February 21, 2024

Start/End: Rocky Branch Trailhead, Rt. 16

Peaks: Isolation (4,004')

Elevation Gain: 3,130 ft

RT Mileage: 11.04 mi

Duration: 6 hours, 32 minutes

Snow/Ice Difficulty: Grade I

I had been waiting for a good day to bag Monroe and Washington, but winter was running out and so was my patience. When a half-decent day presented itself the day before Washington’s Birthday, I decided to wing it with Isolation instead.

I woke up at 4:15 AM and began the three-hour drive to the trailhead at 4:45. The Presidentials were visible from as far south as Ossipee at sunrise, so I figured it was going to be a good day. I arrived at the trailhead at 7:45 and was on the trail five minutes later. The trail was well-packed and firm up to around 1,700 ft, likely due to the number of skiers who were on the trails today.

After this point, the trail steepened slightly as it ascended Engine Hill, and loose snow became a problem on the sides of the trail. With just spikes, I had to stay in the absolute center of the trail to avoid post-holing, and conditions would be like this for the rest of the route. As I hiked, I could see low clouds starting to form overhead. Occasional glimpses of the higher summits revealed blue sky though, so I wasn't worried.

The trail flattened out on approach to Engine Hill. Around this time, the cloud cover thickened a bit, and light snow began to fall. I had been expecting the Engine Hill bushwhack to be easy to miss, but it was actually pretty obvious. The bushwhack quickly brought me into the birch glades on the drainage divide, which offered obstructed views of the Montalban Ridge and Presis. I could see that Isolation was below the cloud base and the Presis were under blue sky, which was a good sign.

The trail re-entered the coniferous forest a bit, and soon merged with the Isolation Trail. After a short distance on the trail, I took the Iso Express bushwhack for a more direct route to the summit. Immediately, I had to cross the Rocky Branch before beginning to make my way up Isolation's east slopes. This part wasn't as steep as I had expected, but still had decent views of Isolation.

The final 100-vertical-foot section to the summit was very steep, enough that it was hard to get traction with just microspikes. I summited just before noon, and was immediately disappointed to see the Presidentials obscured by a layer of low clouds right around treeline elevation. However, the low clouds completely dissipated within the next fifteen minutes, reminding me of the time something similar happened in the southern Presidentials last winter. After the clouds cleared, I was treated to spectacular views of the Presis.

After 45 minutes on the summit, I began to make my way back down. I ended up glissading down the steep section near the summit, which was great fun. Low clouds didn't return again, and the day turned into a beautiful afternoon. The descent was one of the easiest I've had in a long time, although I did post-hole a couple of times. I was back at the parking lot not long after 3:00 PM, and winter 4,000er #5 was in the books.