Also on this trip
Trails Used
Moat Mountain Trail, Attitash Trail, road walk, Bartlett Experimental Forest trails, road walk, Mt. Tremont Trail, Brunel Trail, Sawyer Pond Trail, forest service roads, Sawyer River Trail, Hancock Notch Trail, road walk, Greeley Ponds Trail, Mt. Osceola Trail, Tripoli Rd., Mt. Tecumseh Trail, Waterville Valley XC ski trails
Trail Conditions
Notes
This is a full report from the Jigger Johnson 50, which took place starting on August 15th, and was a point-to-point trip from the Moat Mountain trailhead on Passaconaway Rd. to the village of Waterville Valley. Trails were relatively dry, which made the Attitash Trail much more pleasant- the most likely places to get wet feet were the Hancock Notch Trail and the Greeley Ponds Trail. Even the swamp just west of the Big Attitash summit had enough logs and tree roots above the mud level that you could theoretically get across without submerging (I wasn't dexterous enough to fully accomplish this). Dry rocks also made the going much easier descending from North Moat, Mt. Osceola, and Mt. Tecumseh. We were treated to relatively temperate weather and partly cloudy skies- perfect conditions to abuse ourselves over 61.1 miles with 15,900' elevation gain. Many thanks to all of the random hikers who cheered us on and blatantly lied by telling us how strong we looked! :) Excruciating details- in keeping with the spirit of the race- on Unnecessary Climb!
Parking
Plenty of parking for the race start in Waterville Valley.
Water Crossings
All crossings, even those of the Swift River and Sawyer River, were relatively easy rock hops. Attribute this to the relatively dry conditions in 2026.
Wildlife
Mosquitoes emerged in the late afternoon / evening hours, but otherwise this was a mercifully bug-free event. There is a known yellow jacket nest on the Mt. Tecumseh Trail, on the steep climb just before reaching the saddle of West Tecumseh when approaching from the Tripoli Rd. side. A 100-mile participant told me that he got stung twice, and many other racers got stung as well. I was given the advice to stay to the right when ascending. I passed this area around 1:30 AM and in 50-degree temperatures, and fortunately there was no yellow jacket activity.