| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Lethe, Middle Carter, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Imp Trail, North Carter Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, February 18, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at 19 Mile Brook trailhead as I was intending to do a loop. This is a well plowed lot and is fine for any New England vehicle. Of note, both Imp lots were also well plowed with dirt skirt showing. I dunno how stable that dirt was, though. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One tricky crossing on Imp. No way to keep feet dry. What is normally a very small brook in summer was flowing fully today. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
New blowdowns on Imp and North Carter. These were not present last month. Hand saw would be more than adequate. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Dog did OK. Imp Trail was challenging due to the water levels and ice formation in the afternoon. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Out and back using road walk on NH 16 > Camp Dodge Rd > Imp trail (South) > North Carter Trail > Carter- Moriah (AT)
Camp Dodge Rd: gate closed. Wet and sticky snow in the AM, ice flows in the PM. You chose your footwear.
Imp Trail: once reaching the small wooden arrow sign affixed to a tree after following the old logging road past Camp Dodge, we turned right to follow the Imp. It is not blazed from here. There is a well established trench. In the morning the snow was mashed potatoes with much runoff undermining the trail. I postholed IN SNOWSHOES. I hate postholing! It wastes so much energy. Oh this was so frustrating. The one water crossing was not fun (see notes above).
Then I met “The River.” The upper sections of the Imp were littered with large sections of deeper running water. Second to general postholing, I HATE postholing through several feet of ice cold water. The dog and I really struggled. I repeatedly sank to my thigh in ice cold water in a couple of sections. This did not improve with the afternoon’s freezing temps. Some smaller sections had refrozen in the afternoon but there are still several sections of flowing deep water (1-2.5 feet deep). My boots got saturated- with knee high gaiters on too. This lent to painfully freezing, heavy, wet feet for the remainder of the hike. Though I wore snowshoes, wear whatever you want that will help keep you sane. Spikes might be the safest for the ice you will encounter.
North Carter Trail: not blazed, well established trench. Sign visible above the snow pack. Blessedly no ice or running water. Snowshoes would work best, I think. Once encountering this trail I felt like maybe getting both peaks was still an option…
Carter-Moriah Trail: this is the AT and is well blazed in white. Junction sign above the snow pack. Nice trench- but if I stepped near or off the edges WHOMP! Down I went through several inches of spring-like wet, heavy snow. Oh my gad I loathe stuff like this. So sorry dudes! I postholed the sides of the trail, in parts, pretty bad in my snowshoes. My feet had gone numb and I was having a hard time balancing on the trench. There are small sections of ice on the ledges of Middle Carter after crossing Mt. Lethe. I would not recommend changing to spikes. I got over them (both ways) just fine in snowshoes. My soaking wet feet and the brutal winds decided our course for us: grab Middle Carter then get back down to lower elevations.
I did NOT want to walk through the river on Imp again. But after what we’d traversed, it was a safer choice than plodding along onto unknown trail conditions. After reading Nick C’s report, I’m glad I made the call to not continue to South Carter and descend back to the parking area that way. Seriously, the rivers and tributaries were raging high. That one crossing on Carter Dome near the junction with 19 Mile Brook would have likely been nearly impossible. But I did NOT go that way so I can’t say for sure.
Hopefully tonight and tomorrow’s freezing temps will reduce the water levels. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-02-18 |
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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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