Isolation! August 25, 2019

The night before this hike, we had decide not to attempt Isolation. The Saturday weather had not been as good as forecasted, we were a bit tired from Zealand: the extended version. And REALLY, who wants to get up at ass o'clock every day??

So, when Eric got out of the tent at 6:45 on Sunday morning and said "SHIT. We need to hit Isolation today!" I was both excited, and freaked out because one would have planned on an earlier start.

But yes, the sun was shining gloriously and there was not a doubt in our collective minds. It was a day for some above treeline nonsense.

We managed to get on trail exactly 9:30- which is a hideously late start. Thankfully, sunset is still on the later side so were not too worried. I had heard wildly varying times for this hike but calculated that we should/could be able to do it in 8.5.

And off we went.

Not too gross after a couple days in a tent

We chose the Glen Boulder trail to start with, and it gains some serious elevation right from the beginning. However, it tosses in some switchbacks, and moderate sections (so as long as you don't go out habanero- you will make it. We certainly saw some humans around mile .75 who were DONE for the day. Don't be those guys.)

Just normal up and up

As the trail pops above the treeline for the first time, there is the only technical scramble of the day. Our typically fearless dog took a good look at this little rock slab and asked for a boost. She was then on her way and had no other issues (this is just good to keep in mind if you have a cautious/old/arthritic/non-athletic dog. they might not make it up this.)

The view looking towards Glen Boulder was stunning. It was a perfect weather day, in beautiful surroundings.

Just a small rock on a hill 

It's kind of amazing that such a large rock decided to settle in this exact place. Let's hope it stays put.

Ellie is like, 50 feet away for perspective

After checking out the boulder, we continued to go up. A stretch of above treeline hiking, then  transitioned into some more wooded path.
There is a spring off this stretch of trail: be aware, this is the only easy place to get water for the remainder of the hike. If you have a dog, make sure to bring a LOT of water!

On the way to the intersection of Glen Boulder Trail, and Davis Path, you pass over a summit which is called Slide Peak, or Gulf Peak depending on what map you look at. While it is right at 4800 feet, it doesn't "count" because it doesn't have prominence. BUT- it has some killer views.

Right at about 5100 feet, 3.2 miles in, you come to the intersection with Davis, and make the left turn towards Isolation. (by the way, this was Ellie's highest climb!)

Can't beat the weather, or the view!

And then. YOU GO DOWN.
Might as well enjoy it though. The sights just don't get any more gorgeous.

Isolation, here we come

The little above treeline stretch was just glorious, but luckily, we both really liked the wooded sections too. You really drop like a rock, losing over 1k elevation pretty damn quick. You're going to hoof along in the woods for about 2 miles- and they aren't bad miles at all!! Then, you'll come to a fork in the road and take the right hand trail towards Isolation. Only another 0.9 to go at that point...!

A pleasant trail!

There are some pretty muddy areas on the Isolation trail, and I imagine it is a gross mess in the Spring. But I didn't take any pics that weren't pretty, haha.

And just like that (well. after almost 4 hours) there is was!

Yay!

Just a small climb and POP, above treeline you go.
To some of the best views you can hope for.

BEST VIEW

Just kidding. It was lovely.

Gotta get back up that, though

We could not have asked for better conditions. Save this one for a glorious day!

We made it!

We made it to the summit in almost exactly 4 hours. We did have to stop several times to water and feed the dog, and for minor outfit changes. Nothing major though.

After enjoying about 10-15 minutes at the summit, we were off again. Knowing we had a pretty solid climb in the way down was a good motivator not to dilly-dally.

The return trip was, honestly (and thankfully!) uneventful. Yes, there was a climb to get back to Glen Boulder trail. But: it was such a nice day, the surroundings were so fabulous, and we are in decent shape, so it was not at all horrible.
We retraced our steps, as I have heard that Rocky Branch is not in good shape. Plus, we don't always trust our hitchhiking skills.

BACK UP WE GO!

Gotta take a few to check out the view.

Just out of the tiny woods

Shadows were beginning to fall by the time we made it back to the big big rock.

Casts a large shadow

It was a good walk down. We had braced ourselves for being really tired, which never actually came to pass. We braced ourselves for some level of frustration, which also never happened! The dog got a little crazy at the end, but saved it for the final stretch so that wasn't even an issue. We had prepared for a real level of struggle (especially after hiking 12 plus the prior day) but it never was that bad. We had some good laughs on the way down, the trail is impeccably marked so we never had the "oh shit where do we go" feeling, like we had on the Twins, and it was a fine ending to a truly fine hike!

Elle is so embarrassed 

This was a great one.
Don't do it if you aren't in shape.
(good to note: there really is not a "bail out" option on this hike. so if you can tell it is not your day, head down earlier rather than later.)
Save it for a nice day!
AND ENJOY.
Also, this brought us up to #28 on the NH48 list (I believe, the 21st one we have done in 2019!!)  I really have to appreciate the list for being a motivator to get out and do a hike like this. Otherwise, I might have said "11.6 miles for a little mountain?!? NO WAY!!" And thus, would have missed out on a really fun day.


Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 5,007 (HELLO!!!!)
-miles covered: 11.6
-elapsed time: 7:58

Difficulty: Strenuous. Very long, lots of vert. But amazing!!!! Very exposed in places, not a great option for a bad weather day. This route avoids major water crossings, but it can certainly get very muddy. You are, indeed, isolated out there. No viable bail out routes that would help you in a bad situation, so you must be smart to do this one. I did find some cell service in a few places, but it's very spotty. 

Views: Unbeatable. Even if you only go to Glen Boulder. 

Bugs: Nope

Dog friendly trail? Ish. One tricky scramble, and very long with very little water. Our little buddy loved it, but she's nuts.