A Perfect Afternoon on Mounts Pierce, Jackson & Webster

[Snow Miser]

On Labor Day, my friend John and I were going to hike the Franconia Ridge Loop, but circumstances changed at the last minute, and we decided to do this loop that would have somewhat comparable views. After reading Ryan Knapp's weather prediction in the morning that the clouds would be lifting over the Higher Summits as the morning progressed, we were off to the Crawford Path trail head.

We reached it at 9:30am. The temps were great and the sun was shining.




We caught our first glimpse of Washington shortly before reaching the summit of Pierce. This was a real treat since I have never hiked in the southern Presidentials, looking north from this viewpoint.




John tried to get a Gray Jay to eat from the palm of his hand, but this little guy just wasn't hungry.






Once on the summit of Pierce, the views were fabulous.




After leaving Pierce, we took the AT towards Jackson. We stopped along the way at the Mizpah Hut for a very good bowl of homemade pea soup and bread.




When we reached Jackson's summit, the views all around were still excellent.




We then continued on the AT towards Webster, our final summit for the day. This summit was probably the most rewarding. The view of Washington to the north was still very clear, while turning around 180 degrees, the views down into Crawford Notch and beyond to the west were amazing.






Our final trail down would be the Webster-Jackson Trail back to Rt 302. This loop ended up being a very fine replacement for the Franconia Ridge Loop. Total distance was 9.8 miles, taking us 9 hours.

Thanks for viewing our hike. A complete photo set can be seen here.

[Anna LeBlanc]

Looks like another perfect hiking day for you two.Great TR and pictures Bob.Nigel said to tell you there was no way his little legs could have done 9.8 miles in one day!!!

__________
Anna

[KSearl]

Hey, another great TR!

Looks like you had a great sky to catch glimpses of Washington's summit. The Mizpah hut looks pretty nice from the outside. I have only seen it from a distance on the Jackson summit. I'm really surprised to see Gray Jays weren't hungry...I didn't even know that was possible! What did you think of the AT from Jackson to Webster? I found it pretty boring when I did the Jackson/Webster loop.

Again, great pics and TR. Thanks for sharing!

Karl

[Jimmy Legs and Little d]

It's good to see that you and John had the opportunity for another great hike on your trip. We made Jackson our first 4000 footer after seeing the picture, on an AT Calendar, of a lone hiker looking off towards Mt. Washington. A great set of photos too!
I'll agree that we've never come across a gray jay who didn't want to share a hiker's snack. What was John eating?

Donna

[1HappyHiker]

Well Bob, I just read your report about your trek to Hedgehog, and now I finished reading yet another report of yours about the delightful trek you did to Mts. Pierce, Jackson and Webster. You really know how to maximize your time in the Whites by picking some of the very best hikes for spectacular views!

[Snow Miser]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

Karl, the trek from Jackson to Webster was pretty boring. Not much to see. What kept us going was chatting with a few of the very nice hikers we passed.

Donna, John was trying to feed the Jay trail mix. Perhaps that's not their favorite.

[KathyC]

Wow, long day. Thanks for sharing it with us....