| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, bushwhacks |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, January 10, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the trailhead lot for Rocky Branch Trail off NH 16. This is a large, paved lot that is plowed after storms. Lot plowed nearly to pavement today. Any vehicle should be fine. Lot is signed, kiosk in woods, no privy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow/Ice - Frozen Granular, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Snow - Wet/Sticky, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
The crossing on the bushwhack endearingly termed the “Iso Express” was accomplished with rocks, a small ice bridge, and general perseverance. Apparently, an ice bridge that holds a 65LBS dog may not hold an overweight 40 something gridder in snowshoes. Hummm… Chose your route wisely. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
My dog did fine with all Trail aspects. Actually, he did better than I did… |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Rocky Branch > “Engine Hill” bushwhack > Isolation Trail > “Iso Express” bushwhack > Davis Path > Iso summit spur > back the way I came.
Rocky Branch: well blazed in updated yellow blazes to the Wilderness Border sign, no blazes after this. Low snow levels made this trail simple to follow. Spikes were the best footwear for me as the start of the trail barely had any snow and was firmly frozen. Lots of exposed rock and running water on trail. Around 2000 feet the snow pack became consistent, but never deep. The open shoulder (approx 1.7 miles in) still had a large amount of open water that we (the dog and I) were able to negotiate without issue. It never crossed my mind to put on snowshoes on this trail as there is just not enough snow.
Engine Hill BW: ok. Again, a bushwhack is a bushwhack. Have a compass and map and skills to employ them. Much traffic on this BW has lent to some backcountry trail building in the form of a firm footbed and, today, faint trench to follow. But, I swear to Gad almighty, that durn bog has it in for me. I wrongly assumed the bog would be frozen and I could just walk across it. NOPE! I sunk in to my knee, nearly getting stuck in frozen, black bog. I’m soooooo creating a route around this sucker next time I’m out here. I stayed in spikes during the ascent, returned on the descent in snowshoes as the wind had created numerous drifts. Even though the snow was shallow, I was was able to travel much faster in snowshoes. It’s a really good line. Thanks to those who went before!
Isolation trail: shallow snow, some ice for the total of 200 feet I was on this trail. Spikes on the ascent, snowshoes on the return.
“Iso Express” BW: the water crossing was a bit tricky with spikes, much better with snowshoes when I returned. There is a small ice bridge that is sturdy in the middle of the creek. But, of course, test it carefully before crossing. The bushwhack has a firm surface under 1 to 1.5 inches of new snow. There was a faint trench for me today, I was able to follow it 60% of the time. The remaining 40% of indiscernible trail required consulting my compass and GPS to stay on the established ‘whack. There was quite a bit of wind last night and this morning that completely obscured prior footpaths. I elected to ascend in spikes as I could better feel when I stepped off the firmer footpath. No postholing as snow was not deep at any elevation. Upon the descent I threw on my snowshoes so fast my dog had to look twice at my feet to figure out what happened. So now there are my snowshoe prints to help widen the “trail.”
Davis Path: not blazed, easy to follow corridor. Either snowshoes or spikes will work fine as new snow is less than 2 inches and footbed is nice and firm.
Iso Summit Spur: nicely covered under shallow new snow. Ice remains covered. Summit marked with large carin. There is a geological marker somewhere… We did not linger long as winds were kinda pushy. I used spikes as I knew there was ice under that snow… I do think snowshoes would be fine, though. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-01-10 |
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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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