| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhacks, Isolation Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Thursday, May 1, 2014 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
only car at Rocky Branch |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Mud - Significant, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
water running everywhere today, snowbridges gone or going fast |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
a handful of blowdowns on Rocky Branch, nothing too bad. The old logging road between the heights of land was hit hard by wind this year , very desolate looking |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
couple of fly bys |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
interesting conditions to say the least. poured rain on the way over but once past Jackson the rain stopped and it never rained again all day. trail was wet with run off to about 2500 feet. sporadic unstable monorail for a few hundred yards then snow depths increased and thing got a little firmer. I put on snowshoes here and kept them on back to the same place. past the wilderness sign there was a fresh coat of ice on everything which was just beginning to melt in afternoon. mono rail was solid though narrow, snow to the sides a couple of feet deep. discovered that snowshoes worked equally well at crossing some of the open boggy spots. the rail looked better heading though the glades so I ignored the little voice and gave it a go. Adventure time!!! solid enough in snowshoes in places, very soft and undermined in others..had one bank collapse about 3 feet under me. this was rugged and tiresome , I hit the Isolation Trail which was a little better just below the third crossing. A bit nervous about time and the water , which while not at flood stage or anything, was going pretty good , enough so that I turned back there. Don't count on following tracks through the glades, I could barely follow my own in spots and quit trying after awhile . sun just starting to come out once I started descent, the ice melting off the trees was like a rain shower. Down below some monorail smashing happened in some unstable corn snow..pretty fun. By the time back to the car the sky was mostly blue with interesting clouds around. Disappointed not to summit but still a great day out in the woods. |
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 | Name: |
silverfox |
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 | E-Mail: |
marktaub.metrocast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2014-05-01 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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