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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Mt. Isolation, NH
Trails
Trails: Rocky Branch Trail, bushwhack, Isolation Trail, bushwhack, Davis Path, Isolation Spur
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, January 17, 2021
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Lot was not plowed after yesterday's mixed precip. Accessible, but messy. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Snow - Drifts, Slush 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: Only one major crossing via this route, which is mostly snow bridged, but the far side collapsed. Can cross with caution on snowshoes using poles. 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Blowdowns on each of the three trails. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Two Microspikes are hanging on branches between the first height of land and the Wilderness boundary; one appears to have failed. 
 
Comments
Comments: Don't be fooled by what it looks like at the parking lot; it is full-on winter for most of this route.

Started in Microspikes briefly (an inch of snow on top of slush and old base), but quickly switched to snowshoes for better traction (and to not sink into the slush). Not too bony for them. Better snowshoeing started above the second ski trail junction; about half a foot of new snow just above there.

By the time we reached the first height of land, snowshoes were very much needed. A few seeps are open, but there's decent snowpack building otherwise. A good foot of new snow here - sometimes pure powder, other times snow with a crust and then powder on top.

We broke out Engine Hill using the normal entrance, but I opted for a different alignment than has been seen in past winters. I opted to slab up to about 3,400 feet, and stuck with it until near the end, when I gave up a little more than I wanted to. Nevertheless, it's a fairly efficient route with a little over 100 feet of lost elevation, popping out a few minutes below the top water crossing. New snow seemed to be between a foot and a foot and a half with some deeper drifts.

Isolation Trail was tricky in places due to the water/slush hidden under the new powder. Careful trail breaking avoided a lot of it.

At the campsite, I opted to break out the short bushwhack direct to the Davis Path; others took the traditional trail.

Davis Path had some drifting in places, but was otherwise generally powder. Isolation Spur was also filled in nicely. Very windy on the summit with no views.

Extended stretches of trail (all of the above) had drifted in by the time we returned, from the wind and continued light snow. We saw perhaps 20 people out today; all were wearing snowshoes because they are very much needed. It looks like someone attempted to Microspike, but was forced to turn around (judging by the slush-filled postholes). Also noted some backcountry ski tracks; some good powder to be found in the upper birch glades.

Even with the traffic, the trails above 2,500 feet were soft. It would be a foolhardy endeavor to venture out here without snowshoes. A beautiful snowshoe track is forming; please keep it this way so that it's smooth sailing for all that follow!  
Name
Name: rocket21 
E-Mail
E-Mail: rocket21@franklinwebpublishing.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2021-01-17 
Link
Link: https://www.franklinsites.com/hikephotos 
Bookmark and Share 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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