Daniel Isaac, of Post Mills, ice climbs on Vermont's Mount Mansfield. Isaac, a native of North London, England, is an experienced European mountaineer and ice climber searching for more options in the Twin States.
Daniel Isaac, of Post Mills, ice climbs on Vermont's Mount Mansfield. Isaac, a native of North London, England, is an experienced European mountaineer and ice climber searching for more options in the Twin States. Credit: Courtesy photograph

Bradford, Vt. — Some wilderness seekers may set out on expeditions to try to escape reality. For Daniel Isaac, they’re a way to enhance it.

Heightened perspective both visually and philosophically has kept the 39-year-old native of East London, England, devoted to mountaineering and ice climbing for the last 20 years.

“To me, being out in the wilderness is what real life is,” said Isaac, who moved to Post Mills three years ago with his U.S.-born wife, Lindsay. “We’re not meant to be sitting at a desk all the time or watching cable news, arguing about politics and trying to figure out who’s right and who’s wrong. To be a human being is to experience the beauty of the world.”

Isaac has been fortunate to experience much of that beauty in Europe. A certified mountain leader in the United Kingdom since 1998, his summited peaks include the Alps’ highest, Mont Blanc (15,781 feet), northwest Italy’s Gran Paradiso (13,323) and The Matterhorn, straddling Switzerland and Italy (14,692).

He’s also conducted countless excursions throughout peaks in the British Isles and Wales, where his favorite climb, Tryfan, is a modest 3,010 feet above sea level.

“I learned quickly that the height of a mountain is not as important as the challenge of its climb,” Isaac said during an interview in Bradford. “Some of the most exciting and aggressive climbs out there aren’t necessarily very high off the ground.”

A reservist veteran of the U.K’s Royal Air Force, Isaac has led numerous fellow soldiers and cadets on expeditions, as well as friends and family. Almost all of his wild country instruction has been as a volunteer.

“It’s really all for the love of it, and wanting to share experiences,” Isaac said. “I really enjoy the leadership side, showing people that it’s quite possible to do these things. A lot of people say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe I did what I just did.’ ”

Isaac has transitioned from the glacial crevasses of Europe to the frozen waterfalls and mixed options (ice-plus-rock) in Vermont and New Hampshire. The consistency of Twin State ice patterns has required a few equipment adjustments — he likened glacial ice to crumbly schist rock and waterfalls to solid granite — but Isaac hasn’t found northern New England’s landscape any less pleasing.

Over the last three years, he’s climbed the icy ridges of Vermont 4,000-footers Mount Mansfield and Camel’s Hump, and as Groton (Vt.) State Forest summits Owl’s Head and Big Deer Mountain. Patterson Mountain in Vershire has become a favorite area climb.

Isaac also has ventured plenty to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, taking on Mount Hale, Mount Bond and the Bondcliff Trail, Zealand Mountain and, for the first time, Mount Washington on Sunday with a partner.

“The snow was forecast to arrive there much later in the day than it was here, but we still got up at 4:30 to get on the trail by 7,” Isaac recalled. “We ended up aborting the summit because of severe whiteout conditions. That’s one thing I’ve always stuck to with mountaineering and ice climbing: there’s no ego involved. If something seems unsafe, if someone is experiencing too much fatigue or losing their sense of humor, the best thing is to turn around. There will be other days to climb.”

Isaac is hoping to find additional partners for some of the Twin States’ more technically demanding routes, such as Smuggler’s Notch on the east side of Mount Mansfield, the Northeast Kingdom’s Lake Willoughby cliffs and Snake Mountain in Addison County. New Hampshire’s Frankenstein Cliffs and Cathedral Ledge are also enticing.

Any route that requires belaying, of course, requires a partner, and so far Isaac has struggled to find consistent takers.

“I love the Upper Valley, but it’s not full of ice climbers,” said Isaac, the vice president of sales at Pomponoosuc Mills furniture in East Thetford. “For example, there are 120 people where I work and not one ice climbs.”

With his 40th birthday approaching, Isaac hopes to continue sharing experiences of the wild outdoors with like-minded individuals.

“I love it because it’s humbling,” he said. “It gives me perspective and respect not just for the mountain, but for a lot of things in day-to-day life. When you’ve just climbed 100 feet of ice and you’re gazing out at the landscape, suddenly things like the dishwasher not running properly seem irrelevant. That’s the benefit from a philosophical standpoint. From a physical standpoint, it’s an amazing adrenaline rush. It’s very exhilarating.”

Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.