Summit: Mount Isolation (4,003')
Trail route: Rocky Branch Trail, Engine Hill bushwhack, Isolation Trail, Davis Path, Mt Isolation spur
Trail conditions: Well packed solid trails
Weather: Cold temps and cloudy sky with very light frozen precipitation on the summit
Total miles: 12.5
Total time: 7 hours
I received an invite for this hike today. I would be joining Guy for this long hike to Mount Isolation. Reading through the trail reports it appeared that the trails were in great condition and did not require snowshoes. It appeared to be much better conditions than when I was here with Guy and a big group of hiking friends in December breaking trails in snowshoes. That was a long, tough hike.
We got an early start at 6:37 AM. We put the microspikes on right at the trailhead, the snowshoes stayed behind. There were no other vehicles in the parking lot so there was no other hikers ahead of us. The trail was well packed and solid, I was hoping the trails would stay that way.
We arrived at the Engine Hill bushwhack. Once again the bushwhack trail was solid and well packed, this continued onto the Isolation Trail. There is five water crossings when not taking the bushwhack, today there was only one. We went just past the last water crossing and were able to cross on a solid snow bridge.
There was a short bushwhack to the Davis Path that we had to break out, no one else had been through here. The Davis Path was also in good condition and remained that way right up to the summit of Mount Isolation.
As expected there were no views from the summit today. We stayed long enough to get something to eat and were soon on our way back. Just after leaving the summit and on the Davis Path we met the only other hiker we would see today. I was surprised there were not more hikers with trail conditions being in great shape but after all it was a weekday.
It was a pleasant hike back to the trailhead. We did the hike today three hours faster than last month. It's amazing how much faster and easier a hike is when there is prime trail conditions. It was nice to get this hike done for January.
The trail conditions are about to change when a snowstorm moves in on Saturday with the potential of almost a foot of snow above 2,000' in the forecast. It will take some hearty legs to break this out again!
Enjoy the photos and video!
We started the hike with headlamps
A bug on the trail
Entering the Dry River Wilderness
The Engine Hill bushwhack starts here
Entering the birch glades
Mushrooms hanging out
More birch glades
Snow bridge over water crossing
Guy crossing the water
Hole through the ice
Isolation Trail
Spur path to the summit
Stepping up onto the summit
Descending Mount Isolation after a brief break on the viewless summit
No views from the Davis Path
On the Isolation Trail
Clouds are lifting now that we are down off the summit
Crossing back over the one water crossing of the day
Ice formation
This is the actual water crossing but no one has walked on the suspended ice
Cool ice formation
Back through the birch glades
A view of the trail through birch bark
The Rocky Branch Trail
Descending
A rock "island" surrounded by ice
Back at the trailhead after 7 hours
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
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