Thursday, August 25, 2016

Moriah--8/21/2016

Mt. Moriah
Carter-Moriah trail
8/21/2016
9.0 miles round-trip
3,550 feet of elevation gain

I didn't do this hike solo because the last time I hiked Mt. Moriah, I was about eight years old.  Therefore, I do not remember much of the mountain.  I could probably could have hiked it by myself, but, for now, I am only going solo on mountains I know very well.

The parking situation was a little unclear.  We saw another car parked near the houses (but not by the "No Parking" sign) around the Carter-Moriah trailhead, so we did the same.


Max wasn't exactly looking at the camera, but it was an improvement from him simply facing the other way.


I was excited; it was almost like hiking Mt. Moriah for the first time, since I didn't remember anything from when I was younger.  The very first part of the trail was easy terrain but steep, and then it flattened out more after that.


Max again.


A large knot in a light-colored tree.


Now the trail was basically rock.  It was a bit narrow with vegetation creeping in on both sides.


Getting up on the ledges...



The sun's rays took over this picture!  White rays of sunlight cut across all of us.


Blueberry bushes without blueberries.  They were gone for the year.


Mt. Surprise!  At least, we thought the summit was around there.


Beautiful views from the ledges above Mt. Surprise.


My mom and I were extremely grateful to Max for this amazing photo opportunity.  The sun glistening on his coffee-colored coat made for a good picture.  He looks surprisingly small.


Tough dog...



Some kind of blue berry, but not a blueberry.  Anyone know what type of berries these are?


Continuing up...


We're almost there...


Here we are.  The satisfying marker that proves your suspicions that you are, indeed, at the summit.


It was fairly windy on top.  Our hair was blowing around, and I was getting a little cold.  I put on my bright pink fleece soon after arriving.





We had spectacular views and clear skies.






After a little while, I went to sit on a more sheltered rock (so I didn't feel the wind as much) but from which I could still see great views.  A confident little bird chirped at us and hopped near us for a while.  It was adorable!



Coming down... These roots look like they are spelling out "AEl" or "AEf."  That was a bit odd...


A drop of sap trying to escape but solidified before it had the chance.


We didn't notice this coming up, but coming down we saw old pieces of an ancient car in the woods on the side of the path.


Turn a corner, and we are at our car!


I loved hiking Mt. Moriah.  It was a beautiful, great hike with amazing views and an enjoyable trail.

6 comments:

  1. Alex, those blue berries are thr fruit, not to be eaten, of Clintonia borealis. Clintonia has a beautiful cluster of yellow flowers in the spring.

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    1. Okay, thanks! Interesting

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  2. Blue bead lily is another common name for the Clintonia. Sometimes it's easier to remember names that "make sense" and the berries do look a bit like beads.

    Looks like a great hike!

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  3. Hi Alex,

    You did a great job capturing the trail with your pics. I particularly like the routes that spell out AEf or AEI. Very cool.

    Thanks,
    Karl

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