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Total agree -- Isolation is a great hike that gets a bad rap! Ironically, for my 12 year old, Isolation is his FAVORITE of the 48. The initial climb on Rocky Branch gets you warmed up fast, but then it's actually very easy...but long. The stream crossings are the only challenging part we found...

This may seem like an odd question for gear...but is anyone aware of a backpack manufacturer that sizes their packs (specifically the waist strap) for very skinny people? A friend's daughter (a 15 year old) is doing a month long trek in Africa, and she can't find a pack that fits her waist. And...

Funny you mention the family with water bottles...we saw a few hikers heading up with nothing more than sneakers and a 12 ounce Poland Spring bottle...all clad in resort cotton t-shirts. It's too bad, because if it's a good experience, they'll keep doing it, join clubs, bring friends, etc. If...

(Loop Hike, via Long Trail > Profanity Trail > Long Trail) Full photo album First hike in the State of Vermont for us; no idea why we waited so long to hike in the Green Mountains, but scenery is simply lovely...on par with anything in the Whites, in my opinion. After spending the week in...

We're planning a 3 day trip this early summer to finally tackle Mount Katahdin (after finishing our WM48 this past summer) and, honestly, I find many of the maps and guides confusing WRT which campground and trail combinations are best. We'll be driving up, so we'll have to put a car somewhere...

Route: Webster Jackson Trail (out and back) Photos & Videos: http://jcwheel.smugmug.com/Hikes/JacksonWinter This was our first "winter summit" of the season, so we figured we'd tackle a relatively short one up to Mount Jackson. Our day began around 6:15 AM south of Boston, and we watched a...

Thanks for the detail Stan. Here's a photo of the trail that prompted my question: http://jcwheel.smugmug.com/Hikes/misc/25991686_zbThFG#!i=2156842983&k=tLWXjsH&lb=1&s=A. Now, after a good 1/4 mile of trudging through this mud (and trying NOT to walk the margins thus making the trail even...

I'm curious -- is their a new preference that new trails are "trenched" rather than flush with the ground? Post Irene, it would appear that most of the new trails I've encountered (such as the new section of Gale River, the lower section of Signal Ridge, the re-route of Gorge Brook on...

Thanks very much Summserset. Funny thing is, we said after such a crazy August (hiking Moriah, Owl's Head, Cabot, Carrigain and the final Zealand/Bonds push), we'd take some time off. Well, just tonight, while enjoying the cool weather and our cedar swing, we pondered a nice September hike up...

Yeah -- I wish the weather was better for the trademark "dangling of legs off Bondcliff"...but you know what -- it still counts! SO proud to have finished...both of us are. And Carrigain was last weekend. ;-)

Thanks very much -- I am as well. On each and every hike once he got moving again, I kept asking him "you ok?", "how's the knee"...until he told me to shut-up and keep hiking!

Route: Zealand Trail > Twinway > Bondcliff Trail > Lincoln Woods Trail Full photo album (w/captions) ----- The day was finally upon us. We hiked feverishly in the month of August, and bagged the peaks that we'd put off for so long, including Cabot, Moriah, Isolation, Owl's Head and Carrigain...

Thanks Lefty - but actually only ONE hike to go. We're doing a Zealand/Bonds traverse Friday for a finish on Bondcliff. You'll see the trip report - you can be sure of that. ;-)

Route: Signal Ridge Trail Full photo album ----- Carrigain is one seriously great mountain -- not many peaks will give you the payoff that Carrigain does. It immediately became one of our favorites. The initial two mile walk up Sawyer River Road (which is still closed because of Irene) is a...

Route: Rocky Branch > Isolation Trail > Davis Path (Isolation Trail East) Full photo album ----------- Overall, I found Mount Isolation via Rocky Branch to be an enjoyable hike. There's no question Isolation is a long hike. At just over 14 miles, it took us just about 8 hours, but the trails...

So...the day is finally upon us. Henry and I will (probably) hike on Friday to complete our 48 4Ks...and we've saved the best for last -- Zealand and Bonds! We're planning to start at Zealand Road, hit the Hut to reload on water, then do Zeacliff > Zealand Mountain > West Bond > Mount Bond >...

Thanks to all for the advice. We ended up taking Rocky Branch, and while the first climb wasn't fun, it was an enjoyable day. Looks for my trip report Ina couple days...staying in the mountains one more day to tackle Carrigain tomorrow!

Is the consensus that the Glen Boulder route is a much better way to do Isolation -- with nice exposed ridgeline walk, but about 1,500 more climb than Rocky Branch? Is it worth it? I've never done Rocky Branch, and there appears to be some strong opinions about the trail (dislike, that is...)...

Agree completely. Sounds like we're all on the same page...with a little bureaucracy in the middle. Your example of the herd paths on the summit are exactly why. The summit is being trampled, and they need to consider the lesser of two "evils". (And if the cairns are an issue, we still lined...

That's exactly what we thought. And it was obvious they were "dismantled" because very close by there were numerous rocks just sitting around. Building up the cairn took all of 5 minutes. One hiker mentioned they were signs by they kept getting stolen? Not sure if that's true...sad if it is. Oh...