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When we returned to the tent, it was time to make supper. I erected the stove next to a tree just above the river, but far enough downwind and away from the tent so as not to saturate the tent the smell of cooking food. I made some dehydrated beans and rice that were a little too spicy for my taste, but they were pretty good anyway. I shared it with Muffin, and between us, we ate all of it. I didn't want to have to pack it back out. I had some candy for dessert, then cleaned up, filtered some water from the river, and hung up all the cooking stuff and food in a bear bag on a small branch overhanging the river. Afterward we went into the tent to lie down. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring a book to read, so I was stuck re-reading the trail descriptions in the White Mountain Guide.

The alarm on my watch went off at 4:30 AM, and today I heard it and woke up. It was still dark out, but I wanted to get an early start. I estimated that it would take us no longer than six hours to make the 8-mile round trip to the summit, which would get us back to camp by 11:00, giving us ample time to take down camp and trudge another 5 miles out to the road.

At 5 o'clock, after a quick power bar breakfast, we hit the trail. It was dark enough for me to use my headlamp, so I was especially careful crossing the river as I didn't want to slip and start off the day's hike wet.

I was soon glad that we hadn't tried to hike to Isolation yesterday afternoon. The Isolation Trail was rough and not well-traveled. For some distance, it followed the course of Isolation Brook, rising and falling on the bank above the brook like a bumpy roller coaster. At one point, where the trail had completely washed out, someone had recently cut a new section through the trees on the opposite bank. It was unmarked, and extremely rough, still littered with stumps, rocks, and viscous brown mud.

After leaving the brook behind, the Isolation Trail passed through an overgrown level marshy area, then began to more steeply assault the ridge. Finally, after entering an area with many dead fir trees, we reached the junction with the Davis Path.

The Dry River in front of our campsite. I got water from this spot and cooked supper next to a tree just above the riverbank.

My bear bag. It's always good to hang your food when in bear country. Even if no bears come around, raccoons, skunks, and mice do. I hung it here one small branch overhanging the river.

The Isolation Trail junction. It was still mostly dark when we turned down the Isolation Trail, but my headlamp lit the way well enough.

Meadow Rue. Lit by my flash in the pre-dawn hour, the flower heads seemed to light up like bursts of white fireworks.

Just below treeline on Montalban Ridge, this area was notable for its many dead fir trees. It was either in the middle of a fir wave (a naturally-occurring band of dead fir trees), or had been hit by a storm.

The Davis Path junction. We stopped to rest here for a few minutes. It was a bleak weather-beaten area, but may have looked better in the sun.

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