| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Jackson, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster Jackson Trail |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, February 19, 2016 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Information Center lot had few cars by 6:00PM |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All manageable with attention to foot placement |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
None |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs |
|
 | Bugs: |
No bugs |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
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|
 | Comments: |
On with the night project. With the affable Carl Tremblay. Started from the Info Center at 6:00PM. Overcast filling in from the west, with a near-full moon filtering through early. 29F and freshening breeze from the SW. Based on reports, we left our snowshoes in the car and started out with micros. As has been noted, the lower Crawford is 70% ice, but because of the gentle grade and plastic consistency, micros worked well. Above the Cut-off, more snow than ice to Pierce, then a mix over to the Loop. We could see the deck lowering over Tom and Wiley as we started up the cone and the wind really ramped up. Loop trail is very icy; not a big deal going up in micros, but going down we detoured a couple of the worst sections. Summit was low teens and 50-70mph from the south. On the way back to Pierce the snow started really coming down and Eisenhower disapeared behind us.A bit tough route-finding on Webster Cliff as we worked across the summit plateau of Pierce. The trail down to the hut had little ice and a decent track. Beautiful walk across to Jackson, with the snow realy coming down and sheltered from the wind. At the first meadow, we doused our lights and hiked from there to the summit of Jackson in natural light. I've experienced this several times now, where we're in the deck and its snowing like crazy, but with a big moon riding above no light is required.....very special. We knew the ledges coming down off the cone on Webster Jackson would be completely iced, but now they were covered in 6" of powder as well and were just brutal; lots of branch-hanging from the sides. The whole descent back to 302 was very tough; continous ice hidden by loose powder. We picked our way down, with several pinwheeling moments, but no falls.Should have switched to crampons, but we were too tired and lazy at that point. Back to the car just before 2:00AM. The drive back to Boston was grim; no plows till we got south of Tilton. Planning to do a two-night loop of Hale, Zealand, Bonds and Twins next month. 17 to go! |
|
 | Name: |
Stuart Grey |
|
 | E-Mail: |
stuartgreydc@comcast.net |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2016-02-20 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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