| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Herd path, Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, January 2, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I first attempted to park at Carter-Moriah in Gorham but the small parking area was full, and my usual places at the power line easement were unplowed with a snowmobile track. I had some trouble getting out of there. So I drove to the cul-de-sac where there was room for a couple of cars in a plowed out section, and some more along the side of the road. We then took the old trail in; it has no signs but was obvious today. I noticed a group of guys snowshoed in from the plowed parking off Rt. 16. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No problems; rock hop. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One easy stepover between the peak and ledges. It looks as if when cut it would still be stuck in the ice so I didn't try. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Pepper had fun; except for the old trail section the trail was pretty well packed and he iced up very little. There are still a handful of wet spots on Stony Brook that could get paw pads wet; Pepper avoided them. I applied the usual musher's wax to his paw pads and vaseline between the toes and above the paws a bit. He likes the views from all the different ledges on this route. The short scramble at the peak had enough snow in it that he had no problems today, although there is an ice lip forming which could be problematic for smaller dogs especially. The neighboring houses to the cul-de-sac parking have dogs that are often outside so I'd suggest keeping any dog close, and accept the barking as a canine serenade since this is their home. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Today was yet another excellent snowshoe start to finish. We followed two barebooters who chopped up the old trail and the upper trails; the middle sections not nearly as much. It didn't affect me today; my snowshoes gave me excellent traction. I was able to smooth their prints some, but it would still be pretty rough, in places even an ankle buster, if the area was to get rain in the coming storm followed by freezing. Fortunately we met a group guys in snowshoes coming up from Rt. 16 who were making a wonderful snowshoe track the whole way, leaving only the old trail section choppy. It isn't hard packed but my snowshoes got excellent traction on it. I had no problem getting up the short scramble near the peak in my MSR Ascents; their crampons were sufficient, better than regular spikes. I had Hillsounds with me just in case. There is a short icy lip but enough snow below it for bite - today. I looked for some sign of a bypass for future reference, but saw none.
We ran into one person who came up Carter-Moriah on the peak; she said there was a group following her up on a very well packed trail. We lunched over on one of the fine ledges south of the peak. The views were of course special from the different ledge viewpoints, and there was even some bright sun moments, a rare commodity on our hikes since mid October. Thanks Pepper for a great holiday season of hiking. What a gift. |
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 | Name: |
Pepper and Me |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-01-02 |
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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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