"But if you could just see the beauty,
These things I could never describe,
These pleasures a wayward distraction,
This is my one lucky prize."
-Ian Curtis
There are many, many peaks in New Hampshire one can choose to tackle for a day. This day I chose to do Mount Isolation. It is the second smallest peak of the 48 four-thousand footers in the state, coming in at 4,004 feet. The total hike mileage out and back is 14.6 miles. I decided to turn what can be a day hike into an overnight and broke the hike down into 10.9 miles on day one and finished with 3.7 out the next morning.
Elevation gain is about 3,400 feet. You will follow 3 paths. Starting on the Rocky Branch Trail for 3.7 miles you will reach the Rocky Branch Shelter #2, followed by the Isolation trail for 2.6 miles and then the Davis Path for .9 miles leading to the Mt. Isolation summit path for .1 miles. There are two trail heads starting at the parking lot. Make sure to start at the north end. There is plenty of parking here.
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| Beginning of the trail |
It felt to me that most of the elevation gain took place within the first 3 miles. It was a steady climb, until I reached the sign stating I had reached the Dry River Wilderness and it energized my spirits after trudging uphill for awhile. Woohoo
The trail does level out for a bit both before and after the shelter. The level area entails hiking over wet rocks and muddy terrain so it does not allow you to hike much faster as you must be careful not to slip. There are also a few river crossings. Since there are no trail markings on the trees, look out for the cairns on the river that let you know where to cross. One of the crossings is very easy to miss if not paying close attention!
When I reached the shelter I decided to leave my tent there and lose some weight for the rest of the hike to the summit. Plus it allowed my tent to air out for a bit from the condensation from the night before. I'm also glad the shelter had some rope to hang my food, as I couldn't find my bear bag before leaving for this trip. The temperatures are starting to dip more at nightfall. Next time I will have to pack in the heavier thermals. It seems it was only a few weeks ago it was too hot for a sleeping bag. Fyi...the water from the river near the shelter tastes funky. Thankfully I only needed to hike a few miles the next day and didn't have to take in too much of it.
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| Rocky Branch Shelter #2 |
The remainder of the hike was a lot of mud and water below treeline. As I got closer to the top, I was surprised at how much damage was still left from Hurricane Irene 2 years ago.
There is a lot less hiker traffic on this trail than on other peaks in the White mountains, which is one of the reasons I chose it, seeing as it was a busy summer weekend in the whites. In fact, if you hear a noise while hiking, your first thought will be that it is a bear and not another hiker.
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| What is this darling little critter? |
Eventually, you will come to the intersection with the Davis Path...
From here it is short hike up to the summit and you will start to rise above treeline!
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| Magic Marker board? |
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| Summit |
There were a few people on and off the summit, but I had a good amount of time up there to myself which I enjoyed. There are few times when you are granted an entire space to yourself anywhere on earth for one to gather one's thoughts and rest in quiet solitude.
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| View from the summit - Mount Washington is in the distance. |
This is definitely a good trail to hike, but if you are an out of stater and looking for a mind blowing hike I will always recommend the Franconia Ridge trail. Nothing beats hiking along a ridge line. When you want a little more solitude though, try out these lesser traveled ones. The views when you reach the top are always beautiful, no matter which peak you choose.
I had stopped on the way up at an awesome vegan cafe to grab some food and bought along a cupcake for the summit. I was super excited to eat my cupcake at the summit and as I was taking photos, this sneaky bird flew in and took a peck at my cupcake! The nerve! lol I forgave the birdie though :)
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| Hungry birdie |
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| Mmmm A cupcake and Mt. Washington in the background! |
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Mount Isolation would also be a good hike for the wintertime. I came across this blog post and the pictures are absolutely beautiful and serene with the snow. It could be worth a second trip. Plus it would eliminate the issue of the muddy and watery trails. See post here... http://peakpursuits.blogspot.com/2012/02/mount-isolation-18-february-2012.html
My original goal for a White Mountain hike this year that I alluded to in a previous post had been to do a triple date with Mr. Jefferson, Mr. Adams and Mr. Madison via the infamous Six Husbands trail. I will see if that will make it into the plan book, but for now it may wait until I get more training hikes under my belt. There are many beautiful hikes to see in other states so I may venture off somewhere new. We shall see. I will keep you surprised. :)
Planning Link: http://home.earthlink.net/~ellozy/mount-isolation.html
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