Outdoor Diversion: Gridding Out the Carters

Summits: Carter Dome (4,832') South Carter (4,430'), Middle Carter (4,610')

Trail route: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, Carter Dome Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail, North Carter Trail, Imp Trail, Bushwhack from Imp Trail to 19MBT

Trail conditions: Spring conditions with dry trail, wet trail, mud, frozen packed snow and ice

Weather: Cool start to cold and breezy on the summits and warm toward the end of the hike

Total miles: 12

Total time: 8:37

Weather today was looking favorable for a hike to the Carters...Carter Dome, South Carter and Middle Carter. I was not sure about the trail conditions since there were no recent trail reports especially after rain this week with warm temps and nightly freezing temps. I was expecting full-on Spring conditions with lots of ice in the higher elevations. This would be a solo hike today gridding out these three summits.

I was the second car in the parking lot of this very popular trailhead. I started up the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail devoid of snow and ice but with wet and muddy areas along the way. It was not until four miles into the hike and on the Carter Dome Trail before I saw my first small patch of ice. Just before Zeta Pass I put on my crampons as I looked ahead to a solid trail of ice.

When I got to Zeta Pass I put on my windproof layer and mitts with glove inserts since there was a cold breeze starting to pick up. I knew it would only get colder from here. As I continued up to Carter Dome I was expecting some challenging ice on the trail and it didn't let me down. I managed to stay on the uphill side of the trail that provided a little more bite for my traction but there were also some stretches of solid ice that required walking up over with the help of a few trees to grab.

I arrived at the summit and had it to myself for a few moments. A group of three young hikers showed up a few minutes after me. I was impressed with the fact that they were only wearing shorts, t-shirts and ball caps as I stood there in my winter garb thinking about the things you can get away with when you're young. They were very pleasant and we talked for a few minutes before I started my descent.

I was soon on my way to South Carter. I was being very careful as I descended on the ice. The crampons were working great and there were no mishaps. I continued through Zeta Pass and onto the Carter-Moriah Trail. There was one short section on the way up to the summit of South Carter that was bare rocks so I removed the crampons then put them back on once I was in the snow and ice again.

I had the summit of South Carter to myself and stayed just long enough to get a photo. I then continued to Middle Carter. There was a series of PUDS (pointless ups and downs) on the way to this next summit as I remembered from past hikes to these summits. Once again I had the summit to myself but not for long, the three young hikers I had seen on Carter Dome arrived here just after me. More hikers were coming from the other direction and I continued on.

The next two hikers I saw looked familiar, it was John and Jen. I have been following their hiking adventures and it was nice to finally meet them. Jen was also gridding out the Carters today. We chatted for a few minutes then went our separate ways. As I started down the North Carter Trail there was a lot of ice. was glad I brought the crampons today. I was finally able to remove the crampons shortly after descending the Imp Trail. There was still a few short sections that I had to tread carefully on ice but not enough to keep the crampons on.

I decided to do something a little different when I got about halfway down the Imp Trail. I had been wanting to bushwhack from the Imp Trail back over to the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail, a distance of about one mile. It was a good time of year to do this as the leaves were still not out and the forest was clear. I took a reading from my GPS and got started on a westerly heading. I found that if I relied on my "sense" of direction it steered me wrong. The correct heading took me directly toward the sun. I kept checking the GPS and I was right on course emerging onto the Nineteen Mile Brook Trail without any problem. It was a short walk back to the parking lot from here.

The conditions were just about what I expected today and I was prepared. Always nice to grid out a summit, even better when it's three summits! I now have two more hikes to grid out the month of May. Grid count 541/576!

Enjoy the photos!