| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Carter Dome, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, Carter Dome Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 24, 2023 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Nineteen Mile Trailhead parking lot was dry, with no snow or ice. Only a few cars were in it when we arrived at 8:30am, and only one other when we departed at 6pm. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The difficult one was the tributary crossing at 2.1 miles on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, just above the junction with Carter Dome Trail, at about 2460 ft. elevation. It was impassable at the place where the trail crosses, so, following Chad's suggestion from yesterday, we went 100-200 feet upstream until we found a place to cross safely - one of us straddled a log across the stream, sliding along it, while others of us walked across on rocks, some of which were submerged 2-3 inches. On the far side, we could not go downstream along the stream back to the trail because the stream banks a little downstream were too steep. Instead we bushwhacked straight up the steep slope through dense forest, and eventually turned right to follow the contour line until we rejoined Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Both the White Mountain Guide (31st edition, 2022) and The 4000-Footers of the White Mountains (3rd edition, 2023) mention a footbridge across the tributary at 2.1 miles on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, but there was no footbridge there.
There was a blowdown at about 1.5 miles up Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, and at least three more blowdowns at various heights on Carter-Moriah Trail between Carter Notch and Carter Dome.
|
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
|
|
 | Bugs: |
None |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
Found only a small fragment of a foam pad (which we carried out and discarded) |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
There are short sections of blue ice almost immediately on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, alternating with sections of bare rock. The blue ice sections become more frequent later on, becoming ice flows. Most of the initial sections of blue ice can be bypassed, or can be rock hopped on ice-free rocks protruding from the blue ice, or can be walked across carefully. But higher up, microspikes are needed (and sufficient). At lower elevations one sees a mixture of bare dry rock and blue ice. At higher elevations (around 3800 ft.+), the trail is packed snow, but even off the trail the snow depth is not more than 8 inches or so. We saw many beautiful ice formations along the way.
Recommendation for current conditions: Bareboot up to the stream crossing at 2.1 miles on Nineteen Mile Brook Trail (2460 ft. elevation); don microspikes there and keep them on all the way up to Carter Dome (there are a few sections of bare rock above there, but they do not last long); keep the spikes on all the way down to about 3400 ft. on Carter Dome Trail. Then bareboot the rest of the way down - this requires care and concentration in many places.
|
|
 | Name: |
mathbp |
|
 | E-Mail: |
|
|
| Date Submitted: |
2023-12-24 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
