| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, March 17, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking lot well plowed, Watch for patchy ice |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
River crossing in fine shape and the bridge looked vey solid on my 240 lbs. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None |
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 | Bugs: |
None thank God, this is why I do 90% of my hiking and climbing in winter... Working as a state forester, I get enough of bugs in the other seasons. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Stated at 8:46 a.m. on a well packed and broken out trail that was clear to follow. The Engine Hill BW was in fine shape through the birch glades. Isolation Trail had very deep snow. After river crossing, you will be in a pit well over your head, and hit a few open seeps you should avoid to keep your snowshoes out of so they don't ice up.
When we arrived on the summit is was just about blizzard conditions, with temps in the teens and 40 mph winds gusting to over 60. Only Thoreauein views existed, which was fine by me. The winds picked up though in the afternoon and even in the woods on the Davis Path, we got knocked around and the trail really became blown in with snow and difficult to follow. With no blazes on any of these trails, you better know how to route find and to be able to feel for where the hardened snowshoe tracks were... We got down the Isolation Trail okay, but on the BW kept losing the trail through the birch glades and now nightfall was descending. We decided to follow a 190 degree (true) azimuth. I should add we 3 are committed Luddites and would not EVEN think of using a GPS..... they are for sissies and those who do not take the time to learn true land navigation. After going through near chest deep snow, we reached the Rocky Branch Trail at just 7:30 p.m. So if you are headed up and see our tracks where they hit the Rocky Branch Trail, l that is NOT the start of the usual Engine Hill Bushwhack. The snow was so windblown we kept losing even the rocky Branch Trail as it was totally blown in until the last half mile. Got back to the parking lot at 9:15 p.m. This was one of those awesome epic trips that make winter hiking the joy that it is....
PS don't even think about doing this route without snowshoes... We saw some scattered serious postholing and many expletives came out of my mouth at these people who would even think of doing this routé barebooted. If you don't like wearing snowshoes, then please just stay out of the mountains in winter..!!!! |
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 | Name: |
Bill Guenther |
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 | E-Mail: |
billg@sover.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-03-18 |
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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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