| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Jackson, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Eisenhower, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Webster-Jackson Trail, Webster Cliff Trail, Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, Mt. Clinton Road |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 2, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Got one of the final spots in the Webster lot across from trailhead, which was well plowed. Used the loo at the Crawford Connector lot (also plowed)...always nice when it is -4F outside and it is much colder inside. Keeps the lines down. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Let's just figure this out come Spring...at various times I crawled, stepped over, pushed through, went around. Nothing was a deal breaker. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw none but from the tracks one hearty pooch did Ike before I got there. |
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 | Bugs: |
Glad to see they've addressed the bee problem in Eisenhower's summit cairn. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Webster-Jackson Trail is very well packed, with very little ice. You could bare boot it if you were wanted, most people opt'd for micros. I wore my Dion Snowshoes until coming down from Pierce at the end of the day, I find they have better grip than micros on packed snow and don't weigh much more, and I knew I'd want them for Jackson-Eisenhower.
Once getting down off of the summit cone of Jackson, the Webster Cliff trail had a nicely established trench, but nowhere near as packed as the Webster-Jackson Trail, I think if someone had tried bareboating they would have been sinking in a lot. Met two other hikers going the opposite way which firmed up the trail even more. A number of people had barefooted from the hut up to Pierce, and the trail was fairly churned up but they didn't seem to be sinking in too much. Got a bit chicken winged trying to find the exit from Pierce towards Ike but the GPS got me back on track in short order. Snowshoes were definitely the preferred traction for Pierce-Ike, although a few folks had barefooted it either before I got there or the day before. Navigation in this section can be tricky, at some points the trail goes in and out of the woods and the entrances are hobbit sized. I was glad to have the tracks of the previous hikers to follow because there were some 6' drifts in sections. Met James on the way back to Pierce, he was headed up to grid out Eisenhower. Took off the snowshoes once back in the trees on Crawford Path past Pierce and went without traction the rest of the way...Crawford Path from Pierce to the road is pretty mint with packed snow and essentially no ice, 46 minutes from junction with Pierce Summit spur to the road! |
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 | Name: |
Borealis |
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 | E-Mail: |
kdwelch1@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-02-02 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.strava.com/activities/13524381816/overview |
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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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