Isolation Mud and Water Crossings Question

[peakbagger-paul]

I was thinking about climbing Mt Isolation via the Rocky Branch route on Sunday. Has anyone been up there lately? Have all the recent rains made the mud situation much worse and are the water crossings an issue? Thanks.

 

[sierra]

I was thinking about climbing Mt Isolation via the Rocky Branch route on Sunday. Has anyone been up there lately? Have all the recent rains made the mud situation much worse and are the water crossings an issue? Thanks.

netrailconditions.com is the go too site for the most reliable update on conditions.

 

[peakbagger-paul]

netrailconditions.com is the go too site for the most reliable update on conditions.

I've already been checking there.all week. The last trail report for Isolation was Sept 9.

 

[DayTrip]

I've already been checking there.all week. The last trail report for Isolation was Sept 9.

The Rocky Branch/Isolation/Davis Path route to Mt Isolation is usually a wet, muddy mess even in the best of times. With the recent rains I'd expect it to be quite sloppy. There is a lengthy section (maybe 0.3 to 0.4 miles) descending to the Isolation Trail from the height of land that will seem more like you are walking in a brook than a trail. I would also point out that there are 5 river crossings on the Isolation Trail and the rivers are running pretty high right now. The first crossing in particular could be pretty difficult/dangerous depending on how far they recede over the next 1-2 days.

Another good resource to check is the USGS River Gauge website: https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/?region=lower48&aoi=default
Many of the river gauges I follow for various hikes are at "no go" levels right now for my risk tolerance. May be a hike best saved for another time if conditions don't improve.

 

[peakbagger-paul]

The Rocky Branch/Isolation/Davis Path route to Mt Isolation is usually a wet, muddy mess even in the best of times. With the recent rains I'd expect it to be quite sloppy. There is a lengthy section (maybe 0.3 to 0.4 miles) descending to the Isolation Trail from the height of land that will seem more like you are walking in a brook than a trail. I would also point out that there are 5 river crossings on the Isolation Trail and the rivers are running pretty high right now. The first crossing in particular could be pretty difficult/dangerous depending on how far they recede over the next 1-2 days.

Another good resource to check is the USGS River Gauge website: https://dashboard.waterdata.usgs.gov/app/nwd/?region=lower48&aoi=default
Many of the river gauges I follow for various hikes are at "no go" levels right now for my risk tolerance. May be a hike best saved for another time if conditions don't

Thanks for the informative! I'm going to climb Madison and Adams instead and try Isolation later. These are my dog's last three 4000-footers. I've only climbed Isolation once before back in 2001 but it was from the other direction, from a campsite near the Mt Eisenhower and Dry River Trails, and up the west leg of the Isolation trail.

 

[Mike P.]

Small streams and brooks will change quickly, down and up. Have a back-up and look at the weather for the rest of the week. Anything high today is likely going to be normal or low if little or no rain falls between now and the weekend unless it has a huge drainage and Rocky Branch isn't that. (Saco (below or at Dry River would be generous but certainly as you approach Bartlett and the confluence with the Glen Ellis), Andro, Pemigewasset, etc) We don't have warm temps melting snow like you might when you get a decent rain in April and May.

 

[peakbagger]

Keep in mind, trees are no longer taking up a lot of water as they are transitioning to winter. That means more water gets to the streams after a rainfall.

 

[Mike P.]

Keep in mind, trees are no longer taking up a lot of water as they are transitioning to winter. That means more water gets to the streams after a rainfall.

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night and I'm not an arborist. Do evergreens make much of a transition? Much of the upper crossings are in an area of spruce and fir with maples and birch along the water but not much higher in the drainage. The 10 Day Gorham forecast I looked at (real weather may be different) shows a wet Wednesday and a cool cloudy Thursday that may have ice and snow in the higher elevations. Then the next few days look very nice. (I've been looking over at the ADK forecast and Ian remnants as I'm heading there for four days this weekend. At this point, Monday might be only issue although the High Pressure appears to block the rain. A mountain forecast out six days isn't worth the paper it's printed on, even if it's paperless.)

I'd look at the higher summits forecast also. With a tropical Low in the southern US, will there be much pressure gradient winds? Not really an issue on Isolation, you just peak your head out of the tree cover, while Madison and Adams have just about the same wind as Washington and the Col between them maybe even more. It may be a choice of mud vs. wind and exposure.