Our small crew of 4 (DJ, Andy, Joe, and myself) met at the Glen Boulder trailhead around 5:45 after a few u-turns because I was still half asleep and can’t see well in the dark without my glasses…which were in my glovebox. Two others had signed up for the peak and after waiting until 6:05 out of courtesy and asking a few groups of guys if they happened to be named “Deb” we decided to go on without them.
The climb up to Glen Boulder didn’t offer much of a break in period but we were rewarded with some great views down the valley and even saw Mount Washington poking out a little bit. We made good time and arrived at the summit of Isolation around 10:30 am. The flag was flying around 11 and we were amazed as the clouds danced over the southern presis like they had a protective shield on them.
We were all very surprised at the number of visitors we encountered at the summit. Many groups made the trek, and I believe 5 people finished their 48 4K footers there that day.
After flying the flag for a good two and half hours the weather was deteriorating and we hadn’t seen anyone in about 15-20 minutes. As our plan was to return via Glen Boulder our group made the call to break down the flag setup around 1:30 and not risk a steep decent in freezing rain. No sooner had we taken the flag down then a very large group arrived at the summit. I offer my apologies that they didn’t get the photo opportunity, but we still feel we made the right call regarding our safety and decending a steep, exposed trail in poor conditions.
We made good time on the way out and got back to the parking lot around 5:30 despite fog, freezing rain, and then a nice drizzle. It was a long day, but definitely worth it.
Congrats to all the organizers and the participants on a great event, I’ll post some pics into the gallery once the email comes through with the directions.
Cheers,
Mike :flag:
