| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Wildcat D, Wildcat C, Wildcat B, Wildcat A, Carter Dome, South Carter, Middle Carter, North Carter, Mt. Moriah, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ski trails, Wildcat Ridge Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Stony Brook Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, March 18, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All good for now, though on a couple of the Stony Brook crossings the snow bridge had dropped in a couple spots (presumably in the thaw a couple days ago), though it seemed solid again now. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A good number of blowdowns, though none were terrible. The snow depth does mean you have plenty of branches in the face though (read comments for more info). |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Great views today! Hiking up the eastern-most ski trails at Wildcat was smooth going (started at 7am before the skiers were getting started). The Wildcat Ridge trail was well packed so I kept my microspikes on. There are some branches in the face on Wildcat Ridge, but it was more a nuissance than a serious issue - thank you if someone has done a little trimming. Watering up at the hut was welcome - the caretakers were out but two groups who had spent the night were leaving as I approached/entered. I donned snowshoes for the ascent up Carter Dome for the televators, though it was already packed. With all the snow the short stretch from Carter Dome to just beyond was reminiscent of Franconia Ridge. I hadn't been sure if I would do Mt Hight or not, but the sign for it must be burried - I saw what was likely the Mt Hight "loop", but it wasn't tracked. Someone had definitely trimmed branches along the stretch before/after Carter Dome because it wasn't bad. The trail wasn't too hard to find heading up to South and Middle Carter, but required some care. I didn't notice the turnoff to descend North Carter to the Imp trail, but that was about the area where I started really having a hard time staying on trail - my phone/GPS/topo map helped a lot. Branches in the face had become steadily more numerous over South and Middle Carter and started becoming very serious around Lethe and North Carter leading up to the Imp Shelter (requiring routing around or literally crawling under) and combined with the challenge of following the trail and the occasional spruce trap made that stretch actually miserable. While the trail wasn't any more traveled between Imp Shelter and Stoney Brook, the trees were much less dense and enabled smoother travel. The ascent up Moriah was clear and well-packed, which was a very welcome change! I enjoyed Stoney Brook the last time I was there, but it was even more lovely this time. I love the open hardwoods and the trail was well-packed. There were plenty of snowshoe-sized postholes from the thaw, but they were avoidable.
With the exception of the Middle Carter to Imp Shelter section, the trails were in very good shape! Even the packed trails are at pretty much the same height as the surrounding snow though, so once a fresh blanket of snow falls route-finding may become difficult. |
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 | Name: |
Nathan S |
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 | E-Mail: |
nathan streeter [at] gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-03-19 |
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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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