RoySwkr
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- Sep 4, 2003
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Got my usual late start after 11 am but was not alone at this, one guy cooking lunch and another arriving as I left, both later passed me on trail. The Rocky Branch Trail was very wet with mudholes and brooks running down the trail particularly on the far side of the ridge. I'm surprised that the FS doesn't fix it. I've never seen this trail dry, has anyone?
At the camping zone sign there was a herd path leading R which I followed until it petered out, later picked it up again and followed it to brook crossing. Took better herd path to bypass next two crossings. Finally used old trail at height of land - it was overgrown and wet underfoot with blowdowns, or not that different from new trail although I finally lost it.
Then followed Davis Path S to Davis spur with side trip to Isolation. Met couple backpacking with dog who were trying to get it to drink from stream, but it apparently had plenty of chances and wasn't interested. Took spur to S peak of Davis which was the steepest hiking so far. This trail starts much lower down than the USGS map shows which is why it climbs so much.
bb1 had said the bushwhack to the true summit was thick so I wasn't surprised when it was. Some of the worst stuff was just leaving the trail, then it got a little better. Went by two wooded humps too small to show on USGS map, then came out at swampy area where I turned R and followed herd path with a couple cairns (Wilderness rangers don't get into real wilderness?) to a ledgy area which was presumably the tail of the N contour. Then more really thick stuff to an open ledge area which I took for the true summit, there was another cairn but for some reason not on the highest point. This bump had better close in N views than the trail summit. It had taken me a full half-hour to go a distance which is about .2 miles straight-line. I went to 2 more ledges N of the summit, the farther had views down into the col and showed that the lower bump toward the col also had extensive ledge areas on its summit which are probably not visible from usual viewpoints. Oh well, somebody else would have to explore that one.
It had taken me hours to reach this point but I had a plan to return more quickly. It was less than a mile from here to the trail near Shelter #2, and I had bushwhacked to the Davis-Isolation col many times and knew that nearby terrain was reasonable. Less than 100 yards from the summit I was back in sizable evergreens, and while the route down contained the common Northeast bushwhack features of cliffs, scrub, swamps, overgrown roads, and moose paths I was back to the trail in an hour. While this drainage probably sees minimal human use, I popped in a couple iodine tablets when I refilled my canteens because I had them.
Then it was just the long slog back over the ridge. It got dark going down the far side and the woods were too thick for the full moon to penetrate so I used a light. I also took a short nap trailside as I was no longer in any hurry. Near the bottom I met 2 guys hiking in with lights who thought they were a mile and a half in but were actually only about half that far - distances seem further at night.
My first hike on the Davis Path was over 50 years ago and I was there again a mere 34 years ago, but I really don't remember if the spur path went to the true summit then or if this is a long-time mapping error. It's too bad that the Davis Path doesn't follow the ridge over the summit, it would be no longer and no more elevation gain than the muddy circuitous route that it takes to the W. But this trail was originally laid out for horses which don't like walking on rock areas and nobody has done much to it since.
At the camping zone sign there was a herd path leading R which I followed until it petered out, later picked it up again and followed it to brook crossing. Took better herd path to bypass next two crossings. Finally used old trail at height of land - it was overgrown and wet underfoot with blowdowns, or not that different from new trail although I finally lost it.
Then followed Davis Path S to Davis spur with side trip to Isolation. Met couple backpacking with dog who were trying to get it to drink from stream, but it apparently had plenty of chances and wasn't interested. Took spur to S peak of Davis which was the steepest hiking so far. This trail starts much lower down than the USGS map shows which is why it climbs so much.
bb1 had said the bushwhack to the true summit was thick so I wasn't surprised when it was. Some of the worst stuff was just leaving the trail, then it got a little better. Went by two wooded humps too small to show on USGS map, then came out at swampy area where I turned R and followed herd path with a couple cairns (Wilderness rangers don't get into real wilderness?) to a ledgy area which was presumably the tail of the N contour. Then more really thick stuff to an open ledge area which I took for the true summit, there was another cairn but for some reason not on the highest point. This bump had better close in N views than the trail summit. It had taken me a full half-hour to go a distance which is about .2 miles straight-line. I went to 2 more ledges N of the summit, the farther had views down into the col and showed that the lower bump toward the col also had extensive ledge areas on its summit which are probably not visible from usual viewpoints. Oh well, somebody else would have to explore that one.
It had taken me hours to reach this point but I had a plan to return more quickly. It was less than a mile from here to the trail near Shelter #2, and I had bushwhacked to the Davis-Isolation col many times and knew that nearby terrain was reasonable. Less than 100 yards from the summit I was back in sizable evergreens, and while the route down contained the common Northeast bushwhack features of cliffs, scrub, swamps, overgrown roads, and moose paths I was back to the trail in an hour. While this drainage probably sees minimal human use, I popped in a couple iodine tablets when I refilled my canteens because I had them.
Then it was just the long slog back over the ridge. It got dark going down the far side and the woods were too thick for the full moon to penetrate so I used a light. I also took a short nap trailside as I was no longer in any hurry. Near the bottom I met 2 guys hiking in with lights who thought they were a mile and a half in but were actually only about half that far - distances seem further at night.
My first hike on the Davis Path was over 50 years ago and I was there again a mere 34 years ago, but I really don't remember if the spur path went to the true summit then or if this is a long-time mapping error. It's too bad that the Davis Path doesn't follow the ridge over the summit, it would be no longer and no more elevation gain than the muddy circuitous route that it takes to the W. But this trail was originally laid out for horses which don't like walking on rock areas and nobody has done much to it since.
