| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
South Moat, North Moat, Big Attitash, Table Mountain, Mt. Tremont, Hancock Notch, East Osceola, Mt. Osceola, Mt. Tecumseh, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Moat Mountain Trail, Attitash Trail, road walk, Bartlett Experimental Forest trails, road walk, Mt. Tremont Trail, Brunel Trail, Sawyer Pond Trail, forest service roads, Sawyer River Trail, Hancock Notch Trail, road walk, Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail, Tripoli Rd., Mt. Tecumseh Trail, Waterville Valley XC ski trails |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, August 15, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking for the race start in Waterville Valley. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All crossings, even those of the Swift River and Sawyer River, were relatively easy rock hops. Attribute this to the relatively dry conditions in 2026. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Most of the official trails were in excellent shape, even the Attitash Trail and Hancock Notch Trail. The Hancock Notch Trail did have a number of blowdowns, but also had enough yellow blazes to keep you on route through the occasionally indistinct sections of trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
The mileage seems rather excessive, but no individual trail would exclude dogs except perhaps the East Osceola ascent from the Greeley Ponds side (due to excessive steepness and scrambling). |
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 | Bugs: |
Mosquitoes emerged in the late afternoon / evening hours, but otherwise this was a mercifully bug-free event. There is a known yellow jacket nest on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail, on the steep climb just before reaching the saddle of West Tecumseh when approaching from the Tripoli Rd. side. A 100-mile participant told me that he got stung twice, and many other racers got stung as well. I was given the advice to stay to the right when ascending. I passed this area around 1:30 AM and in 50-degree temperatures, and fortunately there was no yellow jacket activity. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
This is a full report from the Jigger Johnson 50, which took place starting on August 15th, and was a point-to-point trip from the Moat Mountain trailhead on Passaconaway Rd. to the village of Waterville Valley. Trails were relatively dry, which made the Attitash Trail much more pleasant- the most likely places to get wet feet were the Hancock Notch Trail and the Greeley Ponds Trail. Even the swamp just west of the Big Attitash summit had enough logs and tree roots above the mud level that you could theoretically get across without submerging (I wasn't dexterous enough to fully accomplish this). Dry rocks also made the going much easier descending from North Moat, Mt. Osceola, and Mt. Tecumseh. We were treated to relatively temperate weather and partly cloudy skies- perfect conditions to abuse ourselves over 61.1 miles with 15,900' elevation gain. Many thanks to all of the random hikers who cheered us on and blatantly lied by telling us how strong we looked! :) Excruciating details- in keeping with the spirit of the race- on Unnecessary Climb! |
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 | Name: |
Jason |
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 | E-Mail: |
kurlando7@hotmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-08-22 |
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 | Link: |
 https://unnecessaryclimb.wordpress.com/jigger-johnson-50-2026/ |
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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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