| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, Engine Hill bushwack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Mt. Isolation spur path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 4, 2025 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parking was plowed and there was plenty. Only a few cars in the lot. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Ice - Black, Wet Trail, Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Wet/Slippery Rock, Ice - Breakable Crust, Standing/Running Water on Trail, 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: |
Snowbridges were unstable and we broke through most. A few are slightly intact. Water crossing at 2nd bushwhack was impassable safely by our risk calculation. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Many blowdowns at the last 2 miles to the summit. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
None, perhaps too treacherous until a better base is built. |
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 | Bugs: |
N/A |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Rocky Branch is broken out + the Engine Hill Bushwhack. (Assuming we did the bushwhack correctly!) We opted out of the ISO Express because of the drop down into the water crossing — it was super sketchy — and rather than make an uncalculated risk, we stayed on trail.
We were a 6-pack, breaking trail for most of the way, and we split into 2 groups about 1.7 from the summit for a bail. We had our Rocky Talkies so we were able to communicate that we’d be sending 2 of us ahead to meet, and 2 of us would bail.
Rocky Branch was a complete mess the whole way. First two miles were basically too treacherous for snowshoes (although we wore them through that section on the way down). All of the water crossings are still running water — even with 5° temps the whole way, with winds about 15mph throughout the day. The snow bridges (or lack there of) were sketchy and we punched through most of them. As we got closer to the summit, the conditions became deeper snow, sketchy workarounds for the low/rocky areas, and a ton of hard slogging work. That’s where 2 of us bailed.
We had 1 broken trekking pole (Note to self, don’t slam your poles into your snowshoes to knock them off or they will break). 2 snowshoe breaks (we fixed!) not mine lol.
Buildup of ice and snow on our shoes and snowshoes was ridiculous.
Overall a very difficult hike. We clocked 11 miles with the bail, the rest of the team logged about 14 miles, so I’m not entirely sure Engine Hill was correctly routed (nothing to follow except Gaia and Garmin which both have them marked).
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|
 | Name: |
Lynn Swezey |
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 | E-Mail: |
agentswezey411@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2025-01-05 |
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 | Link: |
 https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1D9Gwvz7x6/?mibextid=wwXIfr |
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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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