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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Jackson, NH
Trails
Trails: Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Webster Cliff Trail, Webster Jackson Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, March 19, 2017
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes:  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Ice - Blue, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None on Crawford Path. Still snowbridged on Webster Jackson. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: A few blowdowns on lower Crawford Path. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Crawford Path to the alpine zone was well packed and nice snowshoeing. Some postholes alongside the track.
Heading northbound toward Ike, the northfacing slopes had plenty of snowpack (upward of 6 feet), despite looking fairly bare from the Webster Cliff junction. Ascending out of the col, some of the southern facing ledges were bare or covered in ice. The flats on Eisenhower Loop also had plenty of snow. We ditched our snowshoes at the start of the steeps (e.g. the wooden steps). Mixture of ice, snow, and bare ground above there. I was able to bareboot from there to the summit and back with care, but others may prefer Microspikes. Amazed at how little snow there was on the south facing and top sides of Eisenhower; it's as if the blizzard never happened, most likely because the dry, light powder blew away above treeline.

Also a mixture of bare ground, ice, and snow from Crawford Path up to the summit of Pierce.

Thereafter, it's another story. There's a good 5 to 7 feet of snow immediately south of the summit of Pierce. Some tracks diverge. There are a few short stretches in which the broken out track is not on trail. Amazingly, people were barebooting up here, leaving behind some postholes. Barebooters in the upcoming warm temperatures will be in for a rude awakening, as the track on this stretch is not well packed at all and thus could be postholing up to their gullets.

From the hut to Jackson is also interesting. There are extended stretches in which the broken out track is east of the actual trail. There are also places were tracks seem to go west and not come back. The track was especially off around the marshes and south; we ended up breaking out the trail, but I suspect the barebooters will opt for the packed route. When the temperatures climb, they'll once again be in for a rude awakening.

Descending on Webster Jackson, the top ledge scramble is bare/dry. The one at scrub level is covered in blue ice, but one can snowshoe on the west side of it on snow. The scrambles/crevasses below scrub line are still a snowy ramp. Lower elevations had sticky snow in places with the warming afternoon sun. Fairly well packed out track.

Apart from not having much snow above tree/scrub line, it was a beautiful early spring like day in the Presis. Blue skies, minimal winds, mild temperatures.  
Name
Name: rocket21 
E-Mail
E-Mail: rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2017-03-19 
Link
Link: https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos 
Bookmark and Share 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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