Day 1
After climbing Mts Adams and Madison in August 2023, Patches had only one more peak, Isolation, left to complete her 4000-Footers, I was hoping to finish all of the peaks by the end of 2023. But that was not to be. I scraped my lower leg on a rock on rhe way back from the Bonds to our tent near Zealand Falls Hut and it took the rest of 2022 to completely heal. Then, in 2024 and 2025, a myriad of problems showed their ugly faces - car repairs, various obligations, and my gall bladder surgery.
But we had the time and weather outlook to tackle Isolation near the end of September 2026, I was hoping to stay at Dolly Copp on July 30 then drive to the Rocky Branch Trailhead in the early morning. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to leave home on Cape Cod until sometime between noon and one o'clock, after which the traffic going through Boston was abominable and didn't really thin out until just beyond the New Hampshire state line. We had to settle for stopping at the WMNF Hancock campground near Lincoln, NH, but I did manage to get the tent erected before darkness descended. I fed Patches, ate a power bar, drove into town to fill up on gas and call home, then returned to our campsite to get cozy for the night.
Day 2
In the morning, we set off around 8:00 AM (I was too tired to get up earlier) to drive to the Rocky Branch Trailhead. We drove on the Kancamagus Highway, and the colors were amazing. At the trailhead, which only had 2 or 3 cars in it, we quickly got ready and started up the trail, which was a much easier than I had expected. I took a few pictures of Patches down low along the leaf-filled trail. Around the area where the Avalanche Ski Trail merges with the Rocky Branch Trail for a short distance, things got a bit rockier and steeper, but it still wasn't bad and even I, who's normally slow hiking uphill, was making pretty good time. Patches seemed quite happy that we were not climbing up something like the Osgood Trail to Mt Madison as it was tough on her paws.
As the trail leveled off, wet and muddy areas became more frequent but they didn't bother Patches. She was happy just to walk right through the mud. We stopped briefly at the Wilderness border for a snack and a drink of water, then pressed on. There were no surprises the rest of the way up; a number of blowdowns near the intersection of the Isolation Trail and the Davis Path and numerous muddy patches on the Davis Path. I didn't take any pictures until we reached the summit because my camera's memory only had room for a couple more pictures. I should have erased it at home. Anyway, views at the summit were great. The skies were mostly blue but with some clouds starting to build toward the southeast, We didn't linger on top since it was still a long hike back down, but it was nice to see Patches finally finish all 48 peaks! Yay Patches!
Back at our campsite, I decided to take down the tent and head home without spending another night.. It would be a long drive, much of it in the dark, but we wouldn't be stuck in rush hour traffic.
|
Fall colors along Rt 16 in Jackson.. The colors were particularly bright on this very sunny Thursday morning. |
|
