| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
None, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Dry River Trail, Isolation Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 15, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Roadside along route 302. Plenty of room to get off the roadway. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Suspension bridge over Dry River is appreciated as the crossing would be difficult to impossible depending on water levels. All other crossings of tributaries were easy. However, it is obvious that these crossings could become potentially difficult to dangerous when there is significant run-off from moderate to heavy rains or snow melt. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Trail is very rough in places. There are many stretches along the edge of precipitous river bankings eroded from tropical storm Irene. There are multiple landslides to traverse especially in the lower section of the Isolation (West) Trail. The cairns help navigate hikers in the rocky brook beds but can easily be missed by inattentive hikers. Many blow downs in the mid to upper portions of the Isolation (West) Trail which require ducking, straddling< or walk arounds to get by. Some minor evergreen growth invading the pathway higher up on the Isolation (West) Trail. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw one dog. I think most dogs would be fine with the trails as they are usually steady afoot. |
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 | Bugs: |
None. But the river valleys are probably miserable in bug season. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
I hadn't been on the Dry River Trail for quite some time and I had only once been on the Isolation (West) Trail (pre-Irene). The devastation from the tropical storm is still quite evident. Perhaps there has been additional slides since that time. There are mant stretches of easy walking on the old railroad grade. However, there is plenty of rough footing sections with some mud spots. Both trails dip down to the rocky brook beds in a couple of spots. One must be alert for the small cairns that mark the way. At the start of the Isolation (west) Trail from the Dry River Trail there is no cairn marking the initial crossing over the rocky brook bed. The trail heads diagonally to the left across the rocks. You will see small cairns soon thereafter marking the crossing of more rocky brook beds.
All in all, this trip gives a nice alternative to the usual mountain hikes up nicely maintained and well constructed trails. It is more primitive in keeping with the wilderness theme. There are a couple of designated wilderness camp sites just off the Dry River Trail which are marked by small wood signs.
The most hikers I saw were at the Davis Path / Isolation (West) junction (4,140'). They were coming and going to and from Mt Isolation via the Glen Boulder approach. All reported significant winds above tree line today. I had already visited Mt Isolation this year so I saw no reason to extend today's hike. |
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 | Name: |
WAUMBEK |
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 | E-Mail: |
WAUMBEK at Roadrunner dot com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-09-15 |
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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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