MarkL
Active member
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2003
- Messages
- 257
- Reaction score
- 31
Sunday, 3/15 Left parking area on Rt. 302 just after the crack of Noon, carrying sleeping gear and food to cook at Zealand Hut.
---Zealand Road well packed snow and snow ice. The first hill had me thinking about putting on traction, but I got over it without.
---Hale Brook Trail started off well packed and soft yet supportive enough to be barebootable. At slab/sidehill section it got very difficult despite boot prints from the couple that had just come down it. I tried to make the tread wider and more level by stepping to the inside/hillside of the existing tracks, but this was tiring and very slow. AFter this section, crossing the drainage, it soon got steep. This side didn't get much sun so it wasn't very soft, so I put on crampons. [ my only choices were crampons or 30" snowshoes] These worked fine until summit.
---Lend-a-Hand Trail I kept crampons on til below the second steep downgrade on this trail. From then on it was good, non-postholing barebooting to Zealand Hut.
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Monday, 3/16 Left Zealand Hut at 9:03AM wearing snowshoes. First time ever in this area, so I didn't know what to expect. After 5 minutes which included some short but steep pitches, I decided to carry the shoes. I barebooted the whole rest of the day to Zealand, Guyot, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff, and back to the hut. The only less-than-perfect conditions were on Guyot. In some very short stretches no tracks were visible due to the snow/crust having been so hard. But today these stretches occasionally let me posthole about 4". This was all near the top where it's very open, so holes are easy to avoid. Going down to the Twinway X Bondcliff Tr. Junction, and soon afterwards on the Bondcliff Tr., the crust was slippery, and too hard to break through with a natural gait [without kicking down], so there was a danger of slipping and sliding downslope. Danger easily avoided by carefully staying in previous tracks. At the summit of Bond I left the snowshoes and carried crampons, which weren't needed either on the way to Bondcliff and back. 10.5 hours to do all 4 and get back to Z. Hut.
---Stream Crossings. ON Hale Brook TR. they were easy when open, and snow bridges looked and felt good. Hut to Bonds had no significant water crossings except for near the Hut. All ice bridges were in good shape.
---Blowdown Very infrequent. Only a handfull all day that needed to be ducked under or climbed over.
Except as noted on Guyot, all tracks, including to Z. summit, were very clear.
Near perfect weather, trail and snow conditions contributed to relief and joy. Continued warm temps, and rain, then cooling temps may cause your experience to vary.
---Zealand Road well packed snow and snow ice. The first hill had me thinking about putting on traction, but I got over it without.
---Hale Brook Trail started off well packed and soft yet supportive enough to be barebootable. At slab/sidehill section it got very difficult despite boot prints from the couple that had just come down it. I tried to make the tread wider and more level by stepping to the inside/hillside of the existing tracks, but this was tiring and very slow. AFter this section, crossing the drainage, it soon got steep. This side didn't get much sun so it wasn't very soft, so I put on crampons. [ my only choices were crampons or 30" snowshoes] These worked fine until summit.
---Lend-a-Hand Trail I kept crampons on til below the second steep downgrade on this trail. From then on it was good, non-postholing barebooting to Zealand Hut.
-
Monday, 3/16 Left Zealand Hut at 9:03AM wearing snowshoes. First time ever in this area, so I didn't know what to expect. After 5 minutes which included some short but steep pitches, I decided to carry the shoes. I barebooted the whole rest of the day to Zealand, Guyot, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff, and back to the hut. The only less-than-perfect conditions were on Guyot. In some very short stretches no tracks were visible due to the snow/crust having been so hard. But today these stretches occasionally let me posthole about 4". This was all near the top where it's very open, so holes are easy to avoid. Going down to the Twinway X Bondcliff Tr. Junction, and soon afterwards on the Bondcliff Tr., the crust was slippery, and too hard to break through with a natural gait [without kicking down], so there was a danger of slipping and sliding downslope. Danger easily avoided by carefully staying in previous tracks. At the summit of Bond I left the snowshoes and carried crampons, which weren't needed either on the way to Bondcliff and back. 10.5 hours to do all 4 and get back to Z. Hut.
---Stream Crossings. ON Hale Brook TR. they were easy when open, and snow bridges looked and felt good. Hut to Bonds had no significant water crossings except for near the Hut. All ice bridges were in good shape.
---Blowdown Very infrequent. Only a handfull all day that needed to be ducked under or climbed over.
Except as noted on Guyot, all tracks, including to Z. summit, were very clear.
Near perfect weather, trail and snow conditions contributed to relief and joy. Continued warm temps, and rain, then cooling temps may cause your experience to vary.
