With age comes wisdom. Wool replaces cotton. We wear seatbelts on our drive to and from the trailhead. We get enough sleep, stay hydrated, and we don’t go it alone as often as we used to. We’re reminded — sometimes by a spouse — that there are bold hikers and there are old hikers, but rarely seen is one who’s bold and old. Hire a guide as a knowing companion can be so helpful. That’s what this fellow did and despite being over half way done with the GRID, plans to put a few more days on the books with us. As one past guest told us, we’re cheap insurance. We’ll let Redline Guide Chase Hall summarize their hike to Mt Isolation, as follows:
Hiking to Isolation in winter is pretty awesome because there is so much snow in the Presidential – Dry River Wilderness that hikers can create two ‘bushwhacks’ that shave off a couple of miles (and lessen some dangers) to the Isolation summit: Engine Hill and Iso Express. When the bushwhacks are set you get to enjoy Rocky Branch without the worry of getting your boots soaked. Today’s guest had hiked Isolation six times but had never tried out the Iso Express. Today was a new experience for the guest and that made the hike that much more special for both of us. I love to show guests new treats of the Whites. It’s a really fun perk of the job. —Chase
