South Moat

Submitted by Pat

Stats
Mountain: South Moat (2,770)
Date: June 10, 2017
Miles: 5.4
Elevation Gain: 2,200
Trail: Moat Mountain Trail

Nancy and I meet in Moultonborough at the Village Kitchen for a veggie omelet without cheese and gluten free toast without butter or margarine. We decide not to risk the water crossings on the Oliverian Trail and instead will hike South Moat, 5.4 miles out and back.

We start out at 9:30 am, Nancy, me and the bugs. We hike up to a logging area and can’t find the beginning of the trail. So Nancy and I plus three other hikers and a dog look around for a while until the guy with the dog finds the beginning of the trail. No cairn and no visible sign.

The Moat Mountain Trail starts climbing from the moment we start hiking. The first part of the trail is wide and is a rare trail with few roots and rocks. That makes for a good starting pace, but the climbing immediately begins to affect me. I start sweating and breathing hard and my legs have little get up and go. Last week I did more climbing, although less steep, on the High Ridge Trail in the Ossipee Range, and ran out of gas, but today I haven’t gone half a mile when I start feeling pushed – like it’s taking a lot of energy to maintain any sort of pace.

I feel frustrated but there is nothing to do but keep climbing. The trail is mostly dry though we do encounter some wet rock when we reach the ledges. We talk as we walk and it’s helpful for me to vent about life.