| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Castle Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, March 16, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
None |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Water crossing of Israel river a little dicey with warm temps and snowmelt. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A number of blowdowns, especially in first mile. All except one you can step over easily. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Lost a pair of 10-15 year old Oakley sunglasses that have been through a lot with me :( |
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 | Comments: |
Decided to break out the Castle Trail for a nice Saturday hike to Mt Jefferson. Weather was foggy and most of hike was in the clouds so no views and low visibility above treeline, but always a surreal experience. Parking lot was pretty much snow-free, and there was very thin snow for first 0.5 mile to the water crossing. This was where footprints stopped. Water crossing marked by high water levels from rain and snowmelt given warm temps. A number of blowdowns in the first mile or so. Only one required going around, and rest you could step over. Bare boots about 2 miles in, then switched to snowshoes for better traction on the deepening snow. Broke trail the whole way to The Link, but mild conditions. Above the Link, still breaking trail but significant slope 30-45deg and loose snow created some fun conditions with a number of climb and slide back down areas. Try, try again.
Above the treeline at start of castles, still quite deep snow. For some castles the scramble was a bit dicey, but many you could go around safely. Breaking trail up to the summit, with much more uneven snow from wind. Some areas were rocks covered with thin (<1 in) snow, and other areas were drifts with feet of snow. A fun slog, but kept the snowshoes on. Sustained winds 20-30 mph meant our tracks were quickly covered over. Descent was a bit dicey in places with wind directly in our faces and uneven terrain from snowdrifts. Snowshoes down to about 2.5 miles from trailhead (more had melted through the day), and start of trail now had pretty much no snow. Crazy how much melts in one day! Got back to the car just in time for the sun to come out from behind clouds and views to open of the mountain.
Did not see anyone else on the summit or anyone on the trail.
Enjoy! |
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 | Name: |
Adam |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-03-17 |
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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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