BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 14, 2012: Isolation
Trails: Rock Branch Trail, Engine Hill Bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
As it was the day earlier on The Carters, Sue and I went into this hike a little in the dark concerning conditions. We knew what there was above 3000 feet on the other side of the road and assumed we would have the same with Isolation. The plan for the hike was to hike via Rocky Branch Trail to the height of land on Engine Hill and bushwhack along Rocky Branch Ridge to bypass the large crossings on Rocky Branch and hopefully avoid the majority of mud. From the summit we planned to simply reverse the route back to the trailhead. Sometimes plans change.
We set off knowing at least three others with a dog were in front of us. The lower part of Rocky Branch Trail was completely clear of snow and ice. There were a few muddy places but nothing was difficult to get past. We were able to climb all of the way to the ridge before seeing the first snow and ice. As we crossed from the east side to the west on the ridge we gradually gained the final elevation to the height of land and climbed into the full cover of snow and ice. The snow line was roughly 3000 feet.
We left the trail at the popular location on the west side of the ridge at roughly 3100 feet and started in to the thick growth. Very soon we found ourselves moving into a swampy area that is frozen in winter and consequently not a problem, but now it’s a very big problem. Instead of fighting with it we made a turn and climbed a couple hundred feet, through the thick growth and into the birch glade area higher up at ~3300 feet. From there we turned and headed up the ridge holding the 3300 elevation and staying in generally dry conditions. Most of the areas of the glades are clear of snow with occasional patches to cross. The signs of recent moose activity are all over the place. Eventually, we worked our way through the birch glades and back into the conifers. At that point we were still holding ~3300 elevation and we started to gradually give up elevation. A couple times I checked with Sue to find out if we were getting close to the stream and the final check she said it sounded very close. We could see what appeared to be the stream a short distance below and simply headed down to it and the actual trail. The bushwhack may have saved us some distance on this hike but it definitely didn’t save us any time. Perhaps the greatest loss of time was at the start and resetting our elevation higher on the ridge.
We landed on the Isolation Trail in the vicinity of the upper crossings. These final three crossings were easy rock-hops. The trail was covered with snow and ice but there wasn’t really a monorail, at first. As we worked our way through the final crossing and into the section of trail that leads to and skirts the swamp near the tent sites, the monorail became more significant. It wasn’t a problem because it was extremely narrow, it was a problem because the recent snow has filled in each side and it’s very difficult to tell where it is located. Consequently, we spent some time slipping off one side or the other as we hiked along. If the objective is to burn energy this is a great way to do it. One detail that we found interesting was after landing on Isolation Trail there were no dog tracks even though the tracks continued on the trail past the start of our bushwhack. We couldn’t figure out what had happened to the group of three and the dog.
We made it to Davis Path and turned south. Roughly half way to Isolation Spur we met the first hiker of the day. He was a solo hiker that had set off ahead of everybody from the Rocky Branch Trailhead. He hiked trails all of the way in and told us the lower crossings were both easy rock hops and there was no real mud problem. I think both Sue and I were thinking we’ll hike trails on our exit. This solo hiker indicated there was one other group on the summit; they were three hikers and a dog. That partially solved the mystery but we didn’t have the full answer until we learned the group bushwhacked from Isolation Trail to the summit. Now it’s clear. Soon we were on our way. In a very short time we met the others hiking the trail. I noticed some blood and would guess they decided bushwhacking back down might not be a great idea; that’s just a guess on my part.
Soon we reached the Isolation Spur, made the turn, and climbed to the open summit. It’s a steep climb and very icy, but we managed to reach the summit clearing still bare booting the hike. Sue commented we might want MICROspikes on our exit.
At the summit Sue went to work on another snowman, this one near the USGS summit marker. We got summit pictures of us, the snowman, and some distance pictures. The conditions were pretty mild with filtered sun and a light breeze so we decided to stay around for a while to enjoy the views. I had mentioned to Sue I thought we should try to be at least back to Rocky Branch Trail before dark. After a ~20 minute break we grabbed our packs and started our exit walk.
Exiting from the summit clearing we went with MICROspikes but they were retired when we reached Isolation Trail (actually the bushwhack shortcut before the trail junction). From there we bare booted our exit. We decided to stay with trails all of the way out. As we hiked along Isolation Trail the monorail slowly vanished. Eventually, between the second and third crossing (on the way out) the trail had a flat ice and snow covering that we needed to be careful with but no monorail to slide from. The final crossings were easy rock hops. We reached Rocky Branch Trail and climbed Engine Hill back into the sunshine – it was still early with plenty of daylight.
The trail ascending Engine Hill was a brook for most of the distance. There are enough exposed rocks to work with in addition to the remaining ice and solid sides of the trail to easily stay clean and dry. From the height of land across the ridge and back down to the trailhead went without any surprises. We stepped into the trailhead lot and still had plenty of daylight. The hike out went much quicker than expected.
Thanks Sue, we had another fun trip to Isolation. The April list got a little bit shorter.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Rock Branch Trail, Engine Hill Bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Isolation Spur
Summits: Isolation
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
As it was the day earlier on The Carters, Sue and I went into this hike a little in the dark concerning conditions. We knew what there was above 3000 feet on the other side of the road and assumed we would have the same with Isolation. The plan for the hike was to hike via Rocky Branch Trail to the height of land on Engine Hill and bushwhack along Rocky Branch Ridge to bypass the large crossings on Rocky Branch and hopefully avoid the majority of mud. From the summit we planned to simply reverse the route back to the trailhead. Sometimes plans change.
We set off knowing at least three others with a dog were in front of us. The lower part of Rocky Branch Trail was completely clear of snow and ice. There were a few muddy places but nothing was difficult to get past. We were able to climb all of the way to the ridge before seeing the first snow and ice. As we crossed from the east side to the west on the ridge we gradually gained the final elevation to the height of land and climbed into the full cover of snow and ice. The snow line was roughly 3000 feet.
We left the trail at the popular location on the west side of the ridge at roughly 3100 feet and started in to the thick growth. Very soon we found ourselves moving into a swampy area that is frozen in winter and consequently not a problem, but now it’s a very big problem. Instead of fighting with it we made a turn and climbed a couple hundred feet, through the thick growth and into the birch glade area higher up at ~3300 feet. From there we turned and headed up the ridge holding the 3300 elevation and staying in generally dry conditions. Most of the areas of the glades are clear of snow with occasional patches to cross. The signs of recent moose activity are all over the place. Eventually, we worked our way through the birch glades and back into the conifers. At that point we were still holding ~3300 elevation and we started to gradually give up elevation. A couple times I checked with Sue to find out if we were getting close to the stream and the final check she said it sounded very close. We could see what appeared to be the stream a short distance below and simply headed down to it and the actual trail. The bushwhack may have saved us some distance on this hike but it definitely didn’t save us any time. Perhaps the greatest loss of time was at the start and resetting our elevation higher on the ridge.
We landed on the Isolation Trail in the vicinity of the upper crossings. These final three crossings were easy rock-hops. The trail was covered with snow and ice but there wasn’t really a monorail, at first. As we worked our way through the final crossing and into the section of trail that leads to and skirts the swamp near the tent sites, the monorail became more significant. It wasn’t a problem because it was extremely narrow, it was a problem because the recent snow has filled in each side and it’s very difficult to tell where it is located. Consequently, we spent some time slipping off one side or the other as we hiked along. If the objective is to burn energy this is a great way to do it. One detail that we found interesting was after landing on Isolation Trail there were no dog tracks even though the tracks continued on the trail past the start of our bushwhack. We couldn’t figure out what had happened to the group of three and the dog.
We made it to Davis Path and turned south. Roughly half way to Isolation Spur we met the first hiker of the day. He was a solo hiker that had set off ahead of everybody from the Rocky Branch Trailhead. He hiked trails all of the way in and told us the lower crossings were both easy rock hops and there was no real mud problem. I think both Sue and I were thinking we’ll hike trails on our exit. This solo hiker indicated there was one other group on the summit; they were three hikers and a dog. That partially solved the mystery but we didn’t have the full answer until we learned the group bushwhacked from Isolation Trail to the summit. Now it’s clear. Soon we were on our way. In a very short time we met the others hiking the trail. I noticed some blood and would guess they decided bushwhacking back down might not be a great idea; that’s just a guess on my part.
Soon we reached the Isolation Spur, made the turn, and climbed to the open summit. It’s a steep climb and very icy, but we managed to reach the summit clearing still bare booting the hike. Sue commented we might want MICROspikes on our exit.
At the summit Sue went to work on another snowman, this one near the USGS summit marker. We got summit pictures of us, the snowman, and some distance pictures. The conditions were pretty mild with filtered sun and a light breeze so we decided to stay around for a while to enjoy the views. I had mentioned to Sue I thought we should try to be at least back to Rocky Branch Trail before dark. After a ~20 minute break we grabbed our packs and started our exit walk.
Exiting from the summit clearing we went with MICROspikes but they were retired when we reached Isolation Trail (actually the bushwhack shortcut before the trail junction). From there we bare booted our exit. We decided to stay with trails all of the way out. As we hiked along Isolation Trail the monorail slowly vanished. Eventually, between the second and third crossing (on the way out) the trail had a flat ice and snow covering that we needed to be careful with but no monorail to slide from. The final crossings were easy rock hops. We reached Rocky Branch Trail and climbed Engine Hill back into the sunshine – it was still early with plenty of daylight.
The trail ascending Engine Hill was a brook for most of the distance. There are enough exposed rocks to work with in addition to the remaining ice and solid sides of the trail to easily stay clean and dry. From the height of land across the ridge and back down to the trailhead went without any surprises. We stepped into the trailhead lot and still had plenty of daylight. The hike out went much quicker than expected.
Thanks Sue, we had another fun trip to Isolation. The April list got a little bit shorter.
Pictures will follow.
