| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhack, Isolation Trail, bushwhack, Davis Path, Isolation Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, February 27, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
The Rocky Branch North Trailhead parking was plowed, with plenty of space at 9am, only a few cars. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All were easy, occasionally requiring one to step over a small gap with a visible stream below. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
No dogs on the trail today. |
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 | Bugs: |
None |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Conditions were good for snowshoes the whole way, with only a few places where the snow underneath thinned to make a rock visible. Rocky Branch Trail had an easy-to-follow well-trodden snowshoe track, but is still powdery enough that snowshoes were better than microspikes. To follow the Engine Hill bushwhack, turn right at the tree with "T" carved into it at elevation 3107 ft. just beyond the col on Engine Hill (about 2.8 mi along the Rocky Branch Trail). This trail had been broken out, but after a quarter mile or so, it seemed to deviate (by losing altitude too soon) from the trail established before Friday's snow, so we broke trail from then on to re-establish something approximating the previous bushwhack. To follow this re-established bushwhack, after about a quarter mile of rising moderately, ignore the trail that splits off and bears left losing altitude, but also ignore the trail that makes an actual right turn and goes up higher - instead go kind of straight and then follow the track - it will gain a little altitude but eventually go back down to the Isolation Trail, reaching it at elevation about 3220 ft. From here on, the route is broken out and easy to follow. Turn right on the Isolation Trail, go less than 20 yards, and then turn left to begin the Iso Express bushwhack, which starts by going steeply down to Rocky Branch stream, in sight, and continues on the other side of the stream, going up the mountain for a little over a mile, reaching the Davis Path at elevation about 3800 ft., where you turn left. The Davis Path was unbroken on the right (going north), so the only clues that we were now on the Davis Path were that we reached a col with a view to the west and that the broken-out trail made a left turn. After going south 0.2 mi along the Davis Path, there is a sign, at which one turns right on a spur to reach the summit. (The Davis Path was unbroken south beyond the spur.) The spur is very steep, but doable in snowshoes going up (I found it easier to slide on the way back down). The first cairn you reach, on an open rocky area, is not the high point - continue to the second cairn just beyond. We encountered a strong breeze only in the summit area. |
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 | Name: |
mathbp |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-02-27 |
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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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