Mount Moriah

Trail: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches

“The first few miles were snow free. The top half mile of stony brook had thick ice covered in a layer of slush, so it was very difficult. I didnt encounter a monorail until carter moriah trail. It was off and on, becoming more consistent near the summit. The ledges were all melted and dry.”

Trail: Carter-Moriah Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow

“Bare-booted first 2.5 miles, trail wet with intermittent snow/ice, which was avoidable. Hillsounds to the summit. Couple of inches of snow hid the majority of the terrain so ice and rocks were indistinguishable. Crampons for the last mile to the summit weren’t have been overkill. Having said that the hike’s major challenge was the spring snow balling up on the traction. Every couple of steps you would grow at least 2 to 3 inches in height from the amount of snow stuck to the traction, rending them useless on ice, not sure crampons would have fared better. Bluebird day with comfortable temperatures and no river crossings.”

Trail: Carter-Moriah Trail

Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Small Patches

“Dry trail for the first 1.5 miles. Patches of ice (flat monorail) for the next .5, easy to work around but a pain. After Mt. Surprise, the trail merited spikes with on again, off again ice patches, but we stubbornly pushed on until half way up the rock slabs. Tough call because too much ice not to wear them but not enough to avoid walking on the rocks at times. Fortunately the ice was just soft enough for some purchase; in most places you could walk right up it. Other places called for cleat grinding, tree slinging and/or bushwhacking [this causes damage to the trail]. At about 3.5 the ice turned mostly to packed snow, with a few icy patches, which were more manageable than the previous ones. Remained as such all the way to the summit, (about a mile). Snow stayed consistent for the way down, ice soften a bit more or had dissipated in sections, but not much. A bit more slippery mud near the bottom than when we started (9am). It was a challenging day but very doable if you are good with icy conditions. I used microspikes the whole way, no poles. (Needed my hands for the tree hugging!)Overall a great day in the mountains. Not too cold, no wind, rain or snow. Just ice!”