Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
| Peaks |
Mt. Isolation (attempt), NH |
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| Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhack |
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| Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 22, 2015 |
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| Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking; the only other cars were skiers.
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| Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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| Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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| Water Crossing Notes: |
We didn't make it that far |
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| Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A few duck-unders |
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| Dog-Related Notes: |
A few people had walked dogs on the lower part of the trail by the time we returned.
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| Bugs: |
Nope |
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| Lost and Found: |
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| Comments: |
After getting run off the road by a snowplow in the morning and losing a couple hours of daylight dealing with that, we abandoned our plans for the northern Presis and decided to see if Isolation was packed out from the snow the night before. It was not. I told my friend there was an 80% chance we would lose the bushwhack and have to turn back. She thought we should try, and I am desperate to bag Isolation, so what the heck.
We took turns breaking trail; 1mph through increasingly deep powder (6-8") until we reached the sign for the Engine Hill bushwhack. At certain points on Rocky Branch we weren't sure if we were still on the trail, but there was a trough so we went with it. There were the remnants of a track to follow as we turned onto the bushwhack, but it became blown over in the birch glades. The faint track split in three directions: one ended in a wall of fir trees; the other ended in giant hole; the third might have been a moose that decided to climb a tree, because it was small round footprints that just stopped.
We retraced our steps back to the Rocky Branch trail and out of curiosity followed a faint track that continued straight on the real trail. This turned into a slow wallow that ended in another giant hole. We imagined this poor soul finally saying to heck with it, and so did we. We followed our beautiful tracks all the way down.
If there is anyone out there who knows how to navigate the bushwhack and is planning a trip between now and 3/20, please let me know! I need to try again when there is a good track to follow.
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| Name: |
Liz |
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| E-Mail: |
lizwyman at yahoo |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-02-27 |
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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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