Just like anything else in life, there are good days and bad days, and hiking is no different. Sometimes it is the weather that becomes our adversary, sometimes it is the trail conditions, and sometimes it is the company on the trail (this is never the case for me). During Tuesday's hike up Mt. Moriah it was my own legs that became my enemy. Monday's hike up Cabot was the first hike in almost two months that I didn't have snowshoes on my feet, meaning my leg muscles were getting worked in a different way. They were mildly sore on Tuesday morning but not enough for me to think twice about it. Well, not until the 3rd or 4th PUD (click here to learn what a PUD is) on the Carter-Moriah Trail. Kyle and I had left our snowshoes behind as we both knew the trail would be packed out like a sidewalk. Occasionally, I do like to have my snowshoes for means other than flotation. I love the aggressive traction that they offer plus the televator bars (heel lifts) save my calf muscles from burning out on steep inclines. I wished early on that I had them just for the televators, as my already sore calf and quad muscles were burning with fury on the steep inclines. I had to stop frequently to stretch them out for fear of total cramping if I didn't.
Since we had two cars, Kyle and I decided we would take the Carter-Moriah Trail up to the summit of Moriah and then continue on the Carter-Moriah Trail down to the Stony Brook Trail and down to the second car. The total mileage wasn't that much longer than the out-and-back option on Carter-Moriah and for anyone who hikes knows, loops are way more interesting than out-and-backs.
We timed our hike perfectly with regards to the weather. We had partial blue skies to start with some sun which faded as we reached the summit of Moriah. Still, the cloud deck stayed above us while we summited and we watched as clouds further west rolled in and over other summits. As we descended the other side of Moriah we stopped on the ledges to watch as more clouds swooped in and engulfed the summits of North, Middle and South Carter directly across from us. Once back down in the valley on the Stony Brook Trail we looked up to see that the summit of Moriah was now obscured by clouds and soon after the 30% chance of snow that the weatherman predicted for the day started falling. Just like the day before on Cabot, trail conditions were packed out and even making for quick travel (with the exception of the PUDs going up Carter-Moriah which set my legs on fire and slowed me down).
This was my first time taking the Carter-Moriah Trail from Gorham up Moriah and I have to honest, it will probably be my last. The PUDs did me in and the open ledges on Mt. Surprise weren't enough to win me over. I prefer the Stony Brook Trail and the ledges on the other side of the Carter-Moriah Trail that look over at the Carters. But don't let my opinion dissuade you from taking this route, some people enjoy the aggression involved with the good ol' PUD. [Insert winky face here].
Since we had two cars, Kyle and I decided we would take the Carter-Moriah Trail up to the summit of Moriah and then continue on the Carter-Moriah Trail down to the Stony Brook Trail and down to the second car. The total mileage wasn't that much longer than the out-and-back option on Carter-Moriah and for anyone who hikes knows, loops are way more interesting than out-and-backs.
We timed our hike perfectly with regards to the weather. We had partial blue skies to start with some sun which faded as we reached the summit of Moriah. Still, the cloud deck stayed above us while we summited and we watched as clouds further west rolled in and over other summits. As we descended the other side of Moriah we stopped on the ledges to watch as more clouds swooped in and engulfed the summits of North, Middle and South Carter directly across from us. Once back down in the valley on the Stony Brook Trail we looked up to see that the summit of Moriah was now obscured by clouds and soon after the 30% chance of snow that the weatherman predicted for the day started falling. Just like the day before on Cabot, trail conditions were packed out and even making for quick travel (with the exception of the PUDs going up Carter-Moriah which set my legs on fire and slowed me down).
This was my first time taking the Carter-Moriah Trail from Gorham up Moriah and I have to honest, it will probably be my last. The PUDs did me in and the open ledges on Mt. Surprise weren't enough to win me over. I prefer the Stony Brook Trail and the ledges on the other side of the Carter-Moriah Trail that look over at the Carters. But don't let my opinion dissuade you from taking this route, some people enjoy the aggression involved with the good ol' PUD. [Insert winky face here].