BIGEarl
Well-known member
January 16, 2010: Isolation
Trails: Rocky Branch Trail, Winter Bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Mount Isolation Spur
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Windy, Mike, and me
After a quick stop at the PNVC Sue and I arrived at the Rocky Branch trailhead a little earlier than planned. The place was already jammed with hikers preparing for a hike to Isolation. A couple hours earlier Mats, Ryan, and Jason started their attempt on the winter record for hiking the White Mountain Four Thousand Footers in winter. We expected to see them on their way back out from the summit but didn’t expect to see quite as many others preparing to head in. It looked like there would be a hiker convention on Isolation today. We parked in the first available place, right next to Boo and Madhatter. What a pleasant surprise – we haven’t seen them since Franconia Ridge last summer. Others that we visited with before the hike were Wolfgang, J&J, Ed Hawkins, and a few more; (sorry, my memory isn’t what it once was). Soon Windy and Mike pulled in and our group for the day was complete. The other groups were already on the trail but we would see everybody at least once more before the day was finished.
From my rough count there were 30 sets of snowshoes on the trail to Isolation and only three bare booters. The trail is a superhighway all the way. We were treated with a warm temperature, bright sun, and light breeze as we hiked the early section to the height of land below Engine Hill. Along the way we became spread out a little but regrouped there before taking the winter bushwhack. At the same time Kevin, Judy, and Emma came up the trail and we all stopped to visit. I think the last time we were on the same trails together was a year ago heading for Carrigain. We all generally headed for the start of the bushwhack together. On the way to the start of the bushwhack, Ryan, Mats, and Jason flew through on their exit from Isolation and I believe their next target for the day was a Wildcats-Carters-Moriah traverse. We got some pictures, shook hands, offered words of encouragement, and they were off. Good luck guys!
We reached the place where the bushwhack went right but something seemed odd. In the past, the winter bushwhack route I was familiar with left the trail roughly a hundred yards later and stayed lower. This “old” route passed through an area of dense spruce – and spruce traps (lots of spruce traps). This “new” route starts by heading directly toward the top of Engine Hill. A short distance before reaching the summit it turns and heads for a location in the general area of the 4th. Crossing of Rocky Branch by the Isolation Trail. This route is tremendous! The person(s) that broke out this route did a great job. From the place where it turns and heads for the Isolation Trail there are several birch glades that are crossed and the scenery in these areas is terrific. I feel this was the best part of the hike as far as scenery and views are concerned. Of course, over twenty sets of snowshoes ahead of us on the same day may have helped. We hit the Isolation Trail and continued toward the Davis Path. Soon we started meeting the other hikers that had set off ahead of us. As the trail passed through the area of the tent sites the tracked out section headed more to the south and cut the corner hitting the Davis Path south of the actual trail junction.
Just south of the trail junction we came upon the group of hikers with Ed Hawkins taking a break. A short distance past this large group were Boo and Madhatter, preparing a gourmet lunch. Ed’s group was probably at the limit for size (10), plus Boo and Madhatter, plus Kevin, Judy, and Emma, plus the four of us means a hiker convention. We all visited for a short time but standing around for an extended period would require some added layers from our packs. Instead, we continued on our way to the summit.
There was a pretty good wind coming from the northwest. With the dense growth we were generally sheltered from it but it was clear we would be hit by it when we reached the open summit. Along the way we had been adding needed protection from the wind. By the time we reached the Isolation Spur we were ready. Kevin, Judy, and Emma had left the convention a little early and were on their way down from the summit area. The four of us were on MSR’s (one set of Lightning Ascents and three sets of Denali EVO Ascents). We lifted the televators and made the climb to the summit. This was the easiest time I can recall making the final climb to Isolation. The MSR’s made a huge difference but the trail is a big ramp with no ice. There’s a small rough section at the very top but it’s generally just a steep walk to the top. As expected, the wind was really coming across the summit. This wasn’t anything close to last week on the Southern Presidentials but enough to keep us moving.
We wandered out to the summit cairn, got a few pictures from our visit, and u-turned out. The surrounding summits were in the clouds and with no views, and a pretty good wind, there was no reason to hang around. We set off on our reverse-route to the trailhead.
The hike was uneventful. We passed three others that had left Isolation just as we were arriving to the Isolation Spur. Again, the best part of the return hike was probably the birch glades on Engine Hill. What a great area! We cleared the height of land and had a fast 2.8 miles (all downhill) back to the waiting vehicles.
The day went well. We had generally a “book time” trek to Isolation, which was a great surprise considering our leisurely approach to the day. It was definitely a treat to see everybody else at the trailhead and on the trial, and a real pleasure to hike with Windy and Mike again. Hopefully we’ll get together for another one very soon.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Rocky Branch Trail, Winter Bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Mount Isolation Spur
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Windy, Mike, and me
After a quick stop at the PNVC Sue and I arrived at the Rocky Branch trailhead a little earlier than planned. The place was already jammed with hikers preparing for a hike to Isolation. A couple hours earlier Mats, Ryan, and Jason started their attempt on the winter record for hiking the White Mountain Four Thousand Footers in winter. We expected to see them on their way back out from the summit but didn’t expect to see quite as many others preparing to head in. It looked like there would be a hiker convention on Isolation today. We parked in the first available place, right next to Boo and Madhatter. What a pleasant surprise – we haven’t seen them since Franconia Ridge last summer. Others that we visited with before the hike were Wolfgang, J&J, Ed Hawkins, and a few more; (sorry, my memory isn’t what it once was). Soon Windy and Mike pulled in and our group for the day was complete. The other groups were already on the trail but we would see everybody at least once more before the day was finished.
From my rough count there were 30 sets of snowshoes on the trail to Isolation and only three bare booters. The trail is a superhighway all the way. We were treated with a warm temperature, bright sun, and light breeze as we hiked the early section to the height of land below Engine Hill. Along the way we became spread out a little but regrouped there before taking the winter bushwhack. At the same time Kevin, Judy, and Emma came up the trail and we all stopped to visit. I think the last time we were on the same trails together was a year ago heading for Carrigain. We all generally headed for the start of the bushwhack together. On the way to the start of the bushwhack, Ryan, Mats, and Jason flew through on their exit from Isolation and I believe their next target for the day was a Wildcats-Carters-Moriah traverse. We got some pictures, shook hands, offered words of encouragement, and they were off. Good luck guys!
We reached the place where the bushwhack went right but something seemed odd. In the past, the winter bushwhack route I was familiar with left the trail roughly a hundred yards later and stayed lower. This “old” route passed through an area of dense spruce – and spruce traps (lots of spruce traps). This “new” route starts by heading directly toward the top of Engine Hill. A short distance before reaching the summit it turns and heads for a location in the general area of the 4th. Crossing of Rocky Branch by the Isolation Trail. This route is tremendous! The person(s) that broke out this route did a great job. From the place where it turns and heads for the Isolation Trail there are several birch glades that are crossed and the scenery in these areas is terrific. I feel this was the best part of the hike as far as scenery and views are concerned. Of course, over twenty sets of snowshoes ahead of us on the same day may have helped. We hit the Isolation Trail and continued toward the Davis Path. Soon we started meeting the other hikers that had set off ahead of us. As the trail passed through the area of the tent sites the tracked out section headed more to the south and cut the corner hitting the Davis Path south of the actual trail junction.
Just south of the trail junction we came upon the group of hikers with Ed Hawkins taking a break. A short distance past this large group were Boo and Madhatter, preparing a gourmet lunch. Ed’s group was probably at the limit for size (10), plus Boo and Madhatter, plus Kevin, Judy, and Emma, plus the four of us means a hiker convention. We all visited for a short time but standing around for an extended period would require some added layers from our packs. Instead, we continued on our way to the summit.
There was a pretty good wind coming from the northwest. With the dense growth we were generally sheltered from it but it was clear we would be hit by it when we reached the open summit. Along the way we had been adding needed protection from the wind. By the time we reached the Isolation Spur we were ready. Kevin, Judy, and Emma had left the convention a little early and were on their way down from the summit area. The four of us were on MSR’s (one set of Lightning Ascents and three sets of Denali EVO Ascents). We lifted the televators and made the climb to the summit. This was the easiest time I can recall making the final climb to Isolation. The MSR’s made a huge difference but the trail is a big ramp with no ice. There’s a small rough section at the very top but it’s generally just a steep walk to the top. As expected, the wind was really coming across the summit. This wasn’t anything close to last week on the Southern Presidentials but enough to keep us moving.
We wandered out to the summit cairn, got a few pictures from our visit, and u-turned out. The surrounding summits were in the clouds and with no views, and a pretty good wind, there was no reason to hang around. We set off on our reverse-route to the trailhead.
The hike was uneventful. We passed three others that had left Isolation just as we were arriving to the Isolation Spur. Again, the best part of the return hike was probably the birch glades on Engine Hill. What a great area! We cleared the height of land and had a fast 2.8 miles (all downhill) back to the waiting vehicles.
The day went well. We had generally a “book time” trek to Isolation, which was a great surprise considering our leisurely approach to the day. It was definitely a treat to see everybody else at the trailhead and on the trial, and a real pleasure to hike with Windy and Mike again. Hopefully we’ll get together for another one very soon.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the hike.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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