To solo the 48 I had to do Isolation again. I wasn't excited about it, but I figured it would be more fun when I wasn't holding people up. I was only partly correct.
I decided to go up to NH for part of July 4 weekend. School was closed on Friday, which meant I could beat some of the traffic. I haven't slept away from home in ages, and I had sort of built it up in my mind to be something that neither I nor my cats could survive, which is just silly. I knew I had to do something. So, I stayed at the Joe Dodge Lodge for two whole nights! I really like the place, and with COVID I got my own bunk room, which I loved! Breakfast and dinner are included in the stay, I ate so many delicious carbs, but I felt like I needed to with all the hiking.
My plan was to get up for breakfast at 6:30, get to the mountain around 7, hike Glen Boulder in and out, and be back for dinner. It didn't totally work that way, but mostly. I did get up super early, got to breakfast at 6:30, hit the trailhead around 7 (it is only a mile away from the lodge) and started at 7:11. The thing about doing Isolation via Glen Boulder is that you hike above the mountain, and then downhill to get to it. So, even though it's the second shortest 4000 footer, you still get up to 5147 feet, a half mile from the summit of Boott Spur. The trail starts out relentlessly uphill for the first three miles; you gain about 3200 thousand feet in that little distance. Which is a lot! You finally get to the top, and then you're like "and now only 9 more miles to hike!" Brutal.
It was raining and the peak was in the clouds, and while it wasn't super windy, there was enough breeze above treeline that I was pretty cold whenever I stopped moving, even with my big puff on. Add to that the fact that there were a bunch of slabs to climb (super fun, but wet, and therefore less fun to go down) and the steepness of descent, and I made the decision above treeline that I should take a different trail, Rocky Branch, back because then I wouldn't need to be above treeline again, would have a more gentle descent, and wouldn't have to go up over 1000 feet after hitting the summit. The big issue was that the two trailheads are about 10 miles apart, so I was going to have to figure out transportation.
Anyhow, after I got to the top and started going down to Isolation, the hike became much more pleasant. Although there was no view, I do love a good ridgeline, and walking above treeline is just a bonus, even when I am wet and a bit cold. So, the miles from the highest point to Isolation went pretty fast. There were a few other crazy people out that day, and every now and then we passed each other, saying "hello" and "lovely weather" and all. And of course I reached the top at the same time as a bunch of other people. I basically tagged it, was like "uh huh" and then went and sat on the slightly protected rock I'd seen to eat my cheese sandwich on sour dough. Even though I had Big Puff, it was cold and I didn't linger for long before heading out.
I knew that Rocky Branch was longer than the way in, and I had done the trail before and remembered that #1 there were 5 stream crossings and #2 for a lot of the way the trail is basically rock hopping in a stream. I was so glad that I'd done it before, because otherwise I would have been really uncertain if I was going the right way, some of the tail could be mistaken for runoff, and there aren't any marking. But, every now and then you would see boot marks. And, really it's the only thing out there to walk on. The last time I did it, my friend had to coax me across one of the stream crossings; they were much easier this time! One of the crossings a rock shifted and my foot went in, but otherwise they were fine.
Although I had my AllTrails, I hadn't downloaded the map before, so I didn't have any idea where I was. Big mistake. I did have my paper map. The way out had a part that was like 2.8 miles, one that was .9 miles, and one that was 2.4 miles. There was a campground at the 3.7 mile to go spot. At one point I came to a campground, and so I thought that I was down to 3.7 miles, but then about 45 minutes later I came to another campground, and realized that was the 3.7 mile spot. That was the worst moment of the hike. Because, I was cold and wet and hungry and still had 3.7 miles to go! I took a moment to eat something and got back too it, but I really had to talk myself down. It was the first time that I was really scared, because if I had stopped hiking I would definitely get hypothermia and there might not be another hiker until the next day. So, I made up a little song about my feet being wet, and needing to pee, and my pants falling down and sang to myself until I felt a little better.
I was so excited when the trail finally dried out. And then I heard traffic. And then finally, around 5:15 I got to the trailhead! There were no cars in the parking lot, which made me sad - I thought I had heard a couple hikers behind me. But no. So, I did something I have never done before, and hope to never do again - I hitchhiked!
About a dozen cars passed me, and I was starting to worry that no one would want to pick up a drown rat, when a driver slowed down. I was so excited, even more so when I saw it was a family in the car (less likely to be ax murderers.) Mom, dad and two little girls from India - they let me squeeze into the back between the two girls, and the moment that I sat down one of them started screaming. The other told me that her sister was tired. I was like "I just need to go like 10 miles up the road." And they dropped me off by the trailhead. I love those people and hope they have a good vacation in the rain.
I was so happy to see my car, and that I only had to go a mile to get to the lodge. When I got back I took the best hot shower and had a delicious dinner, and then went to bed at 9.
I did some shopping on the way home today (way too much shopping, combined with way too much shopping on the way up). Everything I had been wearing was wet, so when I got home I put it all in the washing machine. When I came back upstairs I could not unlock my door! I was so sad, I just thought how expensive a locksmith would be on July 4, and how long it would take for one to come. But, I did have my car keys, and I had left my window opened, so I moved my car below my window, climbed on the roof, shimmied the screen up, and climbed in through the window! Thank you Parkour!!
(But if you are reading this, please don't try it - I totally needed to stand on the roof my car to reach, and really there's nothing worth stealing. Given the gentrification around here, my neighbors are a much better bet, and you don't have to climb though such a high window.)
