| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, bushwhack |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Monday, August 8, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at Rocky Branch trailhead lot off NH 16. This large lot is paved, plowed in winter. Kiosk just in the woods. No privy. One car when I arrived, 7 or so when we left at 1:30pm. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All were rock hoppable even after last night’s rain. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Great trails for dogs. One super cute, friendly dog off leash. Well behaved. |
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 | Bugs: |
Durn deer flies. One one not let me be. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Dear Teal Goat, I now have also had my route finding card revoked. Maybe we could attend “Remedial Route Finding” summer school to mend our errant ways… I kept telling my son “But this is the FUN way!!” He has confiscated my compass.
Route:
Rocky Branch > Isolation Trail (East) > “Iso Express” bushwhack, kind of > Davis Path > Isolation Spur > Davis Path > Isolation Trail (East) > Rocky Branch > end.
Rocky Branch: well blazed in updated yellow blazes up to Wilderness boundary, no blazes after this. Trail is well defined, simple to follow. Rough footbed with lots of rocks, roots, pooled water and mud on trail.
Isolation Trail: not blazed, simple to follow footbed. Running water on some parts of trail. Minor mud throughout the trail. Rough, rocky footbed. No issues with water crossings. Signs for various campsites up, intact. The uppermost campsite, just before the Davis Path jct is large, but does not have a water source that we could locate. Fire ring present.
Davis Path: not blazed. Simple to follow. The majority of mud is in concentrated pools on this trail, like it always is.
Isolation Spur: signed. Great view. Worth the trek.
“Iso Express” bushwhack, or just a bushwhack: man. I’m smoked after this one. Ok, so my son and I set off on the Iso Express to see if it is a herd path in summer. It is decidedly NOT. This short cut to the Davis Path from the Isolation trail is only used in winter. Noted. This did not stop me from breaking out my map, compass and saved GPS route. I was not able to locate much of the herd path on the ground at all. I did locate with supreme accuracy: bogs, spiders, blowdowns only passable by weasels, trees so tight I had to Army crawl under their low branches, tight rocks (one of which I got stuck in, thanks son for pulling me out!!), more bogs, more tight spruce I had to barrel through football player style, and fresh bear scat. It smelled of berries. Moral: stick to Iso Express in winter only, and for my son- don’t believe your Mom when she says, “It’s only a mile through the woods.” |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-08-08 |
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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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