The trail was rather easy for the first mile, but began to climb more steeply over some ledges. We soon had to go up a steep slope next to a cascade. A short time later we finally reached the summit of South Moat and stopped for a long lunch break. It was too bad the clouds never cleared since there is such a nice view from this peak.

This was the first time we hiked with such a large group. Although the weather never cooperated we all had a good time out on the trail.

The Moat mountains are not very high and are located toward the southern end of the White Mountains. Their location offers excellent views of all the bigger mountain peaks. We began our hike at Diane's Bath which is a series of waterfalls and pools.  The falls are actually a popular tourist destination with a well established path from the parking lot. Once we left the tourists behind we had a nice walk through the woods to the trail that would take us up the mountain. On our way we found lots, and lots of different varieties of mushrooms from all the wet weather we had recently. Neither of us has seen so many varieties, shapes or colors. The trail was pretty easy for the first couple of miles, but eventually we reached a stream, took a quick break and then began the steep climb up the mountain.  

The Red Ridge trail started out steep, but soon reached an outlook with a nice view of the valley. A bit further up the mountain we arrived at the ledges where the trail became more moderate and the views began to really open up. As we kept hiking we could see the south and middle peaks getting closer but our destination still seemed so far away. Along the trail we wandered through a boggy area with puffy white flowers that we have only seen near Mt. Adams. We also found lots and lots of blueberries that were just about ripe. Eventually we arrived at the Moat Mountain trail where we took a short break before we headed for the summit.

The trail along the ridge was completely in the woods and offered few views. As we neared the summit we passed some cliffs and found a strange tree that was reshaped from all the wind. Nearing the top of the mountain we were greeted by other hikers who were very excited to see us! The wind up there was blowing very hard, but the sky was clear and the views were fantastic. We could see everything from nearby Conway, NH all the way to Carter Notch. Mt. Washington spent most of the day in the clouds, but the nearby valley and Mt. Chocorua were clear. After a short time on the summit we hiked down the mountain and headed back to the car. Back down in the valley the trail followed a stream that lead us to a nice waterfall. When we finally got back to the car and headed home we saw the most spectacular sunset behind the mountain we just climbed. This was a wonderful ending to a great day in the mountains.