Carter Notch Hut Hike

Once a year, we do one AMC White Mountain Hut. We started doing these hikes six years ago with the goal of having Kenzie and her Grandpa Bob hike into all of the AMC huts. The plan was to start easy and work our way to the harder huts as Kenzie got older and more capable. In our fantasy world, Grandpa Bob would not really age - or if he did he would still be able to tackle any mountain we could possibly throw at him.

Last year, we saw the first signs that he may not be able to complete all the huts. We hiked up to Greenleaf Hut on the Bridle Path and it was a bitch. Grandpa Bob did great, but it was a struggle. I actually think he managed the hike better than I did.

This year, we talked Grandpa Bob into doing Carter Notch Hut. It is a longer hike than the Bridle Path, but is not as steep. He seemed excited, but a few weeks before we were to leave he called and canceled. His depth perception and balance are not what he would like it to be. He is 81 after all.

So it was a bittersweet trip this year.

The grandparents did meet us at the trailhead and hiked about a mile in with us. Once it started getting steep and rocky, they turned around.

The hike to the hut is all up, but it a fairly gradual incline through a nice pine forest. The trail goes along a brook with some nice places to stop. We had lunch on some rocks on a water fall. There was not much in the way of views though. The tree cover was too thick.

Cater Notch Hut has the oldest hut structure still in use. The main lodge was built in 1914 and is still the central point of the hut. The bunk house and bathrooms are in separate buildings a short walk away. The bunk houses are relatively new and spacious. The main lodge, on the other hand is quite cozy.

Somehow Kenzie always manages to find someone her age to play with on these trips. This time it was two girls who were doing a day hike to the hut. The girls did a bunch of rock climbing and cave exploration in a near by feature called the Ramparts. The Ramparts looks is a giant bolder field that looks sort of like a giant baby left its legos just laying around. Then the girls went for a swim in the vernal pools near the hut.

After the girls left, it was time for dinner, the naturalist presentation, and bed. Hut dinners are always simple, but hearty affairs. This year it was Thanksgiving in August. I am always amazed that the cru can make such great meals in the middle of the mountains.

Kenzie got up bright and early to fill out her junior naturalist book so she could get her sixth straight patch. Fortunately, she was pretty quiet and I got to sleep until like 6:30. I was up early enough to hear the cru sing the wake up song. The two girls singing were the best I heard at a hut. They had the harmonies down.

Breakfast was oatmeal, bacon, and pancakes; just what one needs to fuel up for a longish hike.

The hike out was pretty chill. Save for the short climb out of the notch, it was all down. We stopped for a quick swim near the trailhead to cool down. The water was cold.

After our hike, Heather wanted to show us the Joe Dodge Lodge, the new Pinkham Notch Lodge, which she visited often when she was a kid. The new lodge is pretty posh. You still have to share communal bathrooms, but the sleeping areas looked very comfortable. The old lodge had a nice cafe where we got lunch. The sandwiches were top notch.

We will finish our mission of visiting each of the Huts with Kenzie, but it looks like we will not be doing them as we had hoped. Grandpa Bob wants us to keep doing it, and I'm sure he would love to be able to do it as well. Hopefully, he will still come and start the trails with us and we know he will always be with us in our hearts.