Once down in the notch, we hike past the little ponds (which are very beautiful, especially the higher one, which has beautiful big lilies and angel-hair like water grass). We decide to check out the Carter Hut, which turns out to be a very quaint old place. The caretaker has a bit of food set out, including a huge stack of leftover pancakes for free, a 50c lemonade stand, and some fresh bread and cookies for a dollar each.
From the Carter Hut, we start our descent down the 19-mile brook trail. We first head back past the lakes, then up about 100 feet to the true height of land of Carter Notch, and then start a long but fairly gradual descent back to the 19-mile brook trailhead.
Because the trail is mostly easy footing and easily-angled, we make excellent time, taking only 90 minutes to hike back from the height of Carter Notch. We encouter many hikers coming up as we descend, and we're glad we've been able to do most of the hike without too much trail traffic. We arrive back at the trailhead just after 1:30pm. A very excellent hike!
Interactive Trackmap & Photo Points - Carter Range Loop - Click map to expand
Start Time:
4:20a.m.
End Time:
1:23p.m.
Duration:
9h2m
Distance:
21.3 km
(13.23 mi)
Average Speed:
2.4 km/hr
(1.5 mph)
Start Elevation:
1516ft
(462m)
*
Max Elevation:
4859ft
(1481m)
*
Min Elevation:
1499ft
(457m)
*
End Elevation:
1549ft
(472m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
4484ft
(1367m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
4418ft
(1347m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
Elevation profile over distance
Elevation profile over time
On the way back, we take a scenic route through northern New Hampshire and Vermont, we take many nice backroads, including VT111, which you can see a part of in one of the pictures below. Also of interest is the entrance to the 'cow palace' in Derby, VT. See below.
