Dry River overnight

[JoshandBaron]

On 7/9 I headed into the Dry River for some fishing and shaman time. Late morning start but plenty of parking at the trailhead, unsurprisingly. Forecast called for rain and thunderstorms but clear skies dominated during the day. Hit the trail and immediately spooked a white tail, which I don't see all that often in the Whites.

About 1.5 miles in at the suspension bridge is where the day started to get interesting. Just before the bridge, a pine marten poked up from behind a log across the trail about 15 feet away. I've encountered them a few times in the past, always well off trail and they have always been very shy and kept their distance. Upon making eye contact I uttered a friendly "hey buddy" and it started advancing towards me. Weird. I move off trail to see if I'm just between it and where it wants to be and it continues towards me no matter where I go. I bang my trekking poles to make noise and it kept coming. It gets close enough for me to hit it with the poles. It was totally unfazed. I started running in the opposite direction looking over my shoulder every few seconds to see it still giving chase. I zigzagged through the brush with it following. I managed to scale down the river bank and hide, watching it walk along the top edge looking for me. It passes where I am and apparently didn't see me because it kept moving in the direction it last saw me go. I waited a few minutes then climbed back up the bank and ran farther into the Wilderness.

Beyond the suspension bridge the trail has a lot of gravelly washouts to traverse. As I'm walking across one of the bigger ones, the footing gives way and I start sliding down the bank towards the river. I go about 30 feet before I stop myself. Bloody and bruised I got up and continued on.

About 5 miles in I arrived at camp and set up the hammocks on a rise above the river. I fished about a half mile section of river with some success and made it back to camp just in time for the skies to open up. Mountain house and mushrooms for dinner then settled in to experience some of the most intense thunderstorms I've been out in. Zero delay between flash and thunder. There is no better place to ride out a storm than in a hammock pitched in porch mode.

5am alarm and I'm on trail around 7. Ran into a ranger on the way out who was too busy doing a tik tok dance to care about the joint hanging from my lip, just wishes for a pleasant hike.

So, yeah, watch out for sick animals.

 

[Beckie and Prema]

Wow! That's beautiful! Prema has been after me forever to take us there. Either rabies or your food was the first thing I thought of. Great report!

 

[Andrew]

Yeah that's weird. Sounds like rabies but that far into the woods and not near a neighborhood? At the same time most of us in NH are not very familiar with martin behavior to have any idea what was going on.

You really did get some shaman time- good livin.

 

[sierra]

That is very unusual behavior and situations like that can be alarming as we are not used to dealing with wildlife on that level. I had a lion follow me out west in CO and it took me a half hour to figure out a solution. I used to camp and fish as well and the Dry River was a place I loved, in fact, that is the only route, I have ever taken to Isolation (west Isolation trail). I caught plenty of fish as well. Two other camping fishing spots I enjoyed, third crossing of the Little River ( North Twin) and Sabbaday Brook trail, both terrific fisheries.

 

[JoshandBaron]

That is very unusual behavior and situations like that can be alarming as we are not used to dealing with wildlife on that level. I had a lion follow me out west in CO and it took me a half hour to figure out a solution. I used to camp and fish as well and the Dry River was a place I loved, in fact, that is the only route, I have ever taken to Isolation (west Isolation trail). I caught plenty of fish as well. Two other camping fishing spots I enjoyed, third crossing of the Little River ( North Twin) and Sabbaday Brook trail, both terrific fisheries.

One of my favorite trips involved a stay at that 3rd crossing. Headed up to Sugarloaf Friday night for sunset, bivied for the night and caught sunrise too. In the morning I went over to the Little River. Fished a bunch up to the 3rd crossing where I setup camp and watched people try to cross with dry feet for most of the day from the hammock. Went up North Twin for sunset, moonrise, and dinner. Sabbaday brook is on the short list.