Carter Dome to “New” Height (Mt. Height)

Finally got out on the trail for a great overnighter in the White Mountains!

Organized with PZ (who of course is more organized than I am, every time) and decided to drive further but hike shorter. He has some back issues, I’ve got leg issues, but we have to get out there. It had been a while since our last outing – Labor Day last year at Camel’s Hump in VT. Time flies.

In the area to the east of the Carter Huts, there are the Ramparts. These seem to be a major tellus field from falling off the side of the dome sometime in the post-glacial era. Huge boulders piled up all over the place. Lots of nooks and crannies. As I mentioned to Pete – this would be a great place to take your kinds and let them run wild and freak out your wife. He said he’d be freaked out too. I’d let them have fun. I do see the point, there were serious gaps and drops into dark corners and someone could get hurt etc…I’d be happy to go there again to play.

At the top of Wildcat, some interesting rock formations and vegetation. Actually minerally odd- our compasses were totally thrown off. Luckily we did not actually need to use the compasses.

I was totally fascinated by the lichens on the top of Wildcat…Amazing colors!

Not that you can really see it but the community of plants in the crack of the rock was really beautiful, and then, there I am, standing on the edge of this pond (see below).

I really enjoyed meditating at this pond between Carter Notch and the Huts. I’m not sure the name. Very peaceful. Bullfrogs, some fish biting at flies, a few birds but not many.

Loads of yellow-flowering lillypads. Very cool. The trail goes around to the left, on the way to the huts, so you could hear any traffic. A few parties moving through. Mostly just the mist and increasing precipitation…into the dark of evening…Mystical for real.

This was up at the actual Carter Notch were we camped, just to the south of the 19 Mile Brook Trail as it hits the Wildcat – Carter Dome connecting trail. There’s a little patch of rough ground but open to the sky, and this magnificent frozen druid…or something…We

I Natox was psyched to have both whiskey and a chocolate bar. Note cool wind screen for stove:

Soon it would be night. I had an orange theme to dinner – carrot, cheese, and Annie’s Mac-n-Cheese with a can of tuna. Anatto!

The next morning we woke up but the tent was wet. Waiting a bit, reading more of Dharma Gaia, then up the trail to Carter Dome. This was about 1500 in about 2 miles. Just over an hour. It was a slog but nice to summit. No view. The remains of a lost, perhaps burned out, tower. A pair of mother-daughters that we passed arrive at the top to take pictures – it was one of the old gals’ 46th 4000-footer (there are only 48 in NH) so she was excited. They were very talkative. Pete and I were trying to dry the tent and finishing off the whiskey. In the distance you can actually see the top of Agiocochook.

Then another hour on a ridge, not to far up or down, to Mt. Height. What a gem!

Looking east (below) from the top of Mt. Height. I really liked how removed we were. Total wilderness all around. The only thing you could see of humankind was the auto-road on Washington, but that was behind clouds a lot. Otherwise, really about as far-out as I’ve felt in the Eastern US.

Yep, two dudes hangin’ out on the top of the mountain.

Here we can see the tops of the northern Prezzies – Washington, Jefferson, Adams and Madison, peaks obscured by clouds, but I like the foreground. It was sunny the whole time we were on Height. Great peak.