The saying, “the mountain will be there another day,” applies to this trip. Extremely high winds forecast for the alpine regions forced a change of plan. Instead of a long, exposed day on the Presidential Range, Redline Guide Debra McCown — with the approval of our guest — opted for a more sheltered traverse, in part: The Wildcats, Carter Dome, and Mt Hight. We’ll let Debra share the details along with some photos.
This guest came to us hoping to get some more winter hiking experience in so as to build confidence for solo endurance efforts in the winter. The original plan was for a Presidential Traverse, but extreme winds meant an above treeline route was off the table, so instead we decided to check out the Wildcats and the Carter Range.
We started the day in the dark with a one-mile slog through drifted snow from Pinkham Notch, then went up the steep Wildcat Ridge where an ice axe and crampons were needed for the scrambles. High winds added an extra challenge! From there we hiked over the Wildcats through drifted snow, where the guest more than pulled his weight on the trail-breaking.
We stopped in at Carter Notch Hut to eat some snacks and take a look at the map to decide what trails and peaks to add from there. He picked a loop over snowy Carter Dome and Mt Hight before descending 19-Mile Brook Trail [where Mike met us at this bailout point] and headed back to the road.
It was a solid winter day in the woods that gave our guest the desired boost to his winter comfort level. I hope he has a lot of fun in his future winter adventures! —Debra
