For the long weekend in October I really wanted to do a nice hike and see some fall foliage. There are a few mountains out by the Carters that I hadn't done yet, and wanted to - Imp Face being the primary one, just because I like the name. I also have been wanting to do Mt. Hight which is in the same area. Looking at a map, I realized I could go up the Imp trail, go over North Carter to the Imp campground, camp for the night, and then hike over the Carters on a long ridgeline to Hight, coming down Carter Dome and 19 Mile Brook, which has switchbacks! And, that's what I did! It was a good adventure, with some definite Type 2 Fun in the mix.
Because I was backpacking and camping, I didn't need to get up super early. Which was good, because once again I couldn't sleep the night before. I got up around 8, left at 8:30, and set out on my hike at exactly noon. At the bottom of the trail I was met by a couple who said that the creek was so high that they couldn't cross and had turned back - it had rained all day the day before. Ominous. Then, as I was getting close to the crossing, another couple coming down told me the same thing. I got a little nervous that my backpacking trip was going to be .7 miles in and then .7 out. When I got to the creek, though, it wasn't that bad. I did have to spend a little time planning, and I undid the clips on my backpack so if I did fall in I could shake it off. I was really grateful for my hiking poles. And my gortex boots. There was one spot where it wasn't that graceful, but I made it across, and headed up.
I had spent some time looking at the maps, and so I knew that the hike to the first viewpoint, Imp Ledges, was going to be pretty intense. It was just a saunter to the creek, but after that it definitely went uphill. I was so glad when I got to the ledge where I could relax, enjoy the view, and eat (cheese, tomato and avocado on a sour dough pita that I got at the farmer's market.) I guess the Imp is seen as a part of the cliff below the ledges - I didn't see it because they were steep and I got the willies just looking at them, no way I was going to look over the ledge, or hike back down for a view. Anyhow, after a little break I had to move on - it was already after 2, I had 4 miles to go, and it gets dark at 6:30 ish.
The hardest part of the hike was actually going down from the top of North Carter to the campground. The trail basically just went straight down for the first half mile. The rock was wet and my pack was about 25 pounds, so it was slow going. I finally got to the campground at about 6:30. I was so nervous about finding a tent platform - since I had carried my tent all the way there, I really wanted to use it, and not sleep in the shelter. As I walked around the campsite, I realized I had worried for nothing. I didn't see another person there! I later realized there was one other person in the shelter, but that was it - just the two of us. I chose a platform and hurried to get my tent set up before dark, which sadly was not as easy as it should have been. The shock cord in my tent had lost all its spring and so it was impossible to get the poles to stay together. Eventually I just decided to cut it (I used my pocket knife from my emergency kit for cutting - so glad I had it!) When I finally got the tent up it was dark and I was hungry.
I brought my jetboil this time and cooked some freeze dried mac and cheese that wasn't that good. Since I was the only one around I just used the bear box to cook on, and then I sat on it as well to eat. There were a lot of trees, but through them I could see so many stars - it was beautiful! I admired them for a bit, and then I was like "it's 7:30, now what?" Unfortunately the wind was picking up and it was getting pretty cold out, so I headed to my tent and put on all my layers - long underware, hiking tights, frog togg pants, ninja hoody, tshirt, big puff, wool buff from Iceland, two pairs of wool socks, gloves, hoods from my ninja hoodie and puff, and then I got into my sleeping bag liner and bag, and I still wasn't warm! I think the biggest issues were my tent being kind of thin and my sleeping pad not being insulating enough. I wished I had brought my kindle, and had to settle for sticking my phone in my hood and listening to audible. It wasn't the most comfortable night, but still I got more sleep than I had the night before.
I woke up on Monday at 6 am, ready to hit the trail. Of course, when you are camping it's never that easy. I had to filter water, make breakfast, break down my gear, pack up, and delayer. It was about 8 by the time I left - I have no idea why it takes so long, but it does. As I headed out, I thought I saw clouds below me, and as I got to a viewpoint I realized that it was undercast - so amazing!
I was nervous about hiking back up to North Carter, since the down hill had been so difficult the night before, but it was fine. Definitely easier to go up than down. It did take me 2 hours to go the 2 miles to the top. I took a break there, had a snack, and assessed my food situation. I had packed well in terms of food for the other meals, but I didn't really pack much of a lunch - I had some bobo's pop tarts, a power bar, and 3 stoofwaffles. Not smart. The walk across the ridgeline was lovely - I went over Middle and South Carter - both 4000 footers. I was happy to see the Zeta pass, though. Once there I had to decide about Mt. Hight. It was my goal to hike it, and if I didn't do it that would be the third time I was at the Zeta pass, wanting to do Hight, but not doing it. On the other hand, I wasn't setting any speed records, and it was already around 1. I knew timing-wise I would be happier if I just hiked out and went home. In the end, I decided to do the mountain - it was only .8 mile away! The hike up Hight wasn't that bad, and I was so glad I did it! The view was the best all day - 360 degrees and I could admire how far I had walked, see Mt Washington, look at the foliage, and it felt like I could touch the clouds. I only had a short rest while I admired the view and ate almost all the rest of my food.
The hike out was the worst part of the trip. The extra weight on my back really pushed my feet forward in my boots, and my big toes were killing me! My knees were a little sore too. It was funny because I didn't really feel the extra weight on my back too much - I felt like it was fine, but man my toes were hurting. I still tried to make the best of it - it was a beautiful day, the trees were changing, I worked on trying to be steady on my feet and keep a decent pace down the mountain. About a mile before the end I stopped at a viewpoint and ate the last stoofwaffle. Even though it wasn't that big, and I didn't have that far left to hike, I was so glad I stopped. I got a burst of energy from all the sugar, and walked the rest of the way with new vigor.
I was so happy when I hit the road finally, but the one thing that was sad was that I had a long road walk to get back to my car. I usually do the road walk at the start, but this time I wasn't 100% sure I would come back the way I planned, and it would be a huge bummer to have to do it twice! I started out walking, and feeling a little sorry for myself. After about a half mile a car stopped, and I was like "I hope they are going to offer me a ride. And I hope they aren't crazy murderers." It was two women, and they were stopping to offer me a ride! And, they had a PUPPY in the back seat. Best. Ride. Ever. I was so grateful to them - they go on my list of strangers to be thankful for, with the nice Indian family and the girl in the supermarket in Iceland.
All and all, a good hike. A few things I did well:
- Brought enough layers knowing that it was going to be cold
- Used everything in my backpack, except a few of the emergency things
- Hit all the spots I wanted to
- Set up the tent before I go and make sure it's all in good order. Shock cords will need replacing.
- Figure out something for my feet so that I don't have such toe issues
- Make sure I have food for every meal - don't expect that snacks will be a meal
- Bring my kindle - I was really wishing for it
