"Leave no stragglers!" ...certainly good advice. Two years ago while on my first ever 3000 fter trip to Tumbledown and Little Jackson, I was intimidated by the thick stick forest that surrounded the clearing on "Big" Jackson. At the time plowing through a mile of nasty stuff to the North peak and then back again didn't seem like a good idea - a staggler was born. I've since learned from usually reliable sources, OneStep and Gamehiker (you be the judge), that the ridge over to N Jackson from Jackson soon opens up and becomes quite easy. Being reluctant to take the same route again, last fall I surveyed several possible approaches from the North, but they all seemed to be marked with "No Trespassing" signs.
Sunday, I approached from the South, beginning near Byron Notch on a well-maintained logging road, signed as the Stockbridge Rd, which, not coincidentally, parallels the Stockbridge Branch of the Swift River. The first Winter wren I've heard this spring greeted me as I laced up my boots - a good omen. The logging road is gated near its beginning, and it offers clear views of Tumbledown in profile. After 15 min, I followed an older logging path diverging right, before the main trunk crossed the Stockbrige. Coming around a corner I startled a young bull moose with velveteen antlers, or more accurately - he scared me! Boy, they're big animals! After about an hour, snowshoes were required; shortly afterwards, the road bifurcated and I opted for the one blazed with black arrows on a lavender background. Ultimately, this trail led to Jackson Pond (just west of Big Jackson), a little East of my intended route, but the going was so easy. From the pond I contoured up to the Jackson/N Jackson col on gentle slopes through wide open park-like forest. This may have been the best travelling conditions I've ever seen - smooooth firm snow covering all the forest floor obstructions and widely spaced trees for miles! The summit jar was easily located; placed in 1985 by Sonny Martineau and Dennis Crispo, with Gamehiker the last signee in late 2006. On the return, I took a more direct SE bearing, again through beautiful open forest, before hitting my ascent line.
This route is a gem - easy open slopes, multiple crystal streams, and wonderful views of the backside of both Jacksons and Tumbledown.
Sunday, I approached from the South, beginning near Byron Notch on a well-maintained logging road, signed as the Stockbridge Rd, which, not coincidentally, parallels the Stockbridge Branch of the Swift River. The first Winter wren I've heard this spring greeted me as I laced up my boots - a good omen. The logging road is gated near its beginning, and it offers clear views of Tumbledown in profile. After 15 min, I followed an older logging path diverging right, before the main trunk crossed the Stockbrige. Coming around a corner I startled a young bull moose with velveteen antlers, or more accurately - he scared me! Boy, they're big animals! After about an hour, snowshoes were required; shortly afterwards, the road bifurcated and I opted for the one blazed with black arrows on a lavender background. Ultimately, this trail led to Jackson Pond (just west of Big Jackson), a little East of my intended route, but the going was so easy. From the pond I contoured up to the Jackson/N Jackson col on gentle slopes through wide open park-like forest. This may have been the best travelling conditions I've ever seen - smooooth firm snow covering all the forest floor obstructions and widely spaced trees for miles! The summit jar was easily located; placed in 1985 by Sonny Martineau and Dennis Crispo, with Gamehiker the last signee in late 2006. On the return, I took a more direct SE bearing, again through beautiful open forest, before hitting my ascent line.
This route is a gem - easy open slopes, multiple crystal streams, and wonderful views of the backside of both Jacksons and Tumbledown.
