MIDDLE AND SOUTH CARTER LOOP HIKE

Saturday, we hiked Middle and South Carter! It was a balmy 50 degrees when we started under cloudy skies with temperatures around 35 degrees on the summits. It was a little chillier up there, but the wind was tame so it was actually kind of nice to cool us down after the climb up.

Parking at Nineteen Mile Brook, we did a short walk along Route 16 North to get on the trail at Camp Dodge. We met the well blazed Imp Trail and we started our ascent on a bare trail. The leaves are off the trees…stick season has arrived!

The forest was dark and spooky in this section…we started under cloudy skies. We eventually made it to North Carter trail around 9:30AM. It was pretty slow going in some spots due to some ice flows but after an hour and a half we made it to Carter-Moriah trail, a part of the Appalachian Trail!

Here we began to encounter a winter landscape as we hiked over snow covered terrain with more ice flows. From here we had a somewhat steep ascent to the summit of Middle Carter, but the views took our minds off the difficulty of the hike. There were some gorgeous icicles hanging off the conifers!

We tagged the wooden summit of Middle Carter and found an open area of ledge for lunch with fine views of many mountains north, Presidentials west, and South Carter, Hight and Carter Dome south. The weather was weird. To the east it was sunny with views of various mountains. To the west was a dark cloud high above the Presidentials with a thin layer of white clouds just above it. It was fascinating!

At lunch, we began encountering other people, most tagging the South Carter and Middle Carter from the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail out and back. Everyone was in bright spirits enjoying this beautiful winter landscape. We kept encountering this trio of young handsome guys…they were a gift that kept on giving!

We then reached the summit of South Carter and moved on to the junction of Zeta Pass and Carter Dome trail. The rest of the hike out Carter Dome Trail and Nineteen Mile Brook was fairly uneventful. It was still beautiful outside. This part of the trail is pretty flat but really nice following the brook with all of the cascades. We then celebrated our finish with a delicious meal at Red Fox Grill in Jackson, NH!

Now that I’ve finished 46/48 of my NH 4,000 footers over 60 years old, I’m getting really excited for the big finish! The last two are Bondcliff and Mt. Bond. The plan is to have a backpacking trip there next summer. Another fun hike to add to the memories that I’ve made in these mountains!

~ Mike Boisvert

While South Carter summit [4430’] is wooded, the highlight will be the views from the Carter-Moriah Trail before and after the summit of Middle Carter [4610’]! Join us for a loop hike starting from a short road walk from the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail trailhead, taking a Joe Dodge Camp short cut to the Imp Trail, up North Carter Trail, traverse the ridge on the Carter-Moriah Trail, descending back down using the Carter Dome and Nineteen Mile Brook Trail. The hike will be approximately 10.6 miles round trip with around 3800' of elevation gain.

The ascent up the Imp/North Carter trails is a moderate climb through a fir and birch forest. The ridge walk to on the Carter-Moriah Trail to Middle Carter will be rolling terrain over a series of knobs where we’ll have lunch on one of the scenic ledges after the summit of Middle Carter. We’ll then continue across the scrubby ridge, with plank walkways and some short scrambles to the wooded summit of South Carter.

We’ll have a steep drop at first from South Carter but then descend at easy to moderate grades to Zeta Pass. We’ll take a right on the Carter Dome Trail with moderate grades with glimpses up to Carter Dome. We’ll finish our hike with a rolling walk down the scenic Nineteen Mile Brook Trail.

We will be hiking in winter like conditions with possibly icy trails so MicroSpikes will be needed. Don't forget to bring wind/rain shell, dress in layers with synthetic and fleece/down jacket, hats, gloves, hand warmers, water, lunch, snacks, etc. along with whatever you typically have for a winter hiking excursion. We’ll have lunch on top of the summit. 

Social Mixer: Following the hike, everyone is welcome back to join us for dinner at Red Fox Grill in Jackson, NH.    

Lodging Option: Bunk beds are available at our house near Waterville Valley, NH for Friday and Saturday night. Its $25 dollars Friday night and $25 Saturday. Coffee/bagels each morning and linen/blankets/towels are provided. We have 4 bunks available so the first 4 guys that contact us to reserve will get one; and let us know which night[s] you’ll be lodging with us. You’re on your own for dinner Friday night but you’re welcome to use our kitchen facilities to cook!