May 29, 2025
Chick Magnet and I got to the Rocky Branch trailhead at 8:45 and were pleasantly surprised to find the parking lot empty. I didn't expect a full lot, but I did anticipate a few cars. I put on some bug spray, and we started up the trail. It was a bit grey outside, but the temp was perfect and the bugs weren't bad at all. I'm not sure if that's because of my spray, the light breeze, or just luck.
The beginning stretch was very uneventful, with the first two miles being most of the elevation gain. Outside of a giant toad it was very quiet (I dare you to try and find the toad in the picture here. Hop to it now. He's "toadally" hard to spot).
The trail eased up a bit as we approached the top of the first incline and began a fairly flat measure. I wore rain boots today because I remembered how wet this trail can be. Oh, it was just as wet as I remember. For long stretches, the trail is an actual river, and that's before we even get to the main river that we're supposed to cross five times. Thankfully, I found the not-so-obvious bushwhack and cut two crossings and maybe a mile or so out of our trek each way.
As we got further along, the blowdowns became more consistent, and the mud got a bit deeper. That didn't stop us. I had to climb over or around most of the blowdowns but Chick Magnet simply jumped through the small gaps between trees and branches. It must be nice to be 40 pounds, crazy athletic, and the possessor of four legs.
We got to the top just under 3 1/2 hours after we began. We still hadn't seen a person all day. While at the top, the weather changed quickly, and we were subjected to colder temps and some raindrops with a loss in visibility. When we arrived, we could see the buildings on the top of Mt. Washington. We left five minutes later and could barely see Mt Eisenhower or Mt. Monroe, which were both closer to us.
Our descent was done in just over three hours, and #210 on my grid has been completed.
