| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation (attempt), NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhack, Isolation Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 5, 2015 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plenty of parking. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow - Spring Snow, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The main crossing had a stable snow bridge. We came out of the bushwhack lower on Isolation Trail, and crossed twice. Both crossings were stably bridged. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A couple of large duck-unders and step overs. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
A couple of dogs on the trail. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
The Rocky Branch Trail was broken out, and generally stable, though we postholed some in the morning, and more on the way out in the afternoon. The Engine Hill bushwhack is broken out and easy to follow. The trees at the start are marked, and there was intermittent flagging. There are a couple of spots with forks, where one choice eventually dead ends. Near the end of the bushwhack there's a fork with two routes out. We took the left fork, which puts you lower on the Isolation Trail. The bushwhack route seemed to pass through more dense patches than I remember (but that was way back in 2012), and the current tracks put you out fairly high on the Isolation Trail. The path was generally well packed and stable, but there were sections prone to postholing, even in snowshoes. Isolation Trail was well packed, and easy to follow to near the intersection with Davis Path.
We didn't see an obvious track for the second bushwhack from the Isolation Trail to the Davis Path so we continued on the trails.
We caught up with a couple of hikers near the intersection with Davis Path. Despite our GPS unit, and their GPS units telling us that we were on the trail neither of us managed to find the trail corridor. We spent about half an hour looking for the trail, but eventually turned around. There's a small blank plank nailed to a tree in this area. I should note that there are several divergent tracks in this area from both groups' attempts to find the trail.
There were at least 3 groups that turned around before making the summit. On our way back on the Isolation Trail we met a couple heading in. We warned them about the confusing tracks. Hopefully they found the trail, and made it to the summit. |
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 | Name: |
ThomasC |
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 | E-Mail: |
tcarlile at gmail |
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| Date Submitted: |
2015-04-06 |
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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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