10/19/22
White Mountain Guide Day 56

After finishing a big elevation day yesterday I opted for the hike I had originally planned for yesterday and did East Branch Trail. I knew from having read the trail description in the guidebook that I was in for a real treat (read: navigation would be atrocious) and I wasn’t disappointed. East Branch rivals Landing Camp in terms of not being maintained after the first 2.3 miles however it isn’t even remotely as overgrown as Landing Camp. I also did 3 miles on Wild River Trail, completing this trail in its entirety now. Wild River Trail as well as East Branch are not heavily used and I didn’t see anyone all day. East Branch after the first 2.3 miles is basically just a mixture of an old railroad bed that is heavily eroded and overgrown and a drainage. It’s slow going, wet, and hard to follow if you’re not good at finding the very minimal signs of use on trails that are rarely used. I loved it despite wanting to be able to go faster because it was the kind of trail that speaks to my soul. The whole day I wanted to know what it looked like back when this wasn’t a “trail.” I wish that I could see into the past through a looking glass and catch a glimpse of what these areas used to look like. 

Daily Miles: 13.14
Daily Vert: 2,075’
Overall Miles: 612.97
Overall Vert: 188,408’
Guide: 25.7%  -> 26.2%

Trails:

East Branch Trail
Wild River Trail