grouseking
Well-known member
Tuesday promised to be an almost perfect day, so I decided to get out and enjoy the lush green lower elevations and head into the Pemi, specifically the Zealand Trail to Ethan Pond trail to Shoal Pond. I also wanted to test my foot, which had been injured a week prior. I did well until the final two miles.
We started of at around 10:30, a very leisurely beginning. The trip into Zealand was like traveling through a rainforest. Plants were vibrant green, and lush. The sound of either trickling water or the roar of the Zealand River was never far away. There is nothing better than the sound of running water. We made great time to the Ethan Pond trail junction....less than one hour. There was much more running water between the junction and the opening of the notch than I've ever witnessed. It was all running off Whitewall Mtn....just goes to show the incredible amount of water we have recieved. Thirty min later we were out at the rock slide where we took a nice break and soaked up the sun and the views. Then we headed to the Shoal Pond junc.
Down the Shoal Pond trail we went and were met to wonderful green forest, moss, some unusually green grass ( I think it was grass, but it looked different from any other grass I've ever seen...almost like sedge above treeline). Also there were a multitude of wild flowers that lined the trail. Moose tracks soon replaced human tracks which gave the trip a wilderness feel. Soon we were near the north edge of Shoal pond, where we bushwhacked to the other side to check out the views from a different direction. We hung out for over an hour and were eaten alive by at least 3 major types of bugs...if not more. I saw mosquitoes, black flies and horseflies, and they all attacked. After a little fishing, we saw darkening skies to the north, so it was time to get moving. We backtracked and were back on the Ethan Pond trail in notime.
On the way back, just in time to get into the open part of Zealand Notch, we ran into a torrential downpour. Rain came down sideways and soaked us top to bottom. Thankfully there was no lightning, and the storm was over within 10-15 minutes. I decided to head up to Zealand hut to dry off, while Matt wanted to do a little fishin in the nearby ponds. Plus, my foot was really beginning to hurt so I wanted to try and take some pressure off of it. After a nice break, and cleaning mud of my right boot and leg (the mud monster found me on the bushwhack), I headed back to the car with Matt. By now, my foot was hurting and if I stepped wrong, it would send a sharp pain through my arch. I hope I can figure out whats wrong, but ever since I finished the hike, the pain went away, like magic... Anyways, I took two hours to go back 2.5 miles, when it took 55 minutes to come in. But I was really in tune with nature on the way back and took many pictures and enjoyed things more than when I am walking fast. We finished the hike around 5:45, over 13 miles and 7 hr 15 min later. Not bad for several very long breaks and a potentially chronically injured foot. Suffice to say my trip to the Hancocks this weekend is in question, but I feel fine now. We'll just have to wait and see.
Zealand and Shoal
grouseking
We started of at around 10:30, a very leisurely beginning. The trip into Zealand was like traveling through a rainforest. Plants were vibrant green, and lush. The sound of either trickling water or the roar of the Zealand River was never far away. There is nothing better than the sound of running water. We made great time to the Ethan Pond trail junction....less than one hour. There was much more running water between the junction and the opening of the notch than I've ever witnessed. It was all running off Whitewall Mtn....just goes to show the incredible amount of water we have recieved. Thirty min later we were out at the rock slide where we took a nice break and soaked up the sun and the views. Then we headed to the Shoal Pond junc.
Down the Shoal Pond trail we went and were met to wonderful green forest, moss, some unusually green grass ( I think it was grass, but it looked different from any other grass I've ever seen...almost like sedge above treeline). Also there were a multitude of wild flowers that lined the trail. Moose tracks soon replaced human tracks which gave the trip a wilderness feel. Soon we were near the north edge of Shoal pond, where we bushwhacked to the other side to check out the views from a different direction. We hung out for over an hour and were eaten alive by at least 3 major types of bugs...if not more. I saw mosquitoes, black flies and horseflies, and they all attacked. After a little fishing, we saw darkening skies to the north, so it was time to get moving. We backtracked and were back on the Ethan Pond trail in notime.
On the way back, just in time to get into the open part of Zealand Notch, we ran into a torrential downpour. Rain came down sideways and soaked us top to bottom. Thankfully there was no lightning, and the storm was over within 10-15 minutes. I decided to head up to Zealand hut to dry off, while Matt wanted to do a little fishin in the nearby ponds. Plus, my foot was really beginning to hurt so I wanted to try and take some pressure off of it. After a nice break, and cleaning mud of my right boot and leg (the mud monster found me on the bushwhack), I headed back to the car with Matt. By now, my foot was hurting and if I stepped wrong, it would send a sharp pain through my arch. I hope I can figure out whats wrong, but ever since I finished the hike, the pain went away, like magic... Anyways, I took two hours to go back 2.5 miles, when it took 55 minutes to come in. But I was really in tune with nature on the way back and took many pictures and enjoyed things more than when I am walking fast. We finished the hike around 5:45, over 13 miles and 7 hr 15 min later. Not bad for several very long breaks and a potentially chronically injured foot. Suffice to say my trip to the Hancocks this weekend is in question, but I feel fine now. We'll just have to wait and see.
Zealand and Shoal
grouseking
