The forecast didn't brighten as the week progressed and the final word was for showers overnight and into Saturday morning with scattered thunderstorms from early afternoon. Being an optimist I emailed Amy that Karen and I would be at the trail head for the 7am rendevous no matter what and we would make a decision on the day at that time. I picked Karen up at 2am and we headed north.

The drive up was dry and we kept a leery eye on the sky as dawn broke. Lots of cloud but it didn't seem so bad. Arriving from the west I decided to head north around The Rockpile by way of Gorham stopping in at Pinkham Notch for a last minute bathroom break. We got to the Rocky Branch parking lot at 6:30 and settled down in the car for a nap. A little before 7am we decided to get our boots on and lo and behold the first person I spy when I get out of the car is Amy. She introduced us to Geneva and then to Sheryl and her husband Mark who arrived shortly after. The six of us would make up the team for the day. I reminded everyone, not for the last time, that we were slow hikers.

We loaded up two cars with packs and people and headed back up the notch to the Glen Boulder trail head. We were geared up, group photo shot and on the trail at around 7:30am. It was already 70* and very humid.

The Glen Boulder trail doesn't waste much time before getting steep and by the time we finished the four tenths of a mile to the Direttissima trail both Karen and I were suffering from the heat and exertion. Karen threw modesty to the wind, removed her shirt and hiked the remainder of the day in just her sports bra. I reminded her it covered more than most bikini's and it did help her stay cooler.

The trail continued up at a good rate but offered many flowers, fungi and cascades as excuses for short breaks. The others would periodically wait for us to catch up despite our prompting that they should just carry on at their own pace.

As we broke out of the scrub and reached the rocky scrambles the clouds broke and gave us some hazy but dramatic views into the Notch and across to the Wildcats. After having dealt with the Caps in the rain Karen had no trouble with the steep slabs and made short work of them. Above the slabs we got our first glimpse of Glen Boulder through the clouds. I took a shot of it using the zoom and could see the others a short way below the boulder. As usual we had a little catching up to do.

We arrived at Glen Boulder to find the others lounging around reading, eating and drinking. We joined in for a short break ourselves, glad for the respite. The clouds that were swirling around suddenly broke and gave us some great views down the Notch to distant peaks. After a bout of picture taking we headed out again heading up towards Slide Peak and beyond to pick up the Davis Path towards Boott Spur.

Once again Karen and I fell behind and the others waited at Slide Peak for us to catch up. From Slide Peak we could see the ridge ahead and our turning point on the Davis Path. We would soon be heading down.

The weather stayed in our favor although a little on the warm side. The clouds came and went and darkened as the day progressed but never completely obscured the views and in fact the clouds added dramatic interest. The breeze above tree line was welcome but we lost that as we descended into the scrub and back into the forest.

Unlike the mostly hardwood species of the ascent the forest was now primarily spruce and pine. There was a large area of dead trees with new undergrowth. We debated whether this was fire or ice storm damage. The dead trees bore copious amounts of mossy lichen that made them less gloomy. The trail became much wetter and there were many species of flowers and fungi decorating the trail side.

In the mud along the trail we found a set of moose tracks although we never saw the maker. No doubt our presence was known long before our journeys coincided.

Although the sign was missing the summit spur trail itself was hard to miss just a few feet south of a Davis Path sign. The spur was quite a little scramble but we soon found ourselves up top and enjoying the views from the bare rock summit area. Photos taken we settled in for another snack, drink and relax. Once again the clouds and haze added drama to the views. We'll just have to come back to savor them again in the clearness of a winters day.

After our break and fill of views we headed back to the Isolation East trail junction and onto new territory. The White Mountain Guide describes the Isolation trail as rooty, rocky and often muddy. It was all of the above but still fairly easy going.

The trail crosses the Rocky Branch river a total of five times as it heads for Rocky Branch Shelter #2 and the Rocky Branch trail. All of the crossings were an easy rock hop and nobody even got a wet boot. It was easy to see that they could be difficult in times of high water as the channel is narrow at the crossings.

Karens knee that had merely nagged a little earlier on turned more painful. We called a quick rest stop at the last crossing and before we headed down the Rocky Branch trail.

The Rocky Branch trail climbs slowly for quite a while often following a small stream. Karen was slowing more than usual and we sent Amy ahead with my car keys to catch the others so they could get themselves to their cars at the other trail head and not be waiting on us.

With several miles still to go Karen was in increasing pain and each step was obviously difficult. She did find that keeping her bad leg straight reduced the discomfort and she completed the hike in this manner.

As we made slow progress down we started to hear rumbles in the distance. The rumbles soon became thundering echoes from the mountains above and we had a drop or two of rain. Our luck held though and the expected downpour held off.

We met a couple of guys heading up for an overnight and we asked them news of the others. They said we were only a few minutes behind them but given our pace this seemed unlikely. I studied the map and told Karen of the sharp turns and brook encounters that would signal our progress.

With the light fading I dug out our headlights telling Karen that darkness comes quickly in the forest, particularly with cloud cover. And so the darkness came and we were alone in the dark on a trail we didn't know and not a blaze to be seen. Luckily the trail was well traveled and pretty obvious. We could hear traffic off to our left as we descended but it was sporadic. After going down a long stretch of old logging road I was begriming to think we had overshot a turn to the trail head. I checked the map and the altimeter on my Brunton weather instrument told me we were still a little above the trail head altitude so we pressed on. I checked the map again feeling sure we should have hit the trail head. I started determining where we would end up if we did indeed overshoot. It looked as though we would run into a forest road that I recalled left the opposite corner of the trail head so if we reached that I knew we would just need to make a left and should pop out in the right place.

It finally started to rain more persistently. The temp was still in the high 60's so it actually felt good. Then the trail took a positive turn to the left and there a short way ahead was the unmistakable shape of a large sign board. A right turn from the signboard and a few yards brought us out to the parking lot and the relieved voice of Amy. The others came out of their cars to greet us and give thanks that we made it out OK. Our slower than slow pace due to Karens crook knee put us so far behind they were beginning to worry and starting to consider what to do if we didn't show. We thanked them profusely for waiting and told them they had waited long enough, we were fine and they should make tracks for home. By then it was 9pm and the storm was about to break.

And did that storm break! We hurriedly changed out of our boots, threw gear in the trunk and hit the road. The rain came and it was like driving through a waterfall. As we headed north up into the Notch we headed right into the thick of it. The rain was so heavy it was almost impossible to see the road markings. The car in front of me crawled to a stop and after we passed they turned and headed back down. We pressed on at a very cautious pace. The frequent lightning helped us see what lay ahead but navigating got easier once we were overtaken by an impatient driver who then slowed as he took the point. We followed his tail lights at a safe distance through the deluge thankful that we had made it out of the forest when we had. We also felt for those folk who were out in the woods in tents. Must have been quite an adventure if not an ordeal. The storm had passed by the time we hit Gorham where pizza was first on the agenda.

Karen and I are slow hikers. Add in a knee problem and we are *really* slow hikers. Despite the painful latter part of the day Karen says she really enjoyed it and liked the trails much more than some others she has been on. It was a long day to bag a summit that barely achieves 4k status but a great day with great company. Other than the muggy heat the weather was great. The clouds did not hide all the views and added some drama to those we had. Along with our companions the rain too waited for us to finish. A full day in the mountains and forests - what could be better?