On Aug. 11, the Turtles hiked Cardigan on a beautiful day.
Mary Lou, Irena, Tracy, Monica, Brian
A good size group of us took a long walk in the woods and uphill to the ridge that comprises the Carter Range, on the east side of Pinkham Notch. We did a clockwise loop, starting with a half mile road walk, then uphill for a few miles to the ridge, at the junction of the North Carter Trail and Carter-Moriah Trail. Turning south, we hiked 0.6 miles along the ridge to Middle Carter, the high point on the loop for most of us. There were nice views along the way, both west across the notch to the northern presidentials and east over to the Baldfaces and beyond into Maine.
Moving on southward, we came next to South Carter, and finally down to what's called Zeta Pass, the col between South Carter and Carter Dome. Some of the faster hikers had gone on ahead, to do the out-and-back to include Carter Dome. Several went up to Carter Dome via Mt Hight, known for its great 360-degree views.
For those of us who did just the two Carter loop, the return to the cars was the end of an 11-mile, nine-hour hike. For those who also did Carter Dome, add another 2-1/2 miles and close to two hours. That's all, folks!
Three hikers went up to Mount Crawford then decided to add in Stairs Mountain. John also did Mount Resolution. Beautiful remote area with excellent views and great companionship. 10 miles 3100 ft elevation gain.
5 Group B hikers went up the South Moat trail.
It was hot and muggy on the ascent.On July 30 The over the hill Hikers, B group, enjoyed the Butterworth Trail to East rattlesnake, and then the Ridge Trail to West rattlesnake in an adjusted plan due to the weather. We were joined by two new Hikers and were lucky enough to have excellent weather in spite of the questionable forecast. In the end, we did 4 miles and had a great time.
A good group of us OTHH hiked up Mt Eisenhower (4,760 ft), "just down the street" from Mt Washington, on a clear, dry summer day. The trail was generally wet, from a soaker the previous day and into the evening, but the air was dry and cool for August. As we got up higher, the breeze became more and more noticeable, and once out of the trees we had to layer up for comfort. The breeze got even stronger as we made our way the last few tenths of a mile to the summit, where there were gusts perhaps to 50 mph. We took our photos, provided by that 360-degree view from the top, then beat it back down to shelter behind a rocky ridge for lunch. Below, at the top, are (front) Chris, (mid) Brenda, Ginger, (rear) Katherine, Dick, and Pat.