July 26, 2014: Middle & South Carter (#45, 46)

July was a month full of travel and luckily some of that travel brought me back to Greater Boston and a weekend in the White Mountains.

Saturday morning we found ourselves, for the third time, at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trailhead in Pinkham Notch.  The weather was great and the roads and towns around the White Mountains were surprisingly clear.  We spotted a car at the Nineteen Mile Brook and drove a short distance up the road to the northern Imp Trailhead.  We must have missed the morning crowd because we had the trail nearly to ourselves.

We climbed with a moderate incline for just over two miles before arriving at the rocky ledge known as the Imp Face.  From this vantage point Mt. Washington and the Northern Presidentials stretch before you, a massive massif directly across Pinkham Notch from where you stand.  Jefferson, Adams, and Madison all appear as giant pyramids with sharp flanks and pointed peaks.  The auto road can be seen snaking up Chandler Ridge, glistening now and then with cars racing to the top.  The view today is hazy but the weather is cool...perhaps smoke from wildfires.

Adams shadowing Madison.  Osgood Ridge in foreground.

We lounged on the ledge for 20 minutes or so before continuing our trek to the ridgeline.  A heroic and unrelenting climb takes us to the junction with the Carter-Moriah Trail.  Now we must cross the ridge - a ridge studded with wooded knobs.  The frequent plunging and rising of the trail have led to the term "PUDs" (or "Pointless Ups and Downs") to be used to describe the traverse.

When we arrive at the summit of Middle Carter, there is much discussion on whether we have reached the top or just another PUD.  The summit area is fairly broad and level and the other hikers we encounter seem to be just as unsure as we are.

We eat lunch on the "summit", enjoy the nearby vista into the White Mountains of Maine, and continue across the ridge.

Mt. Hight and Carter Dome.  Hard to believe it has been 10 months since we climbed these.

There are frequent views to the Presidential Range as we cross the ridge, but the haze keeps me from snapping more pictures.  The day was better enjoyed in person.

A view to the eastern White Mountains, in the state of Maine

A small climb leads us to another moment of uncertainty as we arrive at the wooded summit of South Carter.

Beyond South Carter, we descend to Zeta Pass and onward toward Nineteen Mile Brook.  The hike out was uneventful but enjoyable.  After chatting with several groups on the way out, we arrive at the Nineteen Mile Brook Trailhead and head into Gorham for dinner.  Another great day on the trails in New England.