Bobby
Active member
Things used to be so easy. Get in the car, drive to the mountains, hike, then go home. Somewhere along the way, I got a real job, got married and had four children. Now, everything has to be planned. Life does have a way of getting in the way. Not a complaint, mind you, just an observation.
Work has been busy lately, with a few of my days off cancelled for various reasons. Home has been nuts, with three of the kids to get ready for school. I really needed some time to myself, and things looked good for yesterday, so I started planning. I got clearance from "the Boss," and then looked at my remaining 4K's. It hasn't rained in several days, and looking on-line showed that most of the rivers and streams were running at acceptable levels. I decided on Isolation.
I was on the road by 3:45 AM with a full tank of gas and a large cup of coffee. The ride went well until the dreaded Rte. 16. At different times, I was stuck behind people who didn't appear to be in any hurry to get where they were going. My guess is that they were going to work
.
I pulled into the Rocky Branch trailhead about 6:10. As I geared up, I noticed my camera wasn't on my pack strap. It wasn't in the car either. A call home, and the camera was on the kitchen table, right where I left it . Oh well, time to get going. I began to hike up the Rocky Branch trail.
There was nothing remarkable about the Rocky Branch Trail. Just some mud. I slipped of a bog bridge at one point, dragging my shin down the bridge and using my hands to break my fall, I went elbow deep into the mud. I kept going, and about ten minutes later found a small stream where I could wash off. No lasting damage, but a nice gouge about six inches long on my shin. Mud and blood, gotta love it. I reached the Wilderness boundary, and about 50 yards in I almost stepped in a huge pile of moose dropping. I guess this was Bullwinkle's way of saying "welcome."
I'm not usually a fast hiker, but I think there was some pent up frustration. I just put my head down and moved up the trail. There was some surprise when I reached the first crossing of the Rocky Branch just over two hours.
The first Rocky Branch crossing was pretty easy, and I got across "boots dry." At the second crossing, I ran into a thru-hiker, Chipmunk. He dropped down from the Crawford Path on Wednesday and was on his way out, hoping to get to Gorham by the end of his day.
Despite what the White Mountain Guide said, I found the Isolation Trail easy to follow. The foot way is very clear to see. There are a few places where some brush could be cut back, but it's Wilderness, so that may not happen. I found this to be a beautiful area. It was very peaceful and quiet, something I'm not at all used to.
Onward and upward to the Davis Path, then onto Isolation. The Davis Path was in great shape, one blowdown to go under and more mud to go around. I was very alert here, not wanting to miss the Isolation spur. I found that there was a large sign at the spur, very hard to miss. I ascended the spur path and broke out into the open to some awesome views. I poked around the summit a bit, then had lunch. I brought along a Chicken Fajita and Rice MRE (meal - ready to eat). It wasn't bad. After about forty minutes, I started down. I ran into one other hiker on his way up, about 5 minutes after I left the summit. He was on his way up, having made it from the parking lot in about 3 hours.
The hike down was uneventful. With about a mile and a half to go, I sensed my mood changing. I wasn't thinking about what had been bothering me, rather about what was good in my life. My wife is great about my hiking, and I love watching the kids, ages 16, 12, 8 and sixteen months as they grow. Work will always infringe on my home life, it's the nature of the business I chose. I enjoy what I do, despite the risks. What keeps me sane are the loved ones around me.
I reached the parking lot a little after 2PM, for a trip time of 7:50, not bad for a slow guy. On the ride home, I switched from solo hiker guy to dad of four. If I could get home early enough, I would be able to take my son to his Tae Kwon Do class. I did, and I did. I even managed a shower before we left.
Work has been busy lately, with a few of my days off cancelled for various reasons. Home has been nuts, with three of the kids to get ready for school. I really needed some time to myself, and things looked good for yesterday, so I started planning. I got clearance from "the Boss," and then looked at my remaining 4K's. It hasn't rained in several days, and looking on-line showed that most of the rivers and streams were running at acceptable levels. I decided on Isolation.
I was on the road by 3:45 AM with a full tank of gas and a large cup of coffee. The ride went well until the dreaded Rte. 16. At different times, I was stuck behind people who didn't appear to be in any hurry to get where they were going. My guess is that they were going to work
.I pulled into the Rocky Branch trailhead about 6:10. As I geared up, I noticed my camera wasn't on my pack strap. It wasn't in the car either. A call home, and the camera was on the kitchen table, right where I left it
. Oh well, time to get going. I began to hike up the Rocky Branch trail.There was nothing remarkable about the Rocky Branch Trail. Just some mud. I slipped of a bog bridge at one point, dragging my shin down the bridge and using my hands to break my fall, I went elbow deep into the mud. I kept going, and about ten minutes later found a small stream where I could wash off. No lasting damage, but a nice gouge about six inches long on my shin. Mud and blood, gotta love it
. I reached the Wilderness boundary, and about 50 yards in I almost stepped in a huge pile of moose dropping. I guess this was Bullwinkle's way of saying "welcome."I'm not usually a fast hiker, but I think there was some pent up frustration. I just put my head down and moved up the trail. There was some surprise when I reached the first crossing of the Rocky Branch just over two hours.
The first Rocky Branch crossing was pretty easy, and I got across "boots dry." At the second crossing, I ran into a thru-hiker, Chipmunk. He dropped down from the Crawford Path on Wednesday and was on his way out, hoping to get to Gorham by the end of his day.
Despite what the White Mountain Guide said, I found the Isolation Trail easy to follow. The foot way is very clear to see. There are a few places where some brush could be cut back, but it's Wilderness, so that may not happen. I found this to be a beautiful area. It was very peaceful and quiet, something I'm not at all used to.
Onward and upward to the Davis Path, then onto Isolation. The Davis Path was in great shape, one blowdown to go under and more mud to go around. I was very alert here, not wanting to miss the Isolation spur. I found that there was a large sign at the spur, very hard to miss. I ascended the spur path and broke out into the open to some awesome views. I poked around the summit a bit, then had lunch. I brought along a Chicken Fajita and Rice MRE (meal - ready to eat). It wasn't bad. After about forty minutes, I started down. I ran into one other hiker on his way up, about 5 minutes after I left the summit. He was on his way up, having made it from the parking lot in about 3 hours.
The hike down was uneventful. With about a mile and a half to go, I sensed my mood changing. I wasn't thinking about what had been bothering me, rather about what was good in my life. My wife is great about my hiking, and I love watching the kids, ages 16, 12, 8 and sixteen months as they grow. Work will always infringe on my home life, it's the nature of the business I chose. I enjoy what I do, despite the risks. What keeps me sane are the loved ones around me.
I reached the parking lot a little after 2PM, for a trip time of 7:50, not bad for a slow guy. On the ride home, I switched from solo hiker guy to dad of four. If I could get home early enough, I would be able to take my son to his Tae Kwon Do class. I did, and I did. I even managed a shower before we left.
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