We stayed a few nights in a friends' mountain house in Conway. Because the forecast called for thunderstorms and rain the whole time, we decided to skip 4000 footers and one of our favorites, the very slippery (and extremely dangerous when wet) Chocorua and head instead for some of the smaller peaks we've never hiked.
The parking lot for the trail leading up North Moat Mountain was completely full of non Vermont/NH/Maine plates so we headed for the South and Middle Moat instead. Happily the parking lot was pretty empty and the only cars there were local.
The trail lead through a beautiful and vibrantly green Hemlock and Beech forest at a mild grade. Every now and then the clouds let loose some rain which sounded beautiful against my raincoat hood. Over a mile in, the trail started climbing more sharply. We ascended slippery wet rocks; welcome back to the Whites!
Once at what I'll refer to as "view height" (is there a word for below treeline but when you start getting vistas through the trees?) we started hearing thunder. We carefully navigated our way upward on slippery slabs. Rye's sense of danger kicked in and we decided to follow her lead back down the mountain under a mile short of the summit. Alas, it was not in the cards for this day. I slipped only once on the slabs back down which I'll take as a win given the conditions.
Peaks
None
Trails
Moat Mountain Trail
Distance
4 miles, 1,503' elevation gain
Time
2:17
Weather
Rainy, hot, thundering
Partners in Crime
Cody & Rye
Strava
Gallery
Wet pup on the bridge
Rye in the Hemlock + Beech forest
Pines up high
Almost a view
Rye on the slabs
Turning around
Cody waiting out the thunder
