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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Monroe, Mt. Jefferson, NH
Trails
Trails: Crawford Path, Webster-Cliff Trail, Eisenhower Loop, Monroe Loop, Westside Trail, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop, Jewell Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Thursday, July 22, 2021
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: I parked roadside on 302 right where the Crawford Path starts. Even on the busiest of days there aren’t usually many cars parked there. I was lucky enough to get a ride back to my car and not have to walk the entirety of Jefferson Notch Rd between Base Station Rd and 302.  
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None that I recall that aren’t bridged.  
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: The biggest snafu here is the sign at the jct of Crawford Path with Mizpah Cutoff as it indicates that the Crawford Path coincides with the AT there which it certainly does not; the AT follows the Crawford Path above treeline but then follows the Webster Cliff Trail toward Jackson; it does not descend down Pierce. If these trails were regularly blazed I don’t recall it. There is some old yellow lead paint on the trails above tree line but not much of it. They are mostly marked with cairns. I remember seeing a blue blazed small rock somewhere which I thought rather odd...that was probably on Jewell Trail so maybe that one is blazed in blue?? Anyhow, the trails are well travelled below tree line and are thus easy to follow. Above tree line, it can take care sometimes to stay on the trails but the cairns usually sufficiently mark them; at least when you’re not in cloud. I don’t recall many blowdowns but I think there was one or two step-overs/straddles on Jewell.  
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: The jagged rocks above tree line north of Lakes of the Clouds Hut will do damage to dog’s paws and they’ll need protection. Not a suitable hike for many dogs for this reason. Also involves some scrambling and is a long hike.  
Bugs
Bugs: None 
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: None 
 
Comments
Comments: The nicest weather we’d had in a while so I took the opportunity to get my 20th-23rd grid peaks of the month out of 26 needed. Although I saw the summits in the clouds at many points, I hardly spent any time in any (just on Monroe a little)...lucky me :) I think I saw some rain showers in the distance but it never rained on me. It was a cold day for July and you could consequently feel what wind there was so I had gloves and a neck gaiter I used as a hat on for awhile. Too warm for a base layer and a rain jacket but too cold for just a base layer so a fleece seemed to work best. The makeshift hat and gloves were on and off.

I went up Crawford Path, bagged Pierce, then all the 4K peaks in between Pierce and Jefferson except for Washington which I didn’t need this month so I saved the elevation and took Westside Trail instead. The trails were a little wet in the morning but the sun quickly dried them out. There was one section of trail higher up on Mount Pierce (Crawford Path above the Mizpah Cutoff jct) where there was some running water on the trail though. Pretty easy to keep your feet dry though.

Nice to meet Bird Man (Adi), John (Dillinger), and Monster again who were thru-hiking. Met a couple other familiar faces up there too including Ralph. A huge thank you to Marshall who works at the cog for saving me from a crazy long road walk!!  
Name
Name: Liam Cooney 
E-Mail
E-Mail: liamcooney96@gmail.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2021-07-25 
Link
Link: https:// 
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