SOUTH & MIDDLE MOAT: 11/15/12

It had been a few years since I'd been up to the bare summit of South Moat Mountain, one of the finest viewpoints in the White Mountains. I took advantage of a stretch of classic November dry weather, with hard frosts overnight and sunny, crisp days with light winds.

There were a few cars in the trailhead parking lot on Passaconaway (Dugway) Rd. They turned out to belong to a group of students and teachers from the White Mountain Waldorf School, who were descending as I neared the summit of South Moat.

The southern 1.3 mi. section of the Moat Mountain Trail was relocated in 2004-05 by the Saco Ranger District trail crew. It's an amazing piece of trail construction - wide and well-graded, with no steep spots and little sign of erosion. It's a pleasure to walk, and passes through some nice hardwood areas....

....and hemlock groves.

A footbridge leads across Dry Brook.

The second half of the climb to South Moat is the polar opposite of the relocation - it climbs 1600 ft. in 1.25 mi. and has its share of steep, rough sections like the one shown here.

About halfway up this climb, just below 2000 ft., the trail crosses this spacious, sunny view ledge - a destination for a shorter hike, if you aren't inclined to go all the way to the top. I was concerned about the possibility of ice on these water-streaked slabs, but the sun had melted any ice that formed overnight, and the Microspikes stayed in the pack.

The view from this ledge includes Mt. Chocorua off to the SW. I took a good break here before tackling the last 800 ft. of the 2200-ft. ascent.

The grade remains pretty stiff all the way to the summit, except for this neat little shoulder at 2590 ft.

Along the final pitch, a view east to the Green Hills beyond the Saco River valley and the North Conway strip.

Approaching the South Moat summit.

There are two rocky knobs at the summit. I parked myself on the western knob and settled in to soak up the views; the photo below looks N to Middle & North Moat, the Presidentials, and Wildcat. Though the temperature was chilly, there was hardly any breeze stirring. After a solo hiker ambled by shortly after my arrival, I had this wonderful barren ridge all to myself for the rest of the day.

The view from South Moat is a 360-degree sweep, and I daresay it's better than those from about two-thirds of the 4000-footers. I could spot 28 of the New Hampshire 4K peaks, including the four in the Sandwich Range (L to R): Whiteface, Passaconaway, and Middle & North Tripyramid. A high cloud deck moved in from the W, veiling the sun.

To the west, a wild jumble of peaks including Table, Bear, Tremont, Hancock and Carrigain.

The Presidentials above Iron Mountain and Red Ridge.

Looking SE between the two summit knobs.

White Horse Ledge, Kearsarge North and the Saco valley; Baldfaces in the distance.

After an hour or so, I meandered across the mostly open ridge to Middle Moat. The Moats owe their bareness to a huge forest fire. Wrote AMC tramper John Worcester in 1878, “Before the great fire in 1854, Moat was the greenest mountain visible from North Conway.” Driven by a NW wind, the blaze was “driven furiously the whole length of the mountain, consuming the trees and the soil, and leaving only a whitened surface of calcined rock.” For years a half-mile wide “collar of fallen wood” laid low by the fire was a major obstacle for those aspiring to climb the Moats. The trails across the Moats were opened in the late 1870s.

The steep profile of South Moat.

The high point of Middle Moat is an upthrust ledge to the west of the trail. I followed ledges and a herd path out to this great perch, with a wide western vista.

From here there was a nice view N to the cone of North Moat, with the dark, bumpy ridge of Big Attitash sprawling to the L.

Heading back across the ridge, the peak of South Moat looms ahead.

A look at Mt. Chocorua from South Moat.

Parts of the steep descent off South Moat presented treacherous footing, with loose rocks hidden amidst dried leaves - a perfect recipe for a sprained ankle. Below is the final view of the day, halfway down the steep descent. It was a great day to ramble on the Moats. For more on the Moats, click here.

THE SCAUR: 11/12/12

Carol and I enjoyed a hike to our favorite mini-mountain in Waterville Valley on an Indian Summer day with temps in the low 60s by noontime! We took our usual route via Livermore Trail, Kettles Path and Scaur Trail; this presumably bear-damaged sign is at the Kettles/Scaur junction.

Carol enjoying the woods on the upper Scaur Trail.

Hazy view south to Sandwich Dome.

Middle & South Tripyramid to the SE.

Relaxin' in the sun - at 61 degrees!

Mt. Osceola to the NW.

East Osceola and the Painted Cliff.

Mt. Tecumseh with not a speck of snow on the ski slopes. But a string of good snowmaking nights followed this balmy day. We probably won't see 60 again until April.

PAUGUS PASS RAMBLE: 11/9/12

After gazing out at the Paugus Pass area from Hedgehog Mountain earlier in the week, I had an urge to take a long walk out to that remote upper valley. The more so after working on the UNH Trail with Rick Neville, who with a friend had just adopted the full length of Oliverian Brook Trail and made their first work trip last week.This Sandwich Range junkie needed another fix.

Conditions had taken a turn to the wintry in recent days, with a bit of snow in some areas from a coastal storm, and some cold nighttime temperatures. On the section of Oliverian Brook Trail that follows an old logging railroad grade, a few strips of wet snow highlighted where the ties had once lain.

The beaver pond beside the trail in this section was mostly frozen.

I continued three more miles on the Oliverian Brook Trail, with mostly bare ground in the first two miles giving way to a covering of slushy snow. At one of several muddy spots farther up the valley, a rotted old bog bridge flipped up when I stepped on it, sending me for a tumble into the muck. I will confess that a couple of curses echoed off the nearby cliff of Square Ledge.

At a point where the Oliverian Brook Trail comes close to the Square Ledge Trail, above the last crossing of Oliverian Brook, I whacked uphill through open hardwoods to the Square Ledge Trail. I followed that trail, high up on the side of the valley, to the trail junction known as "Four-Way." There was about two inches of wet snow up here, which made for slippery footing and soggy boots. I had originally intended to attempt a bushwhack to some rock slabs partway up the steep eastern slope of Wonalancet Hedgehog, but I ruled that out with the dubious slick footing. Plan B was to attempt the very steep Walden Trail up to two viewpoints on 3140-ft. Wonalancet Hedgehog, though with the snow I figured that might be dicey too. The photo below shows the Square Ledge Trail as it climbs towards "Four-Way."

The trail signs at "Four-Way," affixed to a huge old yellow birch.

I went a little ways up the Walden Trail to a dry rock for a lunch break in the sun. The rock steps here were part of a major reconstruction of this trail by the Wonalancet Out Door Club from 1997-2001. This is one of the classic rugged trails in the Sandwich Range.

I slowly worked my way up the steep trail, using extra caution due to slippery snow and leaves. From one spot I had a view out to Ossipee Lake and Green Mountain beyond nearby Whitin Ridge.

At about 2650 ft. I came to the most difficult scramble on the trail. This broken, wet ledge is tricky even in summer, and now it was pretty well iced up. With some work I probably could have found a way up it, but coming down would have been even dicier. I was alone and it was cold and shady here, not a good place for a fall. After taking pictures, I retreated and headed back down the trail.

Partway down, a break in the trees provided a view of Mt. Shaw in the Ossipee Range.

I paused for a few minutes to admire this vista of the south knob and SW cliffs of Mt. Paugus.

From the "Four-Way" junction, I continued E across the low ridge on the Lawrence Trail, towards Paugus Pass, which is the low point between Mts. Paugus and Passaconaway.

A snowshoe hare track, I believe.

The trail signs at Paugus Pass.

I continued E on the Lawrence Trail to the Cabin Trail junction on the wooded knob known as "Carrigain Outlook." There are no views there anymore, but I did follow these tracks (coyote?) for a while.

Returning to Paugus Pass, I headed down the Oliverian Brook Trail. A short distance down I visited this frozen pool in the forest, just a few yards off the trail.

Late afternoon sun on the Oliverian Brook Trail, high in the valley. The days are darned short in November!

Oliverian Brook, starting to gather some steam as it flows down the valley.

An off-trail cascade on Oilverian Brook. John "1HappyHiker" Compton and I found this three years ago while on an exploration in this valley.

Farther down the valley, a glimpse of Nanamocomuck Peak, Square Ledge and Mt. Passaconaway through the trees.

A big old maple beside the trail.  I made it out shortly before dark, wrapping up another good day in the Sandwich Range.