Isolation Trip Report

This hike is long. It’s wet. It’s rocky. It’s spectacular.

For a mere 15 mi. effort, I got the best view in the Whites from a 360-degree view atop a small mountain in the middle of giants. It’s a special place and a quiet one. There’s no better name for this spot than “isolation.”

The grade was mostly easy all the way except for a moderate up on Rocky Branch Tr. in the beginning and a cruel up the same ridge near the end. The trails were wet and muddy and rocky in the valley, which cancelled out the ease of the gentle grades. The trail beat up my legs from the knees down. Also, the trail was hemmed in tightly by vegetation. And the trail wasn’t always clear. Cowboy campsite trails appeared occasionally, dry streambeds faked me out and I had to navigate around blowdowns. The footprints of recent hikers helped a lot. The stream crossings were easy. The end was worth the effort: a view of Mt. Washington and the Southern Presidentials from the amphitheater of the Dry River Wilderness.