| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Jackson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, April 7, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking at the Clinton Rd lot. |
|
 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Spring Snow, Slush |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Most snow bridges are still intact, but some are getting thin. The snow bridge on the main crossing on the Webster-Jackson Trail is gone and the water is running strong, but careful rock-hopping will get you across. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few small trees down across the Webster Cliff Trail, but they are easily avoided. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a few spiders out and about. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
It was full-on Spring hiking and we were presented with many different trail conditions. The Crawford Connector was a mix of wet, muddy trail with patches of ice and granular snow. This turned to a solid packed base with 1-2 inches of wet snow on the Crawford Path. We started out in microspikes, but eventually went bare-boot because our spikes were balling up. Others seemed to do OK with spikes. YMMV. Fewer hikers had ventured beyond Mt Pierce and the recent 2 inches of new snow was less consolidated. Most people on this section were using light traction, but we continued to bare-boot and did fine. Two hikers wore snowshoes out to Eisenhower, but elected to switch to light traction for the return. The snow in the sunny portions of this section of trail is rapidly disappearing. There was a lot of bare rock, slush, and running water on the trail.
The Webster Cliff Trail from Pierce to Jackson was very pleasant. It had seen enough traffic to form a solid base, and because it is mostly sheltered from the sun, there was very little wet, slushy conditions. The initial steep decent of the Jackson Branch was a mix of bare rock with some patches of snow and ice. Be very careful. Below this rocky section there was just enough granular snow on a hard base to allow long stretches of glissading. Below the Jackson-Webster junction the snow became increasingly thin, and below the Bugle Cliff cutoff was a mix of mostly ice and rock.
The weather started out as solid overcast, but the skies slowly cleared as the day went on, and we were treated to some very nice views. Only Washington refused to come down out of the clouds - all other peaks were eventually visible. Temperatures were mild, and there was very little wind. All-in-all an excellent day in the mountains. |
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 | Name: |
Tom Harris |
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 | E-Mail: |
tdharris911@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-08 |
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 | 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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