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| Wildcat Party |
Back in 2011, a Carter Ridge and Carter Notch Hut stay and Wildcat Ridge hike was one of the first overnight hikes that I did with my brother on our joint quest to complete all of the 48 NH 4,000 footers. We always recalled it fondly and recently decided to make a long-overdue return trip to the same location. But this time, we'd invite the next generation of hikers along as well. So on a rainy Wednesday in the late summer, I met my brother and two nephews at the usual White Mountain meet point and we made the long drive to our base of operations for the weekend -- The AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch. The plan was to stay there on the first and last nights. Sandwiched in between would be a hike up the Nineteen Mile Brook Trial, an overnight stay at Carter Notch Hut, and then a climb up to the top of Wildcat.
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| Upper Carter Lake |
At one point, it seemed like the hike to Wildcat might not even happen. It rained buckets throughout our first night at the Highland Center and we awoke to continued downpours that lasted for most of the morning. We killed as much time as possible before starting the drive over to the eastern side of the White Mountains, but the rain seemed to follow us wherever we went. Fortunately, just as we turned south into the town of Gorham, the cold front blew through and the rain suddenly started to taper. As we pulled up to the trailhead, the sky remained overcast but the rain was done. We dubbed our good fortune "Gorham Magic" and started the long, slippery climb to the hut.
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| Lower Carter Lake |
Once we reached the hut, the friendly staff informed us that we would have one of the 6-person rooms completely to ourselves. Carter Notch is by far my favorite hut. I like the small, homey feel of its common area and you can't beat having smaller rooms instead of the large, snorefest bunkrooms that characterize the other huts. After settling into our digs, we took our time exploring and admiring the scenery from the shores of the Carter Lakes -- two small picturesque ponds that surround the hut grounds.
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| View from Wildcat climb |
The last time that we stayed at Carter Notch, we left the hut before dawn and were up to the top of Wildcat by sunrise. That was in caretaker season, so we could leave as early as we wanted. For this trip, we had to wait around for the breakfast and morning skit before heading out. We finally hit the trail around 9 a.m., anxious to get moving after such a lazy morning. Even the youngest of our party had no troubles navigating the steep ascent to Wildcat Summit. He even carried his older brother's pack part of the way. The day before, I had asked him if he could "cut the mustard" on such a daunting climb, so that phrase became the oft-repeated words of the day. Once at the top, we took a long break admiring the views of massive Carter Dome across the valley and the speck-like buildings of Carter Notch Hut far below us. It really is a sensational vantage point.
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| View of the hut from Wildcat Summit |
The climb to Wildcat had some significance to my youngest nephew -- it was his first 4,000 footer. I was also present when his older brother did his first, Mount Cabot, since we had timed it in such a way that Cabot was both his first and our last. The long descent back to the car had us all talking about making a late-summer White Mountains trip into an annual occurrence. 1 and 2 down, 47 and 46 to go. I'm confident that they can cut the mustard.
Peak: Wildcat
Elevation: 4,422 feet (Gain: 2,929 feet)
Distance: 8.6 miles roundtrip
Route: Out and Back: Nineteen Mile Brook Trail to Carter Notch Hut to Wildcat Ridge Trail
Conditions: Rainy to Partly Sunny, 65 degrees F
