| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt Jefferson, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Caps Ridge Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I was the first car in the lot at 7:30am. When I finished there were 4 more and there was still oodles of room. Jefferson Notch Road from the Jefferson side is rutted in a few areas but the Pupmobile made it with no issues. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
N/A |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Nothing at all. The trail is in great shape. Many of the yellow blazes are faded and hard to see but I had no issues. Plenty of cairns up high to show the way. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
This is one of those hikes where experienced trail dogs will most likely have no issues but less experienced doggos may struggle with the scrambles. Add to that the rough rock which can tear up paw pads. Use caution with your 4 legged friend to be safe. |
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 | Bugs: |
Back in Hell. |
|
 | Lost and Found: |
There was one stabilicer at the kiosk when I arrived. I was on the lookout for a peg legged hiker but didn't see one. I left it where I found it. |
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 | Comments: |
It's been a hot minute since I have done an OAB on this trail for just Jefferson. Usually this is just the first leg of my journey but since I am still kind of tired (cue Forrest Gump) and all my ride or die friends have gridded out October and are sitting around watching soap operas and eating bon bons, I was on my own for this one. Down low the leaves are really not much of an issue. Where there are leaves, they are sparse and you can still see the rocks. Most of the mud was frozen when I started so I just walked over it. There were a few areas where the runoff had frozen but it was easy to see and avoidable. The caps were all nice and dry so I felt pretty safe (safe being relative right now) with my handholds and footholds. The wind was blowing but not strong enough to knock me over but strong enough to be biting. I tagged the summit and headed down at the pace of a herd of turtles hiking through peanut butter. Good grief. The descent was tedious but better safe than sorry. Shout out to Brian, who was back on this trail for the first time in 2 years and had packed an awesome lunch to celebrate. Clearly, he didn't know me, because it's risky to talk about how great your food is around me. :D Go get this one while the road is open and the conditions are so perfect! |
|
 | Name: |
Uki |
|
 | E-Mail: |
ukisukinaminanu@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2026-10-28 |
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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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