| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Jewell Trail, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 21, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the paid Cog lot, plenty of room plowed and no issues |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Larger crossing by the train tracks had just enough of a skinny broken ice bridge for a safe crossing, should improve over the coming days if temps stay cold - nothing else significant this time of year |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trails in good winter condition, thanks to Zippy for clearing the recent blowdowns. Post and signs at the top of Sphinx trail are down again, that poor junction seems to take a beating every winter. No other issues noted |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Maddie had a great day, no specific hazards for winter hardy canines with appropriate gear (she wore multiple coats and was comfortable) - no other dogs seen |
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 | Bugs: |
I love winter |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Not knowing what we'd find low down we barebooted from the car to just past the big crossing by the tracks, then put on snowshoes - it was definitely bony in spots especially before the connector junction with some rocks and roots sticking through but the trail was no where near consolidated enough to make microspikes appropriate, and televators were super helpful. Thanks to those who wore snowshoes and went ahead of us to help set a nice starter track. Switched to microspikes at about 5100-5200' for a brief period as the rocks were much less filled in, and snowshoes were super awkward to navigate around them. Winter cutoff to Gulfside had seen a few tracks and was easy to spot. Switched back to snowshoes shortly after hopping on to Gulfside as the rocks became more filled in and the track was still choppy - kept them on all the way to the summit and back to the same awkward rock area coming back down Jewell trail, then spikes to treeline. Once below treeline micros were manageable - I switched back to snowshoes because of personal preference but my friend stayed in micros and had no issues, temps were cold enough once the sun went down that the track was pretty solid. With plenty of snow in the near forecast, snowshoes would be the appropriate and considerate choice to take and likely wear for much of this hike to help continue to set a good track for the rest of the winter. Saw about 20 other people, almost all were in snowshoes as well. Absolutely epic undercast and bright sun about 5000' with only a slight breeze most of the way as we were on the leeward side of the summit. Congrats to Maddie on finishing her winter 48 today, woo hoo!! |
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 | Name: |
Hikes with Maddie |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-22 |
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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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