Mount Jackson: 3/13/19

With a warm and nearly windless forecast, it was a good day for a shorter hike and longer summit stay to soak in one of the best views in the Whites.

Mts. Willey, Field, Avalon and Willard from Bugle Cliff.

Flume Cascade Brook was buried!

The Jackson-Webster fork.

Recent snow had freshened up the forest.

Open fir woods around 3500 ft.

Into the high country.

First views, from a fir wave, thanks to the deep snowpack.

The summit in sight ahead.

On the steep final climb to the summit.

The final pitch - steeper than it looks in the photo. It was a little sketchy with ice and some crusty snow. The MSRs handled it well, but it could be crampon-worthy after the upcoming thaw and re-freeze.

The sun had gone away by early afternoon, but the views were still stellar, and in some ways better without the backlighting.

The Willey Range across Crawford Notch.

A hiker carefully makes her way down off the cone.

The Presys, of course.

Rare is a climb of Jackson without a visit from a local...

...or two.

The summit was encased in deep, hardpacked drifts, making for easy view wandering, taking care not to damage any protruding treetops.

Looking SE to lower Montalban Ridge and beyond.

Enjoying the view towards Carrigain and Hancock.

The Sandwich Range high peaks beyond Mt. Bemis.

Mts. Franklin, Monroe and Washington.

The sun reappeared for a while, illuminating the Presys. It was warm enough to enjoy a semi-snooze on a ledge.

Summit sentinels.

Pastel skies.

Waves of mountains from the topmost drift. All told, 30 NH 4000-footer summits can be seen from Jackson.

The mighty Carrigain, with the Osceolas peeking over on the right. Lots of snow on Signal Ridge.

Tripyramid and the North Slide.

Passaconaway and Whiteface.

Mt. Chocorua and the Three Sisters above Bear Mountain.

The Twins.

The sprawling mass of Hancock.

Summit signs. Homeward bound after a two-hour sojourn.

Glad to be off this pitch.

Heading down into the last views.

All 7 of the hikers I met today were booting/spiking on a softly packed snowshoe track; 6 carried snowshoes all the way up and back but apparently never used them! I smoothed out the divots going up, and again on the way down. Wore snowshoes car to car.

Quite the snowpack this winter!

A couple of skiers had headed down Flume Cascade Brook - yikes!