| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Washington, Mt. Clay, Mt. Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Cog Rail Trail, Gulfside, Jefferson Loop |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 11, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Slept poorly and woke up early enough to leave southern NH around 3am. Arrived and was moving by 0500 at cog hiker parking area. Got up to Jefferson over clay in short order though my calves and achilles began to get pretty tight. Hit some vitamin I & slowed my pace a bit. After tagging Jefferson came back over Clay & started up the cog. Ended up taking gulfside up when the train came up next to me and emitted a huge nasty black cloud which, not only do i not want to breath in, but made it more challenging to move up along the tracks. I think they should retire that method of fueling the train.... but anyway hit the summit & ate my lunch as at that point I was feeling not so much up to the task of going down to Lakes and then coming back up to get the 7K vertical gain i was seeking. Headed down to the hut and stopped just before the hut at lake of the clouds. A SAR team was passing by (without someone) and it appeared they were gathering around the hut. I wanted to keep to myself so i turned before getting to the hut & it had been a long day. When i got back to the top of washington, i decided to buy a one way cog ticket down to save my knees from the descent that is never great. All in all a great summer day.
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 | Name: |
Jack |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-07-12 |
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 | Link: |
 https://jackmillennial.com/?p=2198 |
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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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