Ultralight Backpacking on the Carter-Moriah Range

3 Days of Ultralight Backpacking & Hammock Camping on the Carter-Moriah Range in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
For this summer backpacking trip, I headed up to the Wild River Wilderness to create a 36 mile hiking loop with 10,000 feet of gross elevation gain by linking together the Appalachian trail with several other lesser used and more rugged trails in the White Mountain National Forest.
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My June temperature range for this trip would be 35° to 85° with a chance of rain each day, mostly at night. Due to the wide temp range and unpredictable weather typically encountered in the White Mountains, I packed a puffy jacket and ultralight rain gear for additional protection against the elements. This brought my pack’s base weight right up to around the 10 lb mark.
I packed my standard minimalist hammock camping setup for this trip. While I planned to stay at "official" campsites, I still wanted the ability to camp at a legal, but unofficial spot if the opportunity or need arose. Due to the dense vegetation and uneven ground found at upper elevations in the Whites, I’ve learned that a hammock is often the best option in those conditions.
Water would be plentiful along the river portion of my loop, but would only be reliably available at Imp campsite during the ridge hike section, so I had to plan accordingly during the first half of my trip. The second half of my trip would have more water, but would be on more challenging trails. Notably, the Black Angel Trail, a rugged and minimally maintained wilderness trail, and the Highwater Trail, which suffered substantial washouts and haphazard re-routes due to storm damage from Hurricane Irene back in 2011.
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Trailhead: Rattle River TH
44°24’04.4″N 71°06’35.2″W
Shelburne, NH
Trails Day 1
Rattle River Trail (Appalachian Trail South)
Kenduskeag Trail (AT)
Carter-Moriah Trail (AT)
Camp at Imp Shelter Tentsite
This site has a reliable water source, a large wooden shelter, bear box and tent platforms. I was able to easily hang my hammock at one of the spots. There is an AMC caretaker and $15 fee June - October. As per the USFS, no fee is required outside of caretaker season.
Day 1 Mileage: 8.4 miles
Day 1 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,809′
Day 1 Gross Descent: 1,396′
Trails Day 2
Carter-Moriah Trail (AT)
Black Angel Trail
South on Wild River Trail
Camp at Spruce Brook Tentsite
Water is available from the brook. Camping spots are uphill from the trail. A large campfire area is at the base of the hill. There used to be a shelter here, but it was removed.
Day 2 Mileage: 11.3
Day 2 Gross Elevation Gain: 2,983′
Day 2 Gross Descent: 4,439′
Trails Used, Day 3
North on Wild River Trail
Highwater Trail
Shelburne Trail
At intersection with Kenduskeag Trail, continue on Shelburne Tr
Unnamed Trails
Here’s where I made the unfortunate gamble to avoid some elevation. I wouldn’t recommend this in warmer months. The trails I took ended up being snowmobile trails that aren’t really maintained with hiking in mind. They had a ton of standing water on them and were basically a 3 mile long mosquito breeding ground. Do yourself a favor and take the Kenduskeag trail back up the ridge to Rattle River Trail instead.
Return to parking
Day 3 Mileage: 16.5
Day 3 Gross Elevation Gain: 3,147’
Day 3 Gross Descent: 3,992′
Total Mileage: 36.2
Total Gross Elevation Gain: 9,939′
FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission for purchases made through some of my links.
Notable Backpacking Gear
ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack bit.ly/2Sq1FPH
Dutchware Pack Cover bit.ly/2O8N7AL
Dutchware Half-Wit Hammock bit.ly/3yShE0I
Hammock Gear Phoenix 30 Underquilt bit.ly/3LzBPDv
HG Burrow 40 Top Quilt
HG Dyneema Hex Tarp bit.ly/3GadwLh
DIY Cat Can Alcohol Stove
Vargo Windscreen amzn.to/2M3uRuG
Toaks 750ml Titanium Pot amzn.to/2GR7AJX
Sea to Summit Long Handled Spork go.magik.ly/ml...
Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets amzn.to/3uYZ1TP
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket amzn.to/2BiSnB1
Helium Rain Pants amzn.to/3uL7xIo
Outdoor Vitals Satu Adventure Pants bit.ly/3r4nhDI
La Sportiva Wildcat Trail Runners amzn.to/3hyKrMi
Wright Socks amzn.to/2XqbOSP
Nitecore NU25 Headlamp amzn.to/2YVsp0A
Spot X Satellite Messenger amzn.to/3adSjBr
Casio ProTrek FR-30 Smartwatch amzn.to/3dtY7Xj
Benchmade Bugout Knife amzn.to/2JVfBS5
Mountain House Backpacking Meals amzn.to/3lBAgdv
Baofeng UV-5R Radio amzn.to/3R53gbY
GoPro Hero 8 Black amzn.to/2D8n6lL
Shorty Tripod Grip amzn.to/2MPhGOM