| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Isolation, Mt. Davis, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhacks, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, Mt. Davis Side Path |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 27, 2024 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Rocky Branch Trailhead had not been plowed recently but was okay with AWD and snow tires. |
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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: |
Rocky Branch crossing at Iso Express was frozen over and easy. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Lots of bent over trees, leaners, and a couple of crawl-under blowdowns between Mts. Isolation and Davis |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a snow spider |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Snowshoes car to car. The route to Isolation was a pristine snowshoe track and about as easy and fast conditions as can be encountered in wintertime. Thanks to everyone who wore snowshoes the past few days and for the great route finding on Engine Hill and Iso Express.
Lucky for me I had some takers to continue on to Mt. Davis and the only 1.2 mile piece of Davis Path I still "needed" in winter. Trail breaking wasn't bad at all - we were sinking only a few inches in snowshoes - but there were lots of frozen, bent over softwoods to navigate. (The Engine Hill and Iso Express "bushwhacks" look more like official trails than this section of Davis Path right now. Haha) There were a couple of figure-out-where-the-trail-is spots, but GPS quickly got us back on track.
The fun really began at the Mt. Davis Side Path. It is steep, so the snow seemed CHEST DEEP! at times. There were also pesky spruce traps along the sides of the trail. My faulty map showed a trail continuing to the true summit of Mt. Davis. We hit (what we now know is) the official end of the spur trail and headed north toward the true summit. Alas, after some zig-zagging and waddling in waist deep spruce traps, a trail could not be found (because there wasn't one - har dee har har!). A quick phone call (one bar!) to the Mountain Wanderer himself and White Mountain Guide editor, Steve Smith, confirmed that the spur trail ended on the first bump 0.2 miles up. Doh! I am lucky that my friends were laughing the whole time and still want to hike with me. :)
The view from Mt. Davis is stunning!! |
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 | Name: |
Snowflea & friends |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2024-01-28 |
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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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