December 16, 2023

Start/End: Carter-Moriah Trailhead, Bangor Road

Peaks: Moriah (4,049')

Elevation Gain: 3,440 ft

RT Mileage: 8.62 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 32 minutes

Rock Difficulty: Class 1

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

When an unseasonably warm stretch through the first half of December melted most of the snowpack, I decided to take advantage of it and do some easy peakbagging. I ended up going with Moriah, for no particular reason.

Waking up at 5:30 AM, I was out of the house by 6:00. On the way, I saw Appalachia Trailhead was packed, so I knew it was going to be a good day. I arrived at the trailhead at 8:45, and was on the trail by 9:00. Trail conditions were a mix of bare ground, exposed ice, and crusty snow ascending out of Gorham. I barebooted up to 1,700 ft before putting the spikes on. At 10:20, I gained the "summit" of Mount Surprise, where I was presented with partially-obstructed views of the Presidentials.

After a short descent from Mount Surprise, the trail came to a series of ledges. Most of this section was exposed ice, but it wasn't an issue with microspikes. The trail opened up at the top of the ledges, with expansive views of the surrounding areas.

After re-entering the woods, the trail flattened out considerably. Above 2,900 ft, new snow had fallen recently, and travel was much easier. The woods also started to look much more like winter. Coupled with warm temperatures, hiking was incredibly pleasant.

The trail steepened significantly for the last 300 vertical feet to the summit. I summited just before 1:00 PM, having taken a little longer on the ascent than I had intended. The summit was cool but windless, with views in all directions.

After spending around 15 minutes on the summit, I began making my way back down. The descent was rather fast on packed snow until the ledge section. I ended up riskily glissading down most of the ledges, which was good fun. The rest of the descent was smooth sailing. I made it back to the parking lot just after 3:30, and 4,000er #26 was in the books.