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Mt Moriah (4049') 02/03/13 (Superbowl Sunday)
Carter-Moriah Trail. 9.0 miles, 3596' elevation gain/loss. AMC book time: 6:20,. My time 7:10 (0745 to 1530, - 20 minute break). Ratio to book ~ 1.2. Not bad for me, I made up most of my time coming down, letting my momentum do its thing where ever the slope wasn't too steep as lose control.
This was a very pleasant hike. The weather turned out better than the NOAA forecast with temps near 20F for most of the hike and near zero wind. My favorite winter hiking conditions.
I got a late start at 7:45 because of slipperey road conditions on 93 driving up. But, I was still the first car. Actually, I met only two other hikers going up 15 minutes into my hike down.
Great views half way up near Mt Surprise and at the boulder peak of Moriah.
Carried snowshoes and crampons but only needed my microspikes that I wore the whole hike.
Much less snow than expected. What snow there was, was hard packed even off trail and of no significant depth.
There were some sections of ice flow on the trail on the lower half but they were not a problem.
ONLY TWO MORE TO GO TO FINISH MY 48!!
Isolation and Madison.
Isolation is a very long hike (even with a common winter bushwack), which I hope to do near the next full moon and Madison is an exposed president that will need a near windless day (for me). On hindsite I should have done Madison instead of Moriah on the 3rd.
PICTURES:
Hike elevation Profile: Though a fairly decent change in elevation, the slope is fairley uniform with no real steep areas and no long walk in and has intermittant short areas of near level trail so I could catch my breath with minimum stops. I kind of really like profile of this trail.
Parking area at trail head at the end of Bangor St. Gorham.
Much less snow than I expected - all the way up.
Rime ice on top of trees
Good view of Mt Washington half way up near Mt Surprise (2200')
The next set of pictures are from the open areas (that reminded me of a Christmas tree farm) near Mt Surprise .
Looking down towards the city of Gorham (and my shadow).
Those are my crampons (not needed) hanging from my pack.
Much of the trail was more like a wide herd path than the typical snowshoe packed trails you see this time of year.
Short spur to the summit of Mt Moriah.
# 46 Mt Moriah.
That's my new "Spot" emergency transmitter on my shoulder.
Geographic marker at the peak.
Next few pictures show the 360 degree view from the summit.
Another self photo showing the actual summit boulder over my left shoulder
I didn't take any pictures on the way down. The following two pictures of the wooden moose and bear in the park near the center of Gorham shows the lack of snow, atypical for this time of year.
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