| 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: |
Monday, April 26, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
1st and 2nd in the lot to start, one other car on return but saw no others all day. A rare occurrence not to see others on trail, but it was Isolation afterall. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Snow - Trace/Minimal Depth, Wet Trail, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Mud - Significant, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
One water crossing of Rocky Branch Brook, went upstream perhaps 100 feet until finding a location we were both comfortable with rock hopping across. Making it across in and out was the big challenge of the day. |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
A number of stepovers, walk arounds, and a duck under on Wet Rocky Branch and East Isolation. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
none |
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 | Bugs: |
none that came into view |
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 | Lost and Found: |
none |
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|
 | Comments: |
Wet Rocky Branch Trail, Engine Hill Bushwack, East Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur Trail
Bare ground to about 0.2 from Engine Hill Bushwack. Many wet spots and rock hopping. Traces of monorail started just beyond the Presidential Range Dry River Wilderness Trail sign. The ground started to harden in this area as well. After a short talk, decided to try the Engine Hill BW. Spikes went on here and stayed on until about 0.5 miles from Wet Rocky Branch Trail on the way out. Quickly ran out of any sign of a track. We went with "high and dry" staying pretty close to the 3400 contour. This was the highest of 4 tracks used since December. Not enough snow to posthole across to East Isolation Trail. Came out on East perhaps 2 to 3 tenths below the first water crossing. Took the bypass to avoid first two crossings. Our first crossing turned out to be uneventful. Hard packed trail predominated from end of Engine Hill BW to summit. There were a number of areas with standing water and mud until Davis Path, some walk arounds used to stay "dry." We took the campsite bypass and didn't readily recognize joining Davis Path after the step over. We were moving diligently at this point due to frisky winds and spitting snow conditions. Next thing you know, we were at Isolation Spur. We had a quick snack, dropped our packs, and geared up for the last push. Not a day to linger at the summit. Though there may have been some happy summit dancing. A no visibility summit today. The weather started to show signs of breaking on Engine Hill BW and had blue skies by the time we got back to trailhead. We followed our tracks on Engine Hill BW until it opened up in the big birch glades and took an even higher route ending up joining Wet Rocky Branch east of the normal junction. More water and rock hopping ensued for the tedious walk toward the last heigh of land. All in all, it was a really good day. Our feet stayed dry which was not expected. A 4 season completed and 11 months down. |
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 | Name: |
Mark |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-04-27 |
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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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