| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Slide Peak, Mt. Isolation, Montalban Ridge - North Peak, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Glen Boulder Trail, herd path, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Rocky Branch Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, May 1, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
I cant imagine Glen Ellis opening this summer without being milled and repaved. The potholes in there would swallow a high clearance vehicle. Some where over a foot deep. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Ice - Blue, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Snow - Drifts, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Stable), Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Monorail (Unstable), Snow - Spring Snow, Leaves - Significant/Slippery, Snow/Ice - Postholes, Slush, Snow/Ice - Small Patches |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues today on any crossings through all trails listed. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
We took out two trees on Glen Boulder. There are a few more that are axe worthy or larger diameter. One big one on Davis, too. Glen Boulder, in the treed section between the boulder and Slide could use a significant haircut. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
A FINE type 2 day in the forest. This was my May 48/48, 12/12 of Isolation, and got me Iso North (Montalban Ridge - North) for Trailwrights (74/78). NO SPIKES! NO SHIRT! NO PROBLEM! (aside from a massive sunburn). Piggybacking on the two Isolation trip reports from Friday and Saturday with some fresh beta. We carried snowshoes due to these reports but they where just extra weight. Bareboot car to car, though spikes could help situationally along all trails listed, but not for very long. I am like that crazy guy in the subway who has 'seen some things, man' - it was nowhere near as bad as those reports made it to me. We made quick work of the lower section of Glen Boulder which was dry or otherwise avoidable. From the junction with Diritessima, snow enters more pronounced to treeline, but we where able to find decent footing from folks yesterday making steps. The exposed sections are wholly devoid of snow and summer scrambling ensued. The treed section up to Slide is notorious for late winter/early spring to be challenging, and it was. There is such a snowpack that even my massive 5'3 stature was in the tops of the trees. It was a lot of bull-in-a-china-shop pushing your way through. We remarked how we felt like we where bushwhacking, but in reality, there is just *THAT* much snow that the 4x8 corridor is swallowed up. Little to no issues on Davis aside from melt making it slick. Several baby giraffe leg flailing moments and I only fell like, eight times. Prior trip reports noted some epic post holes on Davis - I believe this is because there is a split and if you go right, you go a very circuitous route that sort of leads you over Isolation North, the left version follows the trail. However one of our goals was to get Montalban Ridge - North (AKA North Isolation) so finding tracks was a win. HOWEVER, I had two post holes that I was over my belly button. Customary photos where taken, several of me flashing a certain finger, before I was helped out. We thrashed around for a good fifteen minutes before we both felt convinced we had found the unrecognized high point, and called it the summit. Once back on Davis proper, it was smooth sailing to the summit. We enjoyed great conversation with a seasoned tramper who had come up from Isolation West after camping the night before with a family member. I joked when I summited that 12 was enough, he laughed at me. He shared some stories dating back to the 1970's from these trails and it was wonderful to hear the history. We then retraced and took someone's idea of Isolation Express. The snow this week buried all traces of the winter route - and it was obvious this person had no idea where they where going. We opted to NOT wear snowshoes (send me angry messages) because the snow is so rotten in there that we would have been postholing in snowshoes with 3 pounds of extra snow on them. Our saving grace was I had a track from last month so we where able to recreate this years established route to some success. Again, whoever went through Engine Hill had no idea what they where doing, and set a track at about 3100, postholing through marshes and drainages, so we opted to just head back to Isolation Trail and took the long way back. No sense in wasting energy on something that will melt out by next weekend. Rocky Branch was an absolute delight, if you love running rivers and moose poop. The last 2 miles of trail where for the vast majority snow free. A welcomed sight. So glad to be done with this one! This and Osceolas (via greeley) make me seriously consider getting a lobotomy for grid 2...
If you are going for this this week, out and back via GB is the route I would take even with the added 1k gain. Earn your turn! If you're a glutton, take our route as the traverse. If you a masochist who likes to do everything the absolute hardest way possible, rocky branch out and back will surely make you feel alive. |
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 | Name: |
The Teal Goat & Kiwi |
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 | E-Mail: |
sea2thebiscuit@yahoo.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-05-01 |
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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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