| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cog Rail Trail, bushwhack, Jewell Link, Jewell Trail, Gulfside, Trinity Heights Connector, Jefferson Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, February 21, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We paid $10 to park at the cog hiker lot. You paid in an iron ranger just like at the USFS lots. Note that it’s $10/person, not car. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Ice - Breakable Crust, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing at the beginning of Jewell Link was still bridged on Monday. Now…?? |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Jewell Trail is blazed in blue I think. No trouble following though. Not much blaze on any of the trails above tree line; just follow the cairns and footprints, though I did see one of the old yellow lead blazes up there. Jewel Trail can be a but hard to follow above tree line so watch carefully for the cairns. A few duck under a and widow makers on Jewell Trail. I believe the duck unders were somewhere around the blowdown area. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
One seen. Very mild conditions up there so hardy hiking dogs could probably handle it. Might worry about the ice though. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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|
 | Comments: |
‘Bout damn time I finished my grid!! Was hoping to complete my “almost single year grid” last October but due to an unsuccessful December and February, I finished this year instead. Was waiting for the perfect weather window that coincided with my days off but I just wasn’t getting it so after hitting Madison and Adams the day before, it was time to take advantage of the overnight weather window and get ‘er done.
We started up the cog shortly after 1pm and almost immediately met a guy coming down that said it was all glare ice above the cog. We also had just realized that we wouldn’t see our good friends and fellow gridiots if we went up the cog, so we whacked over to the Jewell instead and started up. We brought snowshoes along due to the warm temps and softening snow but the packed trail was still firm enough that you didn’t need them. Knowing that they most certainly wouldn’t be needed above tree line and meeting a few people on their way down that said snowshoes weren’t needed, some of us decided to drop them. That said, they could’ve been used and there were some spots above tree line where they would’ve had a slight advantage but not worth bringing them in my opinion (after today, that’s obviously changed;). In fact, we didn’t even throw on the microspikes until a short ways above tree line after meeting a church group from PA that travelled all this way to hike our wonderful peaks :) Highlight of the Jewell Trail was running into (and finally meeting) Denise and her husband John, and seeing our friends, the gridiot legends, Larry, Georg, and Per.
Above tree line, things were icy as expected. We all used spikes or hill sounds though some may be more comfortable in crampons though they would’ve been dulled plenty. Jewell to Washington wasn’t much icier. We crossed under the cog and intended on following it to avoid the sketchy section by the Great Gulf but missed it and wound up on Westside Trail. Just whacked up to the summit from there and intersected Trinity Heights Connector which we took to the summit. Much to our liking, the summits were mostly in the clear unlike the forecast predicted. Just the very tippy top of Washington was in the cloud but no visibility problems. Our group of 4 split at the summit. One of us went to Monroe to work on W48 while the other 3 of us continued toward Jefferson for the finale. We went down Trinity heights, Gulfisde, the cog, then Gulfside again to Jewell.
From Jewell to Jefferson was even icier. There’s a couple mild no fall zones but not as sketchy as the Jefferson snow field or Gulfside by the Great Gulf. Somewhere between Jewell Trail and Mt Jefferson Loop, it became dark and we turned our headlamps on. With clouds above us but not by much, we were in the clear but didn’t get any spectacular sunset views either; just a thin line of red in the distance to appreciate :) The sun filtered through the clouds too which was gorgeous. Took a few photos on Jefferson, then headed back toward Jewell and down. Only fell a few times on the way back toward Jewell. Again, crampons would be safer but we all stuck with spikes. Sharp kahtoolas or hill sounds with that bit of extra bite I’d say was the minimum needed.
The hike was about 12-12.5mi with somewhere around 5000ft of gain. A huge thank you to Chris, Kyle, and Scott for accompanying me on this hike, Larry B for grabbing Jeff on the day of my finish so we could at least see each other if not hike together for the big day, and Scott’s wife for the sign :) 2 crowns down, 1 to go… |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-02-25 |
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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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