Winter has come to the White Mountains. After climbing the Imp Face and Middle Carter on Friday, it feels strange because it’s still clearly autumn at home. It’s as if I dipped myself in another world for a moment and am now home with the memories of a strange, magical trip.
Not many hikers out there, but the ones we found were very friendly.
Winter Magic
And magical it was. We needed spikes about halfway up the northern section of the Imp Trail, and after navigating creeks and slick ice, the mountain rewarded us with a spectacular view from its summit (top photo).
But Imp Face was only a pit stop, as we had bigger plans. My buddy Brian is contemplating the 4000-footers, while I’m looking into the 52 With A View peaks, so the plan was to see if we could hit one of each. Imp Face for me and Middle Carter for him. We’re also trying to build ourselves up for some backcountry endeavors, so this climb was an attempt to tick off a few boxes.
Waterfalls and views along the Imp Trail. “Bring out the Imp,” was a frequent refrain.
Conflicting Reports
Reading up on the route beforehand, we were given the impression from some hikers that Mount Lethe, which is along the way to Middle Carter, supposedly had better views than Middle Carter. Even though I had climbed both of them before, these two were part of a hellish climb several years back, and I couldn’t quite remember how they played. So I based my expectations on what others reported.
But what I found in reality conflicted with what I found online. What a shocker. I used the Peakbagger app to pinpoint our locations on Lethe and Middle Carter, and maybe the app wasn’t updating properly, but I found Lethe to be lacking. It wasn’t until we started cresting up towards Middle Carter that we saw anything, and what we saw was very cool. It felt like we had been delivered to the icy planet of Hoth.
The land of Hoth
Middle Carter—Very Cool in Winter
The actual summit of Middle Carter is in the trees, but on the ridge leading in, had it not been so foggy, there would have been plenty for us to see. Even with the fog, it felt like there was. I’m not saying Middle Carter ranks high on the list of majestic views on the 4000-footer list, but it’s not devoid of them as some online reports suggest. Like everything else in life, you just have to go and see it for yourself to make your own judgments.
This was a cool way to hit it though. Because there aren’t too many views, the snow and ice created a magic of their own. We kept saying things like, “Look at this winter wonderland.” It was beautiful. If you’re not trying to bag the six 4000-footers of the Carter-Moriah Range in one trip, and are looking to see this group of mountains in a variety of different trips, I think a winter excursion might be my favorite way to see this mountain.
Looking about at Middle Carter in the White Mountains
But Always Practice Caution
There are a few things to look out for this time of year though. Ice has formed on the trails, with thin layers of snow above it. This makes it tricky because there isn’t enough snow for snowshoes, and the snow that is there clumps up on the spikes, causing you to lose traction. On the northern route of the Imp Trail there are several creeks, and the moisture adds to the ice balls forming underfoot. We slipped a little bit, and it is certainly an injury-prone hike. It requires caution and patience. It’s not easy. I always like that aspect of a hike but it’s not for everybody.
A Second Chance
This has been a great year of getting to share more climbs with friends and one of my favorite things is getting to see the 4000-footers again without any design other than to grow my relationship with them. I don’t remember some of these peaks as clearly as others, and having friends interested in summiting them is giving me a chance to create some core memories of these special places. In the past, Middle Carter was lost in a sea of peaks that I grabbed as part of a crazy mission. On Friday I felt like I got to really know the middle child of the Carter-Moriah family and give it the attention it deserves.
Ascending the North Carter Trail into a Winter Wonderland
Ascent Details
- Start: Imp Trail (North Branch), Route 16
- Imp Trail North Branch to Imp Face Spur: ~2.0 miles
- Spur to Imp Face viewpoint: ~0.1 miles (one way)
- Return to Imp Trail and continue to North Carter Trail junction: ~0.4 miles
- North Carter Trail to Carter–Moriah Trail: ~1.2 miles
- Carter–Moriah Trail to Mount Lethe: ~0.3 miles
- Mount Lethe to Middle Carter summit: ~0.6 miles
- Return from Middle Carter back to North Carter Trail junction: ~0.9 miles
- Descend North Carter Trail to Imp Trail South Branch: ~1.2 miles
- Imp Trail South Branch back to Route 16: ~2.4 miles
Total mileage: ~9.5-10 miles
Total elevation gain: ~3,200 ft
If you’re interested in climbing the White Mountains, you can find out more about them here:
52 With a View
4000-footers
In the Mountains
that’s a solid hike. headlamps for that one?
My buddy had one just in case but we got an early start. Hit the trail at 8:30, back at the truck around 3:30ish. Only real stop was for lunch at the junction of north carter trail and imp trail. Little too foggy and cold for any summit sits. But it was so dark when we were driving home at 4:30, it had me feeling like a headlamp will be important to have next time!