| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jackson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Webster-Jackson Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, December 20, 2020 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Managed one of the last spaces in the roadside parking lot shortly after sunset. Cars were lining the road upon returning (I suspect this may become a ticketing/towing issue this winter). |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Snow/ice bridged, but perhaps a little soft in the middle. Would heed caution in the warmer weather that's forecast. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
One annoying duck under prior to the split. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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|
 | Comments: |
Bony going from the trailhead to the split and a few tenths beyond. I wore snowshoes for the ascent, but spiked this portion for the descent. The short steeps were a bit rocky/icy. Only a few inches of powder from last week's storm.
Decent snowshoeing shortly after the split to the summit, albeit bony in places. Whereas the snowpack is about a foot down low, it's two feet higher up. The scrambly areas were a little tricky due to blue/black ice and bare rock, but I found Tubbs Flex Alps snowshoes to be the ideal traction (spread out over two feet), and would have been very slow in descending with Microspikes (not great on blue ice) or crampons (still plenty of rock). Wouldn't be nearly as bad if not for people buttsliding and pulling down the snow. Overall, better coverage than usual for this time of year on those slabs.
Apart from the scrambles up high, one could easily get away with Microspikes roundtrip right now. That said, if temperatures do warm up this week, snowshoes would be a better option for the top mile or so with softening snowpack.
Cloudy morning, but summit was in the clear and not much wind. Some higher summits had occasional fog. Relatively quiet on the trail, only seeing about a dozen folks. |
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 | Name: |
rocket21 |
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 | E-Mail: |
rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2020-12-20 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos |
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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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