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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Webster, NH
Trails
Trails: Webster Cliff Trail, Webster-Jackson Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Saturday, April 18, 2015
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: no issues 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Crystal Cascade snowbridge is unstable, but still passable with great care. While on it with my snowshoes, my trekking pole with basket went right through it. The heavy rains yesterday will cause it to deteriorate more. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Webster branch of Webster Jackson trail is hard to follow in one short section at the top. More likely harder defending than ascending since I came up it a few weeks ago with no issue. Looks l Ike trail just ends but if you look through the brush you can see the trail below hidden by the scrub pines that have been bent into the trail from the heavy snow pack. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Saw dog tracks, looked like he had been post holing himself on Webster Jackson trail (webster branch) 
Bugs
Bugs: none :-) 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: found a yellow hydra charging cable for microUSB, lightning, old Apple ... took it off the mountain so it wouldn't turn to litter. Can return it if someone lost it. 
 
Comments
Comments: the first mile of Webster cliff from Rte 302 is dry ground. After that I needed Microspikes on the soft ice. After the first Webster Cliff outlook I had to change to snowshoes because the monorail was unstable and I was postholing in just my boots. problem is the monorail is too narrow for snowshoes so it was very frustrating rolling off the sides of the monorail into the deep snow which was up to my knees even in snowshoes.
Ran into a very aggressive bird at the summit of Webster. I looked like a large gray Jay of some sort and he wasn't after me but came after any food I had. He startled me and I dropped a cliff shot block which he snatched up and took away, then came back and kept me from eating my sandwich because every time I tried to open my pack, he'd fly right onto my pack and try to grab at it before I even opened it! He pursued me for about 0.2 miles before I had to chase him away.
Ran into thunder and lightning just off the summit plus a downpour that made the snow crust even more unstable. I got slightly off trail in the top section of the Webster Brach of Webster cliff and I broke through and sunk into snow that was OVER my head even in snowshoes. Really miserable extricating myself from the hole so stay on trail up there!  
Name
Name: Scott Redfern 
E-Mail
E-Mail: sdredfern64@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2015-04-19 
Link
Link: https:// 
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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