It’s been a few months since I’ve hiked any of the Moats, so a visit on New Year’s Day felt appropriate. My last visit was also for South and Middle Moat in September prior to starting my single season fall NH48 escapades.
I’m lucky to have these peaks pretty much in my backyard as it’s about a 20-25 minute drive for me to the trailhead off Passaconaway Road. Prior to moving north I never hiked many of the smaller peaks, 52 with a view mountains, or random (but great) trails up in the White Mountains. It was primarily the 4K’s. While these peaks tend to be where I venture off to for hikes, I have greatly enjoyed expanding my hiking to the smaller mountains and less-trafficked trails.
The conditions were a little bit of a hot mess. From the car Katie and I wore our trail runners (we both have goretex ones) and didn’t need any form of traction as the trail was dry and mostly ice free. Around mile 1.25 when the trail begins to more steadily climb we encountered more ice and some small patches of snow, all manageable “bare booting” and easy to avoid. As we kept going the ice and snow patches kept growing and around mile 2 we decided it was time for the microspikes.
There were some offshoots from the trail where folks had opted to go through the woods for a small stretch versus navigating the ice. Around the ledge areas, Katie and I did the same mostly on the way down. Definitely pack traction. As of New Years Day, snowshoes would have been overkill, but with the snowstorm Jan 2nd I’m not sure now. Where I live we ended up with about 4-5″ of fresh snow and I’m sure this will be quickly packed down. My go-to for winter is to always bring the snowshoes in my car and decide at the trailhead to take them along or not… unless I see a very reliable trail-report on NETC or one of the NH hiking Facebook groups beforehand.
Between the peaks there was much more snow and very minimal ice than heading up to South Moat. This was refreshing and allowed us to move much quicker with less careful foot placement needed. While heading to North Moat is always temping, there would definitely have been much more snowpack between Middle and North and with our trail runners and enjoying the “spring-esque” nature of this hike we kept it to South and Middle!
I’m often asked if I “get sick of hiking the same mountains over and over again?”. My answer isn’t a simple yes or no (but it’s not yes). I love the feeling of being at home in these mountains. There is often a sense of nostalgia for past hikes of the same mountains, because each hike is different but yet I still remember the previous ones. Sometimes I miss being naïve or innocent to the lists (4000 footers, grid, winter 48, 52 WAV, New England 67, etc.) and just how deeply down the hiking rabbit hole one can go – as in way beyond just NH and New England.
To a degree, for me personally, knowing all the lists and options can sometimes pull from the sheer enjoyment of being out there in the middle of the forest – it places a small pressure point on summitting for a reason other than pure love. But then othertimes I genuinely enjoy the lists and knowing what is possible as I keep pursing hiking and expanding my comfort zones and goals of places I’d like to go visit and hike. Ultimately, I think it comes down to the intention behind the hiking and whether or not at the end of the day I’m enjoying it.
“Pay attention to the yearning desire to live a life that enriches your soul, whatever that may be. Take your own breath away and explore new territories that release the baggage of a comfort zone. Dare to be authentic and real, genuine and whole; alone. Meet today with possibility that grew from yesterdays downfalls. Not everything is peachy but our perception is fucking everything. Take note of that and give meaning to it all. It wont fix your problems but it will allow you to see beyond them.”
Nikki Rowe