way down (he was fine and did not have to be carried).
Rest of Wildcats were still icy but easy when compared to descent of Wildcat C. We descended Polecat ski trail, which had man-made snow which had turned to corn snow at the bottom. Percy decided this was a good time to do some wind sprints on the ski trails so apparently our hike was too easy for him. This has been one of the more challenging traverses this year. O_O Thanks Cruddytoes and Percy for an awesome day. |
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 | Name: |
Cruddytoes, Snowflea, & Percy |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2016-04-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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