MOUNT MOOSILAUKE: 9/11/12

On a crystal-clear day when the Mt. Washington Observatory was listing 130-mile visibility, Mt. Moosilauke was calling. This is the best kind of day for viewing from the Moose, since most of the vistas are fairly far away. It was likely it would be clear enough to see the Adirondacks.

After parking on the side of Ravine Lodge Rd., I dropped down to the front of the lodge for a look at the South Peak (L, my first destination) and East Peak (R) of Moosilauke.  

I hiked along the Gorge Brook Trail to where it splits off from the Snapper Trail on its new relocation, then continued ahead on the Snapper Trail, which ascends at mellow grades through attractive woods.

Not far from its upper end at the Carriage Road, the Snapper Trail crosses its former ski-trail route, which was much steeper.

 The rest of the climb towards South Peak would be on the historic Carriage Road, which was built in
1858.

The upper part of the Carriage Road is open to the sun and sky, with patches of goldenrod and other flowers in places. It's a long steady climb, and can be hot in the sun.

In this section there are occasional views to the east and south, if you look back.

Approaching the ridge.

This boulder wall is intended to prevent snowmobiles from accessing the alpine summit ridge.

The Carriage Road meets the Glencliff Trail at the ridgecrest. A few steps down Glencliff, a side trail leaves for the South Peak.

,It passes through a neat mossy col.

The bare top of South Peak is an excellent viewpoint, with a unique look at the main summit of Moosilauke. Well worth the short side trip.There was an invigorating breeze up there on this fall-like day. (Note: hikers should stay within the open rocky area at the top to protect alpine vegetation.)

The views to the south and west were expansive, to say the least. Here you see Webster Slide Mountain (with the cliff face) in front, then Lake Tarleton, Piermont Mtn., and the distant Killington Range in Vermont.

Looking into Slide Brook ravine on the west side of the mountain.

The view east from South Peak to the high peaks of the Whites.

My favorite view from South Peak - which you can't get from the main summit - looks down to the beaver ponds in Tunnel Brook Notch and the slides on Mt. Clough. Behind Clough are Jeffers, Sugarloaf and Black Mountains.

South Peak is a nice place to hang out for a while. I had it to myself for nearly all of my hour-plus stay.

The Carriage Road heading north to the main peak is mostly an easy stroll.

An outlook on the right gives a close-up of the summit...

...and a wide view over the Gorge Brook valley, with the Ravine Lodge visible on the floor.

The last quarter mile, marked by large cairns, is mostly in the open.

Looking back at South Peak, with the hump of "Middle Peak" on the R.

Early fall color on the summit "lawn." (Though it looks tempting to walk on the "lawn," hikers should stay on the marked and defined trails to protect the fragile alpine vegetation.)

Vast western horizons. It was clear enough today to see the Adirondack High Peaks: Giant (its slides visible through binoculars), Rocky Peak Ridge, Algonquin, Gothics, Marcy and Dix. On 9/11/01, with weather very similar to today, Carol and I climbed Giant and looked east to Moosilauke in the distance. We had heard some preliminary reports about a plane crash in NYC on the way to the trailhead, but not until we came down after our hike did we find out that the world had changed...

Summit signs with high peaks in the distance. It was late afternoon and pretty quiet at the top.

Looking down the broad, gentle east shoulder.

Moosilauke has a fine view of Franconia Ridge.

Hikers heading down the Benton Trail along the open north ridge.

Looking south to Mt. Kineo (L) and Carr Mtn. (R).

Summit benchmark placed by the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey, in a ledge a few yards south of the high point.

I had a chat with southbound thru-hiker "Teddy Bear," who was walking home to Georgia.

The next AT section southbound will seem easy after tramping through the Whites.

Heading down the Gorge Brook Trail along the east shoulder, with fine views NE across the sedgy lawn.

Looking back at the summit rocks.

South Peak and beyond.

A Black Hawk rises out of the valley.

Persistently rocky footing on the Gorge Brook Trail. We're in the mountains, after all.

Lower viewpoint on Gorge Brook Trail, with Carr Mtn. taking center stage.

Evenng sun on Ravine Lodge. What a neat place.

A collection of trail signs - some retired, some never used - inside the Lodge. I picked up a new Dartmouth-produced map of Moosilauke that I hadn't seen before, a great way to end a spectacular day on the Moose.

GORGE BROOK SLIDE: 9/7/12

The plan for today was to check out the new relocation made on the Gorge Brook Trail on Mt. Moosilauke by the Dartmouth Outing Club (bypassing a section washed out by Tropical Storm Irene), then bushwhack over to the Gorge Brook Slide (the route of a long-abandoned DOC trail) and climb up it for some views. With Dartmouth freshman orientation completed, there were only a few cars parked along Ravine Lodge Rd. I always get a kick out of this warning sign in the cul-de-sac at the end of the road.

I dropped down the first part of Gorge Brook Trail to cross the Baker River on this sturdy bridge.

The view downstream was impeded by trees toppled by Tropical Storm Irene.

From the river I climbed up a rocky section of the trail to the first crossing of Gorge Brook, also on a bridge. On the far side, a sign told the story of Irene washouts on the old route of the trail. The new relo starts a little ways up the Snapper Trail, a change from the original plan last fall that had Gorge Brook Trail following a relocation staying on the east side of the brook (which is how it appears in the 29th edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide, mea culpa).

New signs mark the start of the relo 0.15 mi. up the Snapper Trail.

A tribute to the trail crew who built the relo.

The new section is 0.35 mi. long and climbs at easy grades through open woods.

I took a break at "Last Sure Water," where Gorge Brook Trail makes a R turn onto a major relocation made in 1990-91.

This area is named after a DOC icon.

I crossed the brook and searched around in the woods a bit for the bottom of the slide, and eventually found it. In 1966 DOC opened the Gorge Brook Slide Trail up this major slide, which fell in a 1927 deluge. It was "intended to be used in only one direction - uphill." It was abandoned in 1980, though parts - but not all - of the trail can still be found and followed. Its extreme steepness and sometimes obscure route make it suitable for experienced off-trail hikers only. The lower part climbs up a steep swath of sometimes loose rocks.

There are several tricky spots that must be negotiated. An old DOC blaze is visible on this nasty wet slab, which I skirted on the R.

Farther up, I had my first views out over the lower Gorge Brook valley to the Blue Ridge, including Sayre Peak, Mt. Kirkham and Mt. Braley, all named for DOC notables.

The middle part of the slide is more open, with loose broken rock.

Looking down, it seems steep enough!

Looking up at the East Peak of Moosilauke.

The easterly view expands near the upper end of the slide, with such peaks as Tripyramid, Tecumseh, Whiteface, Sandwich Dome, Mt. Israel, the Ossipees, the Squam Range and the Belknap Range visible in the distance. In the foreground, the Gorge Brook valley is expansive where it meets the Baker River valley.

A couple of Black Hawk helicopters circled around for a while, apparently on a training mission.

Hovering over the East Peak.

I found a fairly level spot suitable for relaxing and even snoozing. I'd been up or down the slide 
several times over the years on longer Moosilauke hikes, but on this day of hazy views the slide was the destination.

After spending a couple of hours at various spots on the slide, I made a very slow and careful descent, especially at spots like this.

Looking upstream along Gorge Brook at the point where I crossed it on my descent.

The last time I went up the Gorge Brook Slide, in 2007, I first made a steep, thick bushwhack upstream along Gorge Brook to one of the cascades known as the Pleiades.

At the brink of this waterfall was a ledge with a view out over the valley. Neat spot. In 1880 Thomas Wentworth Higginson wrote an interesting article about "A Search for the Pleiades."

On my way down, I made the short side trip to the "Class of '97 Swimming Hole" on the Baker River. Perhaps due to rearrangement by Irene, it looks more like a "Wading Hole" now.

I also checked out the lower part of the Ridge Trail along the river, which was closed by DOC due to a major Irene washout.

I found the washout and blowdown mess 0.2 mi. up the trail. Yikes!

It's always fun to walk up past Dartmouth's Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. The place was quiet today, though a sign said it was closed for a private function.

From the front of the Lodge the view takes in the South and East Peaks of Moosilauke. From here it was a short walk back up to the car.