10 miles 3150’ Elevation gain

Kevin, Judy and Emma

The anticipation of finishing at this point is making me crazy, as you may have noticed when I did Mount Cabot. Well, see how you feel when you only have 3 to go! So, after setting myself back by overdoing it on the last hike, I was hoping this one would be less grueling. We decide to tackle this one by climbing Stony Brook Trail to the col between Imp Mountain and Mount Moriah, then turning north on the Carter-Moriah trail, following it to the summit of Mount Moriah. The hike along Stony Brook is moderate and offers many nice views of the brook and its many drops and pools. It then rises easily up to the col, and I’m really thinking even though the leg aches, this is the best way to go to get to the summit of this mountain. Soon we were on open ledges that had excellent views of the Northern Presidentials, the Crescent and Pliny Ranges to the northwest and the summit of Moriah to our north. To the south are the Carters and to the east is the vast wilderness of the Wild River Valley. The summit turns out to be crowded, so we climb up and tag the summit, then retreat to a lower ledge where it is quieter and the view isn’t blocked by bodies. This turned out to be one of Jude’s favorite hikes ever, and she has been wanting to go back ever since, which is unusual, because several mountains she has sworn she will never return to, but none she’s ever said she would go back to. She kept up with me all the way and was quite happy about that even though I only had one leg. Emma, of course, was just happy to be in the mountains and be with us. This was a nice hike to do in my condition because it was just up and down, without the long in between and having to reach another summit. We haven’t had too many single mountain climbs. Usually there have been 2 or more and some lesser summits involved, too. On the way down I jumped in the brook in the nice pool where the trail crosses. The ice water was good for my knee. Only 2 to go!
K(46) J(37) E(26)