Friday, April 12
Summits: Engine Hill
Start/Finish: Rocky Branch North TH
Miles: 8.66
Elevation gain/loss: 2733′
I left the Rocky Branch TH at 3pm after multiple days of hard rain. On the drive over, I’d seen the Crawford Notch flumes going so hard, they were incredibly close to the road; I saw picnic areas by rivers underwater. I didn’t pause long enough to consider what that would mean for all other water sources on this particular day – that if water had risen by 3+ feet everywhere, some water crossings would be impassable.
I struggled up the trail in misting rain with occasional rain showers, in snowshoes from the start. Only a few other people had broken out the trail since the 2 April snowstorms so the trail wasn’t firm. I took the bushwhack and made it all the way to the river crossing for Iso Express before I realized that it would truly be impossible to cross. I went further upstream for a few tenths before finding that the river had swollen enough to fully eat the trail. Further upstream wasn’t any slower – it’s all in a narrow drainage with nowhere to spread out. I was also soaking wet and chilly. I had to accept that I’d hit my turnaround point, less than a mile from the summit. I turned around, and followed my footsteps back to my car. It was a psychologically and physically challenging hike to start my weekend.
