October 12, 2013: Carter Dome (#41)

At 4,832 feet, Carter Dome was the tallest remaining peak on my list of four-thousand footers until today.  Though it may be the tallest peak in the Carter Range, Carter Dome is certainly not the major attraction along the eastern wall of Pinkham Notch - that honor is reserved for the tremendous view from the open summit of Mt. Hight.

Due to a technicality, Mt. Hight is not considered to be an official "4,000 footer" although it reaches an admirable 4,675 feet.  The view, coupled with the unrelenting climb to reach the summit, make Hight the more compelling target for the hike, with Carter Dome being an easy add-on (sort of like tagging Zealand on the way down from the Bonds).

Steve, my brother Adrian, and I started from the Nineteen Mile Brook trailhead a bit later than most.  While driving through the southern Whites, the skies were mostly cloudy, but clear skies broke through as we passed through Pinkham Notch - haven't lost the good weather karma yet!  It was funny to note that the last time I hiked the Nineteen Mile Brook trail was 2 years ago on a frigid December morning - doesn't feel like long ago at all.

At Zeta Pass, we met a colorful character from Maine who entertained us with his version of the age old tale of hiking Mt. Washington for the first time - complete with vivid descriptions of people "jumping out of their cars with their frappaccinos and jelly donuts - What the HELL?!"
As noted before, the climb was STEEP...but the reward was worth it.

Washington (and the eastern ravines), Jefferson, Adams, Madison

The summit was crowded for good reason.  We took our usual mountain lunch break with views to the impressive Presidential Range.

Adrian and me atop Mt. Hight

The highpoints of the two walls of Pinkham Notch - Carter Dome and Mt. Washington

 Another interesting observation while crossing the ridge between Mt. Hight and Carter Dome was how similar the peaks of the Whites are.  There are countless example of high knobs connected by shallow ridges to slightly lower peaks - Osceola, Bond/West Bond, Wildcat, Kinsman, Twins... If I didn't already know where we were, the shallow ridge could be easily mistaken for many other ridges.

Along the traverse there were views back to Mt. Hight and views down to Pinkham Notch.

Pinkham Notch looking markedly past peak

Middle and South Carter struggling to hold back the clouds, Mt. Hight standing strong

Carter Dome was crawling with hikers when we arrived, but soon thinned out.  On the descent, I was really looking forward to the down-look into Carter Notch.  Unfortunately, Carter Notch was shrouded in clouds when we arrived, but allowed for an interesting water break with mist rushing past the cliff edge and views to the stone profile.

As we approached the lakes at Carter Notch, we encountered a strange illusion.  We were coming off a steep section of trail with the shore almost directly in front of us, but it was difficult to identify given the misty conditions.  It looked as if we were seeing structures on the far wall of the notch, when in reality we were seeing lilly pads floating on the lake 20 feet in front of us.
We stopped at the Carter Notch Hut (one of my favorites) to refill water, then made the mostly-flat exit to the trailhead.
To make up for the lack of peak foliage we saw in the Whites, I will include this picture of bursting foliage from near home in Danvers, Massachusetts.