Mt. Moriah and Rattle River - Fall Hiking in the White Mountains

Went up to New Hampshire last weekend with my wife Amanda. It was great to get away for the weekend and the weather promised to be extremely nice for November. I wanted her to pick the hike and she poured over the map before deciding on Mt. Moriah. To my surprise she wanted to take the Rattle River Trail, figuring that this longer route probably would be quieter. She was certainly correct. We say very few people until we hit the summit.

The leaves were all but gone from the trees and made for a crunchy first few miles as they were all underfoot. The Rattle River was certainly not impressive with the general lack of rain but it's constant burbling was welcome. The rested briefly at the Rattle River shelter where an overnighter was packing up to ascend. He passed us not long after at a river crossing. When we reached the trail intersection a decision was to be made. Amanda had to choose between Mt. Moriah and Shelbourne Moriah - we knew we likely wouldn't have the time or energy for both - and she opted for Mt. Moriah. The next section of trail was lovely with more bog bridges and moderate climbs. 

I wasn't surprised that the summit was packed with people but we found a little corner to rest and enjoy our lunch. After about 15 minutes up top it was time to head back the same way. It was a long hike out - this was Amanda's longest single day hike to date and we were both ready to be done as sunset approached. We reached the car around 4:30 pm - it had taken us about 8.5 hours and we were tired but satisfied. 

In retrospect booking a hotel in Plymouth for afterwards wasn't the best choice as it made for a long ride but Amanda was able to rest and it afforded me the opportunity to hike Moosilauke the next day so it was worth it. We brought a pizza up to our hotel room and relaxed for the rest of the evening. This was Amanda's 14th 4000 footer and she did great despite the exhaustion. Always wonderful to hike with her. 

Here's the video of our hike. As always I appreciate everyone who takes the time to watch, like and subscribe!