June 9, 2007
Today I get to play with a new toy. I returned my last GPS that wouldn't keep a signal and bought a new one. My friends, Jim and Sue, recommended the Earthmate PN-20 made by Delorme. I've always been impressed with Delorme's maps, so I decided to try a GPS made by them. It worked terrific. I was in heavy tree cover for 20 miles today and never lost a signal. The GPS also comes with all it's own software, so I didn't have to make any additional purchases. Here's the track from today's hike. A few of the bolder tags I added to the map for clarity.
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Mount Isolation is appropriately named. It is one of the most remote 4000 footers in the Whites. The shortest route is about 14 miles roundtrip. But you know me, I had to choose a longer route. Madison and I parked on Jericho Road and headed off on Rocky Branch Trail.
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We immediately came to a bridge.
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From the bridge I looked down at Rocky Branch Brook. The water level looked pretty low. That was good, because I would be crossing this stream numerous times today.
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The trail briefly follows a dirt road.
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Madison cools off.
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The trail was smooth and flat for the first two miles. I came to Rocky Branch Shelter #1. It was early in the day so I didn't stop for a break. I'll check the shelter out on the way back. I continued on the same trail.
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Although I've hiked the nearby Presidential Range numerous times,
this was my first time in this wilderness area.
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Nice stone staircase on the other side of the creek.
Being in a wilderness area, there are no bridges.
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I crossed the same creek again, and again, and again.
With all the hiking I've done the last few years, I've easily crossed hundreds of rivers and streams. Well, today I took my first unintentional dip. I stepped on a rock and my foot slipped. Down I went. The water was only about 2 feet deep but the current was exceptionally strong. I went completely under, but I popped up quick because I was carrying a few things in my pack that shouldn't be dunked in water (i.e. camera and my new GPS). The dunk actually felt good on this warm June day.
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Trilliums
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Small Waterfall
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Next we reached Rocky Branch Shelter #2
Madison and I took a short break here.
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Just after the shelter we turned onto Isolation Trail.
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One advantage of coming in the long way is that the elevation change is very gradual. A couple miles later I reached Davis Path.
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About a half a mile from the summit of Isolation, I found one patch of snow trying to hold on.
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Next I came to the spur trail for the summit. The trail is short but very, very steep. It looks like there would be a good view from here on a clear day. No such luck today. I used the self-timer function on my camera for this shot on the 4004' summit.
This is my 39th White Mountains 4000 footer and Madison's 5th.
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I'm a little bummed about the weather today, but at least the rain is holding off. I came down the spur trail and continued south on Davis Path until I reached another spur trail. This one was for Mount Davis.
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This mountain isn't on any of my lists, but I figured we would hit it anyway. Here we are on the 3819' summit.
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After about 6 hours on the trail, Madison finally settled down for a quick nap.
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This summit wasn't quite as fogged in as it was on Isolation, so I did get a little bit of a view.
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I went back down the spur trail and once again continued south on Davis Path.
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The trail was down right nasty in some places.
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Madison and I reached the third and final spur trail of the day.
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We went up to the wooded summit and just slightly down the other side to an opening called 'Giant Stairs'. I didn't see anything that looked like giant stairs so I assume I must have been on the top step. I guess to see the stairs you need to be on another mountain. Despite the weather, there was still a great view from here.
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Again we returned to Davis Path . . .
before reaching the Stairs Col Trail.
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The trail dropped quickly as we descended down the mountain. We reached Rocky Branch Shelter #1 for the second time today. This time we stopped for a quick break.
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The last two miles of the day were a repeat of the first two miles. The weather wasn't great, but the rain held off until the drive home.
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