We went back and forth a bit on which trail we should use for Moosilauke. We had taken Beaver Brook previously in non-winter, but decided that wasn't going to be an option with the lower section along the brook being hazardous if it was icy. We had settled on the Glencliff trail, due to it's short distance, but after a last minute chat with Boghollow, we switched to a start at Ravine Lodge because of it's higher elevation.
After driving up the road to the winter gate, the designate parking area was glare ice. After sliding around a bit while parking, we considered just leaving. We started the road walk, which was also pretty slippery. When we made it to the lodge, we put snowshoes on at the trail. The trail was very hard packed from the overnight temperatures, so snowshoes weren't necessary. We hadn't made a decision between staying on the Gorge Brook trail or taking the Snapper trail, so when we got to the junction, we stopped for a minute. Gracepoints opted for Snapper, so we headed down that trail.
We've hiked 19 of the 48 since the snowfall in early to mid January. Every trail that we've been on in the time-frame has been in nice shape. Snapper was the first trail that we've encountered this winter that was in poor shape - the trail was post-holed from end to end. With snowshoes on, the postholes didn't affect us much, but we probably would have moved faster on a smooth trail. Presumably, the trail had gotten torn up the previous day with sunshine and high temps.
The postholes continued for a bit on the Carriage Road, but ended as we got a little higher in elevation. We enjoyed the wider Carriage Road, and discussed if we were good enough skiers to comeback and ski this route in the future. As we got higher, it became clear that the summit was in a cloud. Due to the elevation where started hiking into the cloud, I had little hope that we would end up above the clouds.
Near tree-line
As we neared tree-line, the wind began to howl a little more. We geared up for the exposure and made our way to the summit. We stopped only to take pictures of the sign and then retreated back to the trees. Despite the condition of the Snapper trail, we decided to hike out the same way we had ascended - the moderate grade of the Carriage Road was pretty appealing.
The summit sign
As we made our way down the Carriage Road, we had a few views to the south. As we got lower, we started to have some sunlight. The Snapper trail was still pretty frozen, but once we were on the bottom section of the Gorge Brook trail, it had started to soften.
A view from the Carriage Road
On the return along the road, some parts of that were a little softer as well. Back at the parking area, the ice was as treacherous as it had been earlier. While the hike was nice, we were disappointed to not have had views on Moosilauke. We'll keep this on the list for a return on a clear winter day.