BIGEarl
Well-known member
March 19, 2011: Isolation
Trails: Rock Branch Trail, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, and a couple bushwhacks
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue is getting over a pretty good cold that kept her off the trails last weekend. With that in mind it seemed like one of the smaller hikes with a late start might be a good idea. After some late changes in plans we decided to make a hike to Isolation our final winter hike for the ’10-’11 season.
As we drove north the snow flurries started around Plymouth and got worse as we went along. In Franconia Notch we were in a solid snow storm that eased up a little as we made our way through Twin Mountain. The snow continued all of the way through Gorham and past PNVC. It finally tapered off as we arrived at the trailhead. We pulled into the Rocky Branch trailhead lot and it was empty – not a vehicle in sight. After a few minutes we had our snowshoes on and were hiking Rocky Branch Trail but didn’t really know exactly how we were going to approach the day. We never took the snowshoes off until we were back to the trailhead lot, and never ran into any ice along the way. The hike from the trailhead to the height of land on Engine Hill went well. The conditions started cloudy with snow falling but the weather forecast said the day would clear by mid-morning and we would enjoy pretty nice conditions. We all know the weather guys are never wrong.
We started with a relatively warm temperature of ~30 degrees. Overall, the snow was soft and a step off either side of the trail usually ended in post-holing, even after I added the six-inch extension tails to my snowshoes. Fresh snow that had fallen overnight generally obscured the tracks from previous hikers. As predicted, the snow stopped and the clouds started to break up by the time we were approaching the height of land on Engine Hill. In a sunny place on the west side of the ridge Sue found the snow was ideal for a snowman and got to work. Soon a picture was being sent to her usual targets. With that distraction out of the way we continued on our hike. Because of the snow conditions I wasn’t interested in breaking out the upper Engine Hill bushwhack route. We kept watching for signs of previous hikers heading across the area but even the tracks from Bryan a week ago were completely gone. We took a lower route to save some distance. Roughly a half mile from the height of land we made a turn north and started the bushwhack to the Isolation Trail. I think the high route saves around a mile and believe our approach saved about a half mile. I’m pretty sure it didn’t save any time. With the clear-sky conditions and bright sun it was relatively easy to hold a target bearing – just chase our own shadows. Eventually, we landed on Isolation Trail near the third crossing. Later we saw the first two crossings to be open and not bridged at all, the other crossings are all still bridged but care is needed for each one to avoid going for a swim.
We found conditions on the Isolation Trail to be much better. The trail had seen some traffic in the past and we were able to follow the more solid route. Our postholing problems were generally over. We made the remaining crossings with no problems at all and were soon hiking in the area of the swamp near the Isolation – Davis Path junction. The old tracks skirted the swamp on the northeast side and headed up a small gulley. I believe we have Bryan to thank for doing an outstanding job of breaking out the shortcut past the tent sites and on to Davis Path saving a little distance and elevation. Nice!
We hit the Davis Path and headed south. The trail north had no evidence of prior traffic. The final section to the Isolation Spur was an easy walk on a solid base and no ice. We reached the Isolation Spur and I noticed the sign indicating the spur was gone and replaced with a Davis Path trail sign. That was a surprise. After checking pictures from previous hikes it appears the sign change happened in the past year. Davis Path south of the Isolation Spur also showed no sign of traffic.
We made the turn onto the Isolation Spur and made the final climb to the summit. Still, no ice to deal with and this short but steep climb was no real test for the MSR’s. Back near the Isolation Trail junction with Davis Path three other hikers that were camped on Engine Hill started to leapfrog us. This trio was on the summit relaxing in the sun when we arrived. We made our way to the summit cairn, got the usual summit pictures and a few distance shots, had some refreshment, and were soon on our exit hike.
Having fresh tracks as a guide made the hike out much quicker. When we reached the end of the lower Engine Hill bushwhack we decided to simply continue down the east side of Rocky Branch to the Rocky Branch Trail. Roughly half of this route had old tracks that we were able to follow avoiding the postholing problems, but the other half of the time we had slow-going in the deep soft snow. We hit Rocky Branch Trail and found old tracks obscured by the new snow but they offered a solid base. We made the turn and headed east. Soon we came back onto our tracks from the morning and we were again on a pretty good trail. The others that were camped on Engine Hill were actually next to the trail on the east side of the ridge. They followed our bushwhack route on the way in and hiked out the same way.
We passed their camp and were on the long descent to the trailhead. We were probably a half-mile from the trailhead when I stopped and turned to Sue and said “I don’t remember climbing up all of this down”. The descent from Engine Hill is an endless downhill run. I thought there were some level sections, but not today. This final stretch can be a little hard on tired feet and knees but we hiked at a comfortable pace and were soon at the trailhead removing our snowshoes. It didn’t take long to pack and head to PNVC for a quick change into dry clothes for the ride south.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Rock Branch Trail, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur, and a couple bushwhacks
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue is getting over a pretty good cold that kept her off the trails last weekend. With that in mind it seemed like one of the smaller hikes with a late start might be a good idea. After some late changes in plans we decided to make a hike to Isolation our final winter hike for the ’10-’11 season.
As we drove north the snow flurries started around Plymouth and got worse as we went along. In Franconia Notch we were in a solid snow storm that eased up a little as we made our way through Twin Mountain. The snow continued all of the way through Gorham and past PNVC. It finally tapered off as we arrived at the trailhead. We pulled into the Rocky Branch trailhead lot and it was empty – not a vehicle in sight. After a few minutes we had our snowshoes on and were hiking Rocky Branch Trail but didn’t really know exactly how we were going to approach the day. We never took the snowshoes off until we were back to the trailhead lot, and never ran into any ice along the way. The hike from the trailhead to the height of land on Engine Hill went well. The conditions started cloudy with snow falling but the weather forecast said the day would clear by mid-morning and we would enjoy pretty nice conditions. We all know the weather guys are never wrong.
We started with a relatively warm temperature of ~30 degrees. Overall, the snow was soft and a step off either side of the trail usually ended in post-holing, even after I added the six-inch extension tails to my snowshoes. Fresh snow that had fallen overnight generally obscured the tracks from previous hikers. As predicted, the snow stopped and the clouds started to break up by the time we were approaching the height of land on Engine Hill. In a sunny place on the west side of the ridge Sue found the snow was ideal for a snowman and got to work. Soon a picture was being sent to her usual targets. With that distraction out of the way we continued on our hike. Because of the snow conditions I wasn’t interested in breaking out the upper Engine Hill bushwhack route. We kept watching for signs of previous hikers heading across the area but even the tracks from Bryan a week ago were completely gone. We took a lower route to save some distance. Roughly a half mile from the height of land we made a turn north and started the bushwhack to the Isolation Trail. I think the high route saves around a mile and believe our approach saved about a half mile. I’m pretty sure it didn’t save any time. With the clear-sky conditions and bright sun it was relatively easy to hold a target bearing – just chase our own shadows. Eventually, we landed on Isolation Trail near the third crossing. Later we saw the first two crossings to be open and not bridged at all, the other crossings are all still bridged but care is needed for each one to avoid going for a swim.
We found conditions on the Isolation Trail to be much better. The trail had seen some traffic in the past and we were able to follow the more solid route. Our postholing problems were generally over. We made the remaining crossings with no problems at all and were soon hiking in the area of the swamp near the Isolation – Davis Path junction. The old tracks skirted the swamp on the northeast side and headed up a small gulley. I believe we have Bryan to thank for doing an outstanding job of breaking out the shortcut past the tent sites and on to Davis Path saving a little distance and elevation. Nice!
We hit the Davis Path and headed south. The trail north had no evidence of prior traffic. The final section to the Isolation Spur was an easy walk on a solid base and no ice. We reached the Isolation Spur and I noticed the sign indicating the spur was gone and replaced with a Davis Path trail sign. That was a surprise. After checking pictures from previous hikes it appears the sign change happened in the past year. Davis Path south of the Isolation Spur also showed no sign of traffic.
We made the turn onto the Isolation Spur and made the final climb to the summit. Still, no ice to deal with and this short but steep climb was no real test for the MSR’s. Back near the Isolation Trail junction with Davis Path three other hikers that were camped on Engine Hill started to leapfrog us. This trio was on the summit relaxing in the sun when we arrived. We made our way to the summit cairn, got the usual summit pictures and a few distance shots, had some refreshment, and were soon on our exit hike.
Having fresh tracks as a guide made the hike out much quicker. When we reached the end of the lower Engine Hill bushwhack we decided to simply continue down the east side of Rocky Branch to the Rocky Branch Trail. Roughly half of this route had old tracks that we were able to follow avoiding the postholing problems, but the other half of the time we had slow-going in the deep soft snow. We hit Rocky Branch Trail and found old tracks obscured by the new snow but they offered a solid base. We made the turn and headed east. Soon we came back onto our tracks from the morning and we were again on a pretty good trail. The others that were camped on Engine Hill were actually next to the trail on the east side of the ridge. They followed our bushwhack route on the way in and hiked out the same way.
We passed their camp and were on the long descent to the trailhead. We were probably a half-mile from the trailhead when I stopped and turned to Sue and said “I don’t remember climbing up all of this down”. The descent from Engine Hill is an endless downhill run. I thought there were some level sections, but not today. This final stretch can be a little hard on tired feet and knees but we hiked at a comfortable pace and were soon at the trailhead removing our snowshoes. It didn’t take long to pack and head to PNVC for a quick change into dry clothes for the ride south.
Pictures will follow.
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