The weekend before last, right after hiking up and down Mt. Jackson in just a few hours, I decided that there was still enough time and energy to hike up to Mt. Pierce. This time, I reduced my pack weight, and grabbed my sled. My other reason for trying to squeeze Pierce in was to make my next hike to the Presidentials much easier - this made it a Trailwright summit too, so it was all rewarding. At the trail head, I had a nice conversation with a USFS employee who was checking in on the Mt. Clinton Road trail head. We spent five minutes or so talking about how awesome it was to be out in the snowstorm, and how great it was to be in the mountains. I was describing some of the sights I've seen this winter during my single season quest.
Crawford Connector to Crawford Path at Mt. Clinton Road
Crawford Path in winter
After the chat, step by step, I made my way to the summit of Mt. Pierce. It was just as pretty walking through the woods as it had been on Mt. Jackson hours earlier - snow continued to fall and accumulate. At about tree line, and the junction with the Webster Cliff Trail there were some deep drifts, which are very common here. I then continued on up to the summit, my 43rd summit of the winter. There was the same clouded view, light winds, and a mixture of sleet, but I took time for a nice snack break before getting ready to head down.
Mt. Pierce summit in winter
I wish I had brought my sled for Jackson earlier. I am not sure why I didn't but oh well, I knew I would get some nice sled runs on the Crawford Path. After my break at the summit, and zippered all of the pockets and put everything but my sled and GoPro away, and I was ready to head back down, get home, and start focusing on my Baxter trip! So here we go! I didn't get as many continuous runs as Tecumseh, but I had many fun luge-like sections where I was able to practice turning and controlling the sled. This sure is a lot of fun! Enjoy the descent!
My Snowboogie and Mt. Pierce summit
Hike Stats
Trails: Crawford Path, Webster Cliff Trail
Distance: 6.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,400 ft.
Actual Book Time: 3:30
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