Friday October 25th, 2024: The plan to get down to New Hampshire came together very quickly. I applied for my one paid day off per year and got approved so I quickly booked some campsites and got my plan in place. We drove 4 hours to Magog, Quebec for the night and stayed at Parc D'Estrie, a trailer park that was thankfully still open on October 24th. We spent the night camped on a grassy lawn and woke up to frost covering the tents and car. We threw our gear in the back of the car, grabbed a coffee just after 6AM and drove until 9AM to the Rocky Branch trailhead for Isolation. The Glen Boulder would have been my preferred way but the parking lot is under construction.
We left just after 9AM and it didn't take long to encounter our first challenge. Leaves! The trees were bare of leaves and were over ankle deep. This created treacherous trail conditions as you couldn't see what was below your feet as you stepped. I had just sprained my ankle 4 weeks before, and so I took most steps cautiously. In addition to the 2km of deep leaves, the trail ascends steadily. After an hour or 3km of hiking, we had ascended 1600ft from the parking lot. The trail levels off and even goes down slightly but the terrain changes to boulder hopping all the way down to the river. Luckily today the mud and water were easily avoidable. The first of 5 river crossings happens around the 6km mark and the trail weaves its way on each side of the river with more boulder hopping on each side. The river was low, and so crossings were easy. The trail hand rails the river and is a gradual ramp. After the 5th crossing the trail moves away from the river and turns into a curve towards the summit. Staying in the forest, you pass by campsite, and two junctions before the summit trail begins.
The summit is wide open, with excellent views of the Presidential range. We had a clear day and shared the summit with a few others. We took a lunch break here, enjoyed the sun, no wind, and took many photos. The summit is 11.5km in and 3200ft of ascent. The return trip took the route in reverse hopping back and forth on thousands of boulders barely any faster than we came up. We had dry feet when we returned, something that people complain about with this route up. A great day to be out in the mountains, especially on a bald summit. Glad to have this one checked off!
Hike Stats:
Distance: 22.7km
Time: 7 hours 50 mins
Elevation: 3800ft
NE 111 (115): #98
We left just after 9AM and it didn't take long to encounter our first challenge. Leaves! The trees were bare of leaves and were over ankle deep. This created treacherous trail conditions as you couldn't see what was below your feet as you stepped. I had just sprained my ankle 4 weeks before, and so I took most steps cautiously. In addition to the 2km of deep leaves, the trail ascends steadily. After an hour or 3km of hiking, we had ascended 1600ft from the parking lot. The trail levels off and even goes down slightly but the terrain changes to boulder hopping all the way down to the river. Luckily today the mud and water were easily avoidable. The first of 5 river crossings happens around the 6km mark and the trail weaves its way on each side of the river with more boulder hopping on each side. The river was low, and so crossings were easy. The trail hand rails the river and is a gradual ramp. After the 5th crossing the trail moves away from the river and turns into a curve towards the summit. Staying in the forest, you pass by campsite, and two junctions before the summit trail begins.
The summit is wide open, with excellent views of the Presidential range. We had a clear day and shared the summit with a few others. We took a lunch break here, enjoyed the sun, no wind, and took many photos. The summit is 11.5km in and 3200ft of ascent. The return trip took the route in reverse hopping back and forth on thousands of boulders barely any faster than we came up. We had dry feet when we returned, something that people complain about with this route up. A great day to be out in the mountains, especially on a bald summit. Glad to have this one checked off!
Hike Stats:
Distance: 22.7km
Time: 7 hours 50 mins
Elevation: 3800ft
NE 111 (115): #98
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