| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jackson, NH |
|
 | Trails: |
Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Mizpah Cutoff, Crawford Path, Gibbs Falls Spur |
|
 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 22, 2019 |
|
 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked at the AMC Highland Center. Plenty do open spots when we arrived at 9am and left at 4:30-5pm |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only crossing I can recall is of Flume Cascade Brook which was snow covered and hardly noticeable. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I don’t recall any blowdowns but that’s not to say there weren’t some I don’t remember. Webster-Jackson Trail and the Jackson Branch are both blazed in blue (connects to the AT). Blazing is regular if not all that frequent. A spot here or there where the packed trail deviates from the true trail to avoid ice. No problem following these trails but that could be a different story if they weren’t broken out. Webster Cliff Trail is blazed in white (the AT). We only noted a handful of blazes the entire 1.7mi. We had a set of snowshoe tracks to follow but I hear this can be a difficult one to follow in winter. Mizpah Cutoff and Crawford Path were both easy to follow as they had both been packed out but I don’t recall their blazing although I’d assume it was blue as they not connect to the AT. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The steep ledges on Jackson might be too much for some but most hiking dogs could have probably handled this. Not much open water. Saw Pepper :) |
|
 | Bugs: |
Snowfleas! |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
None |
|
|
|
|
 | Comments: |
Oh what a wonderful day!! :D Always a pleasure to hike with my good friend Peru :) He was working on his 17th 4000 footer and I finished redlining the 1.7mi section of Webster Cliff Trail between Jackson and Mizpah Cutoff. Surprisingly very little wind in the notch and a pretty warm start (mid-high 20s I think). Started off mostly cloudy but that changed :)
We put our spikes on at the car in anticipation of icy conditions which worked well. The trail was packed powder from the start so no need for snowshoes unless you prefer them. Snow depth was surprisingly little and occasionally gave way to blue ice underneath so we were glad to have our spikes on. There was a spot or two where the trail splits and an alternate route avoids ice. Not too long before the trail splits into the Webster Branch and Jackson Branch we had the pleasure of running into John and Pepper who I hadn’t seen in a year or two. Had a very nice conversation with John and heard some very cool stories! I personally enjoy the steep, flat, steep, flat routine of the first 1.4mi of trail here. In winter, the snow also smooths things out and gets rid of the less than ideal footing on this trail.
The next 1.3mi is a more consistent uphill battle. We ran into Ken and Karen, a pair of redliners who I’d met last year when redlining The Roost. Nice to see them both again and briefly chat :) Some exposed ice on rock that you had to be careful on even in microspikes. Hillsounds would probably be better here for a little extra oomph. Not sure it’d really be worth bringing crampons as most will feel fine in something less aggressive and there’s minimal snow depth on the ledges so you may wind up quickly having to take them off. By the time we got to the summit the sun was out and the wind was blowing. Nothing that would knock you over but my hands got chilled quickly although other people were able to sit and eat lunch. Great views and clear skies to big George :)
With a little searching I found the Webster Jackson Trail continuing north to Mizpah Cutoff and descended steeply down ledges back to treeeline where we took off our spikes and put on snowshoes. It looked like a barebooter or two had come this way. I was happy to see that bootprints quickly changed to snowshoes tracks though. That said, snow depth was much less than I would have thought. I was in Pinkham Notch the day before and it seemed that snow depth was greater there than here at 4000ft and just a few miles south. I’d still recommend using snowshoes along here but barebooting wouldn’t be the worst thing in be world as there isn’t much of a base to posfhole through and snow depth is minimal. You’d just be sinking in a few inches of powder that may not be consolidated yet. If a few more people were on it since we were Sunday, there should be a nice track and spikes may suffice. I loved the open alpine meadows here :) Some spots with minimal snow depth due to water underneath them where your snowshoes will hit rock underneath. No problem following the trail to Mizpah Cutoff although I hear it can be difficult to follow when you’re breaking trail (thanks to those that did it for us!)
Mizpah Cutoff had seen a little more traffic than Webster Cliff had but not too much so we left the snowshoes on even though you’re probably fine to barebooting/spike at this point. This trail is very nice for snowshoeing and doesn’t have steep spots that are easy to fall over in on snowshoes like other trails.
While taking off our spikes we met John, June, Jeb, and Karen at the jct with Crawford Path who’d done an out-and back along Crawford Path fo Eisenhower (see Jeb’s report). We talked to them for probably at least 15-20min and enjoyed their conversation so much we all decided to hike down together. A very accomplished group of hikers who we learned a lot from! Congratulation to John who is the first NH Triple Crowner meaning he has completed The Grid (twice), White Mountains Redlining, and the NH500. Nice, quick cruise down Crawford Path back to the car stopping at Gibbs Falls along the way. |
|
 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
|
 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
|
| Date Submitted: |
2019-12-24 |
|
 | Link: |
 https:// |
|
|
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. |
|
