Mt Moriah & North Carter Hike

Early in the morning on September 7th, 4 members of GO met up at 8:30AM at the Imp trailhead on Route 16.  Everyone was alittle early and we quickly assembled ourselves and carpooled over to the Mt. Surprise trailhead in Gorham.  This trailhead was at the end of Bangor Road in a residential neighborhood...parking was very limited and there were already a number of cars there.

The day started out on the chilly side with mostly cloudy skies.  We set out by 8:45AM.  The trail was a nice woods walk, mostly modest in grade for much of the ascent; however, it did steepen past the Mt. Surprise ledges.  We started reaching these ledges, which provided limited views of the Presidential Range, at about 9:40.  The views continued to open up to the point that the entire range was visible...as well as Gorham/Berlin below, the Mahoosucs and the northern Whites.  At points past this, short rock scrambles were required.  We reached the junction for Mt. Moriah's short spur trail at 11:25AM and it took little effort to ascent to the open summit.  By this time the sun had emerged from the clouds and it has started to warm up.  We were rewarded with magnificent views over towards the Presidential and Carter Ranges, as well as to the Baldface Royce Range on the NH/ME border...and beyond.  This was a good time for an extended break.  We were initially on the summit with just one other hiker, but it didn't take long before another 8-10 people had joined us.  Before continuing on, I pointed out to the group, where we were headed and I was met with disbelief at the seemingly distant North Carter Peak!  We started our descent off the summit at about noon and it didn't take long before we had view after view from the mostly open granite that makes up this side of the mountain.  At 12:45PM we choose an area along the trail, which looked predominantly into the Wild River Wilderness and along the Carter Range.

After lunch we continued along the ledges, which make up the trail.  Along the way there was also an incredible view back along the cliffs we had just traversed on our way down...these were impressive.  By 1:15 we reached the junction with the Stoney Brook Trail and continued along the AT on our way over to the summit of North Carter Mountain.  This was a nice trail through the woods, which mostly meandered about.  There were also periodic views through the woods and from open ledges of Imp Mountain and the steep face of North Carter.  In no time we were at the base of North Carter and were quickly climbing its steep face (2:30).  This portion of the trail gets very steep in section as we needed to scramble up the mostly granite-faced trail.  As we ascended, there were magnificent views back over our route and over to Mt. Moriah.  We reached the summit by 3PM where there were a couple of openings with eastward views over the Wild River Wilderness and over to Middle Carter Mountain.

After descending the summit we quickly reached the trail junction with the Imp Trail.  We continued our descent and by 4PM we made it to the trail split for the Imp Face.  We took this route as it provided additional ledge views over the Presidential Range.  This trail climbed for a bit before starting to descend again and we were on the first of two open ledges which looked down into the valley and up through Pinkham Notch.  Although the skies had grayed, the cloud ceiling was still higher than Mt. Washington and the views were pretty spectacular.  The rest of the hike was mostly a gradual descent back to the cars, although as points along this the trail it parallels the Imp Brook with a number of cascades.  By 5:50PM we were finally back to the trailhead.  We got situated and picked up the other car from Gorham and then headed to the Red Fox in Jackson for a nice meal to cap off the day (Andrew took off and didn't join us).

This was a great hike and I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with this fun group.  A huge thanks to Andrew, George and Tim for joining me for this special hike and all-around wonderful day out!

Join me for this impressive 12.8 mile hike with plenty of open views along the way.  We'll ascend over Mt. Surprise (2194') on our way to the open summit of Mt. Moriah (4049') with its panoramic views in all directions.  Upon descending Moriah, we'll continue along the AT (still the Carter-Moriah Trail) and descend along open ledges with beautiful views of the Carter and Presidential Ranges as well as the rugged back side of Moriah.  On our way to North Carter we'll skirt around Imp Mountain as we glimpse the steep ascent of North Carter, which lies before us.  At the steepest point of ascent there is an amazing view back towards Mt. Moriah just before the trail heads into the woods again.  North Carter is mostly treed, but has a couple of ledges with views into the Wild River Wilderness and eastward into Maine.  While North Carter is 4530 feet, it is not a recognized 4000-footer, as there is insufficient prominence to the neighboring Middle Carter.  Afterwards, we'll descend via the Imp Face with its grand view of the Presidentials. 

Total Distance and Elevation Gain:  12.8 miles and 4770 feet in elevation gain.  NOTE:  This is a strenuous+ hike with a steep ascent of North Carter and a short steep ascent of Moriah.  The terrain otherwise is modest in grade for much of the hike.  

Total Time:  8-9 hours or more depending on breaks and group's speed. 

Rain or harsh weather will postpone until another date, as appropriate. 

Camping Option:  Contact me, if you're interested in camping Friday and/or Saturday night.  I would be happy to set something up or provide details to share my site. 

What to Bring:  Typical summer hiking gear should be appropriate:  convertible hiking pants or shorts, good sturdy hiking boots with thick socks, extra layer(s) (as needed) and a windbreaker/raingear (just in case).  Also bring along lunch, snacks and plenty of water (at least 2-L).  Optionally, pack bug repellent and sunscreen and anything else that you may require for a day hike.  

Afterwards:  We should be completed with the hike by 5:00/6:00PM.  If there is sufficient interest, we can grab dinner/drinks at the Red Fox Bar and Grille in Jackson...or someplace to be determined in Gorham.