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Mt. Eisenhower, Mt. Pierce, Mt. Jackson
Bean's Grant, NH, Chandler's Purchase, NH, Sargent's Purchase, NH
Trailheads, measurements, times, distances, and maps are all approximate and relative to the hike(s) as shown below.
The Crawford Path
Route: Crawford Path, Eisenhower Loop, (Mt. Eisenhower), Eisenhower Loop, Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail, (Mt. Pierce), Webster Cliff Trail, (Mt. Jackson), Webster-Jackson Trail
Crawford Path to the alpine zone was well packed and nice snowshoeing. Some postholes alongside the track.
Heading northbound toward Ike, the northfacing slopes had plenty of snowpack (upward of 6 feet), despite looking fairly bare from the Webster Cliff junction. Ascending out of the col, some of the southern facing ledges were bare or covered in ice. The flats on Eisenhower Loop also had plenty of snow. We ditched our snowshoes at the start of the steeps (e.g. the wooden steps). Mixture of ice, snow, and bare ground above there. I was able to bareboot from there to the summit and back with care, but others may prefer Microspikes. Amazed at how little snow there was on the south facing and top sides of Eisenhower; it's as if the blizzard never happened, most likely because the dry, light powder blew away above treeline.
Also a mixture of bare ground, ice, and snow from Crawford Path up to the summit of Pierce.
Thereafter, it's another story. There's a good 5 to 7 feet of snow immediately south of the summit of Pierce. Some tracks diverge. There are a few short stretches in which the broken out track is not on trail. Amazingly, people were barebooting up here, leaving behind some postholes. Barebooters in the upcoming warm temperatures will be in for a rude awakening, as the track on this stretch is not well packed at all and thus could be postholing up to their gullets.
From the hut to Jackson is also interesting. There are extended stretches in which the broken out track is east of the actual trail. There are also places were tracks seem to go west and not come back. The track was especially off around the marshes and south; we ended up breaking out the trail, but I suspect the barebooters will opt for the packed route. When the temperatures climb, they'll once again be in for a rude awakening.
Descending on Webster Jackson, the top ledge scramble is bare/dry. The one at scrub level is covered in blue ice, but one can snowshoe on the west side of it on snow. The scrambles/crevasses below scrub line are still a snowy ramp. Lower elevations had sticky snow in places with the warming afternoon sun. Fairly well packed out track.
Apart from not having much snow above tree/scrub line, it was a beautiful early spring like day in the Presis. Blue skies, minimal winds, mild temperatures.
| Hike Ratings |
|
Getting To Trailhead: |
Easy |
| Destination: |
Mt. Eisenhower |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Moderate |
|
Navigation: |
Difficult |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Moderate |
| Destination: |
Mt. Pierce |
|
Length: |
Moderate |
|
Steepness: |
Moderate |
|
Navigation: |
Easy |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Moderate |
| Destination: |
Mt. Jackson |
|
Length: |
Difficult |
|
Steepness: |
Difficult |
|
Navigation: |
Easy |
|
Views: |
Excellent |
|
Crowds: |
Heavy |
|
| Hike Stats |
|
Date Hiked: |
Sunday, March 19, 2017 |
| Parking Elevation: |
1,900' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Eisenhower |
| Time Elapsed: |
02:44 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
1,910' |
| Summit Elevation: |
4,780' |
| Vertical Gain: |
3,300 |
| Destination: |
Mt. Pierce |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:07 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
4,780' |
| Summit Elevation: |
4,310' |
| Vertical Gain: |
420' |
| Destination: |
Mt. Jackson |
| Time Elapsed: |
01:27 |
| Trailhead Elevation: |
4,310' |
| Summit Elevation: |
4,052' |
| Vertical Gain: |
558' |
|
|
| Hike Time Elapsed: |
07:00 |
| Hike Vertical Gain: |
4,463' |
|
The Crawford Path trailhead
Looking at Mt. Eisenhower from Mt. Pierce
Looking at Mt. Washington from Mt. Eisenhower
Heading toward Mt. Pierce from Mt. Eisenhower
An unbroken section of the Webster Cliff Trail
Looking at the Willey Range from Mt. Jackson
Directions to trailhead: Take Route 302 West from Bartlett into Carroll. The Highland Center parking lot is located on the left shortly after the Webster-Jackson trailhead (right). The Crawford Path trailhead is located just beyond the Highland Center parking lot, on the right.
Back to Mt. Eisenhower Profile
Back to Mt. Pierce Profile
Back to Mt. Jackson Profile
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