Surprise, Moriah! Bring a Bucket!

On Thursday the weather was begging me to get out and tackle another 4,000 footer. I responded with an enthusiastic, "Heck, Yeah!" and quickly packed my daypack. I traveled along 93N to the infamous "get me to the hiking trails" exit of Exit 35 for Route 3 North. Continued my path along Route 3, across 302, straight through until I turned right on Route 115 North for 9.7 miles until meeting up with Route 2 East which, eventually, lead me to Bangor Street on my right. I traveled to the end until I spied my destination: Carter-Moriah Trailhead. I parked along the side of the road and wondered how much the people who live on this cul-de-sac dislike the people who line their cars along the edges of their yards to hike.

I gathered my gear, laced up my sneakers, and headed towards the trail. I was surprised to uncover that this trail doesn't give a grace period. You immediately start heading uphill. I enjoyed the wider pathway, covered in pine needles, reminding me of my youth when we would go behind the school to conduct science observations on the nature trail. There were moments when the trail would flatten out and gracefully wind around the trees. The grade never felt too challenging and the first view-point of The Presidentials appeared rather quickly.

I took in the view for a few moments before continuing upon my way. As I glanced down I kicked myself for not bringing a container of some sort because between the view-point and Mount Surprise there's blueberries EVERYWHERE! Seriously, bring a container!

Nom, nom, nom

Now here's your warning: starting from this point the hike becomes rock slab. It's not difficult slab, but it's slab none-the-less and it requires your shoes to have some grip. Now I did wear a really old, falling apart pair of running sneakers for this hike and was fine on the way up except for one spot where I did have to have a friendly tree support my efforts. 

Rock Slabs for Days

Two miles into the hike after following cairns (that I failed to get a picture of) that have been strategically placed for your hiking needs, you'll find yourself standing on Mount Surprise. Stop here. Look at the view. Give your calves and hamstrings a rest. Pick some more blueberries. To get back on your way to the 4,000 footer look for a smallish opening in brush, jump down from the slab, and get ready for more slab and rugged terrain.

What comes after the slab

In addition to the more rocky terrain that you'll encounter after the slabs of Mount Surprise and before the summit of Moriah, you'll find mud. There were quite a few sections that required fancy footwork over stones or around the edges that were slightly hardened. So, don't wear your new fancy white shoes on this hike (or really any hike) but I'm sure you already knew that. 

There is this section that I LOVED going over and I dubbed it The Trail of Bridges. If you look closely you can see that those bridges extend around the corner as well. It reminded me of an obstacle course. 

Trail of Bridges

There was also this GIANT rock that was balancing on one side. I really wanted to try to climb it, but thought that probably wouldn't be the smartest idea. I couldn't get a great angle for the picture to do it justice, but then again, does a picture really ever do anything in nature justice? It's always more amazing to see with your own eyes, so go hike and see the giant rock. 

A Big Rock

Now, last week when I hiked the Tripyramids I talked about how the way down seemed to take F.O.R.E.V.E.R. This week, the ascent seemed like it would never end, which was odd because it's not that long of a hike. I kept looking up at the trees thinking, "The summit is around this bend, I know it!" But nope! Just more trail. I think it might have been on account of my stomach growling so loudly I thought an animal might come to check out what all the commotion was about, or that I did an hour yoga class before heading up. Anyway, I digress. 

Eventually, 4.5ish miles in, you'll come to the summit. There's a little sign letting you know to veer right, otherwise you'll be continuing on to Middle Carter. 

The summit has almost 360˚ views (there's trees to one side). It was a great place to stretch out, eat a Cliff Bar, rehydrate, and do some more yoga. You can see the Presidentials, Carters, and even into Maine on a clear day. 

I retraced my steps to descent the peak and found myself at my car before I even knew it. However, do be careful on the slabs on the way down. I did end up slipping a few times and giving myself a mini-heart attack. I definitely blame a lot of it on my shoe choice.

 Overall, it was a great hike with amazing views that didn't require a ton of effort. 

Distance: around 9 miles (my app quit on me!)

Time: 3.5 hours (Left at 11:35am, Returned at 3:03pm)

Trail: in and out on Carter-Moriah from the Bangor Road Trailhead in Gorham, NH

I love fungi!