| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Castle Trail, Gulfside, Jewell Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Friday, December 27, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of room at Bowman lot |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction, Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The only major crossing is now snow bridged (just a little to the right of the trail) |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few blowdowns but they are all manageable |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Please do not bring your dog on this trail with these conditions |
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 | Bugs: |
:) |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Knowing it was a great weather day and knowing that we had plenty of time & opinions, we decided to climb the Castle Trail. We were the first (only?) car at Bowman lot and were happy to see a snowshoe track from the day before. A snow bridge has formed at the only river crossing of concern. Currently, it is downstream of the trail crossing (right). Snow shoes were the way to go up to the Link junction as the trail is all unconsolidated and very steep for long stretches (televators!). The tracks we were following turned at the height of the land to bushwhack to the summit of Bowman. The one mile stretch from the Link to the Cornice is HORRENDOUS. Snowshoes work at times, spikes work at times, and it's a toss up when pushing through the 4'+ drifts. Very slow going up and over the castles. We decided that we would summit Jefferson and take an alternative route down since the going was so tough and we knew we did not want to goe back down the same way. Noticing that there were no tracks heading towards Edmands Col, we decided to descend via Gulfside & Jewell and get a ride back to our car. It was a gorgeous but very challenging day (7 hours for 5 miles to the summit) |
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 | Name: |
Jen B |
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 | E-Mail: |
bauschjen@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-12-27 |
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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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