After our combination rest and lookout break, we continued on. Now that we were atop Webster Cliff, we had a less strenuous grade to deal with as we ascended towards Mount Webster (a subsummit before the final leg to Mount Jackson). However, our progress in fact turned out to be even slower: For one, the route along Webster cliff proved to be a little more difficult than expected due to many little crags and subsummits, many of which required a steep ascent and then some sort of descent on the other side. Secondly, there was a fair bit more snow depth up at this elevation, and breaking trail up the steep ascents was especially energy-sapping. The new snow was of a relatively heavy variety, and weighed down the coniferous boughs of the trees, often blocking our way. If we didn't spend time using our hiking poles to knock snow off the trees before hiking through, an uncomfortable neck-filling deluge was assured. All of this conspired to keep our energy expenditure high and our rate of speed low.
Jenn and Hatko, First Lookout
courtesy JInnes
On the plus side, the Webster Cliff trail began to provide us with increasing amounts of lookouts and nice clifftop edge hiking. We continued to have views down into the Saco River Valley until we reached approximately 3750 feet, when we ascended into the cloud base. Our blue-sky breaks ended and the mists enveloped us, and visibility dropped to less than half a mile.
courtesy JInnes
courtesy JInnes
courtesy JInnes
Even though it was less than a mile (just over a kilometre) from where we were to Mount Webster, it took us over two hours to get there. This was extremely slow progress, and we began to realize that this was turning from a light intro hike into a major effort.
courtesy JInnes
Once atop Mount Webster, fairly spent, we still had a nearly 1-mile unbroken-trail hike over to Mount Jackson. A short break to get a few calories into us and we were off [towards Jackson]. I was feeling like I had spent more than enough energy for the day, and was therefore a bit annoyed at the roughly two hundred and fifty feet of elevation we had to lose and then regain between Mount Webster and Mount Jackson.
courtesy JInnes
Start of section to Jackson
It took another slow and tiring hour and a half of trailbreaking to reach Mount Jackson's snowy and mist-shrouded summit. It was past four-thirty in the afternoon at this point, and it was quite apparent that we would be completing our hike by headlamp. It was also becoming apparent that perhaps we would not be in a good position, both time-wise and energy-wise, for an early morning start to climb Mount Adams the next day.
