By Nancy Dorrans
Balance encompasses many aspects of our lives… From hiking, to what we eat, paddling, our relationships, in skiing, and throughout our day-to-day routine!
With hiking we need to stay balanced as we work our way up the trail, stepping from rock to rock, root to root. Likewise on the way back down, if we have our hands in our pockets or are not paying attention, we can lose our balance and our way…
Here is a true story of a hike up, down, and out of Mount Isolation on Saturday, September 28th, 2002.
Escape from Mount Isolation
1.
It was Pat Johnson’s last peak on her quest to bag all forty-eight of the 4000 footers in New Hampshire. I joined her, along with our friend Sue, and Pat’s golden retriever, Farley, to celebrate her success! Along the way up the Glen Boulder Trail, we met another hiker from New York named Ken. A New York City part-time police officer and a shoulder patch collector, he had some interesting tales to share.
It was slow going due to light rain and slippery rocks. At the summit of Isolation we encountered some 40+ mph winds and fast-moving low clouds. Pat brought some champagne to share. After the celebration, it was so windy that it was not possible for her to take a nap, which is what she really wanted to do to celebrate, as was her tradition on most of the other summits.
As we descended from the summit, merciless high winds strengthened. When we reached the Isolation Trail junction, Pat told my friend Sue and I that she wanted to take the Glen Bolder trail back to the cars, but she suggested we take the lower more protected trail. Ken said he would go with Pat and Farley, which helped make the decision to split into two groups easier. She would come and pick us up at the Rocky Branch Trailhead parking lot off Route 16, just three miles south of our cars.
This was around 1:30 p.m.
2.
Sue and I started down the Mount Isolation trail to get to the Rocky Branch Trail. As we hiked along the Rocky Branch Trail, I noticed the first stream crossing was not on the map. Hmm… This should have been the first clue that we were heading in the wrong direction.
We crossed the river several more times. The last stream crossing was quite challenging although we were getting pretty good at it by then.
Eventually the trail became straight and flat, free of rocks and roots. I was certain we would have found the parking lot by now.
It was about 5:30 p.m.
3.
I checked the map again and realized we were heading southbound on the Rocky Branch Trail, which follows the Rocky Branch River, hence all the stream crossings. Ugh! We had gone straight when we should have turned left or northbound on Rocky Branch Trail.
After another stream crossing, the trail turned into a grassy road. A “No Snowmobiles” sign was the first marker of civilization. We were on Jericho Road, in Glen, New Hamphire, about four miles north of Route 302. We were a long way from Pat with no cell phone.
It was 7:10 p.m. and we had hiked about eighteen miles!
4.
All our snacks were gone.
A light appeared in the distance. It was a small trailer at the end of Jerico Road with several cars out front. I knocked at the door.
I explained that we had taken the wrong trail and asked to use the telephone. They were getting ready for dinner and celebrating Grandma’s birthday. We asked if someone would mind giving us a ride the 2.2 miles out to 302. The father and grandfather had a discussion. They offered us a ride but asked us to put our backpacks in the back of the pickup. I guess they felt safer that way. I sat in the back seat next to the birthday cake and kept quiet.
They dropped us off at Pizza Plus on 302. The owner called the sheriff and said he had two “slightly disoriented” hikers that needed a ride.
When we finally connected with Pat, she was relieved and suggested that we learn how to read a map! Lesson learned.
Epilogue
I have many trail tales, although this tale of Mount Isolation is one of the longest. Last weekend while hiking (with a map), I was thinking about what to write for this month’s column. All the while paying attention to where I carefully placed each step, over and over… staying low at times, not rushing, and striving to stay balanced. This led to the stream of consciousness about balance… a stream that flows most freely for me when I’m out on the trail.
PS – November is a wonderful month to hike in Maine and New Hampshire, but it is also Hunting Season! Make sure to wear some blaze orange out on the trail! As a Cleveland Browns fan, I have plenty of orange!
Nancy Dorrans is currently working as a Dedicated (in school) Substitute Teacher at Deering High School. She figured she could do something meaningful while we wait for travel to be safe again.
