Sometimes a hike isn't about a summit. It isn't about dragging yourself up a mountain. It isn't about panting and sweating and killing yourself. Sometimes it's just about fresh air, good views, relaxation, and maybe a few moments of inner peace.
This was one of those hikes.
In the late 1800's, the great timber magnate J. E. Henry was logging vast tracts of what was to become the White Mountain National Forest. He built a railroad network throughout today's Pemigewasset Wilderness ("The Pemi") from the south, and another line down from Rte 302 through Zealand Notch from the north.
This vast network of logging railroads gave rise to many of today's hiking trails. It is possible today to traverse from the Kancamagus Highway up to Rte 302, almost all the way on old rail beds. In particular, in the 1880's construction began on the Zealand Valley railroad, running from the main line at the Ammonoosuc River southward 10 miles through Zealand Notch to Ethan Pond, with a side branch to Shoal Pond. Today, to follow this route I first gave a through-hiker a ride from Five Corners up to Fosters, then drove up Zealand Road from Rte 302 to the parking area where the Zealand Trail begins along the old rail bed.
From here begins a flat, wide trail carved through young birches, vivid green in the bright sunlight. It was just 70 degrees, with plenty of sun as well as a moderate breeze keeping the bugs at bay; it felt more like September than July, and my mood was elevated as I started out at the lazy hour of 10am.
After barely a quarter-mile, the Zealand Trail detours to the right along the slope, as the railroad grade vanishes into a wet, boggy area. In the winter, this is the cross-country ski trail; however, in the summer it is necessary to take the rocky, surprisingly dark detour. There's something about the geography of this stretch of trail, or perhaps the forest canopy itself, that makes it oddly dark and dreary. It may also be that this is the one part of the trail that does any climbing - it contains the majority of the 450' of rise in the first 2 miles. It's not long, however, before one final rise through a forest of pine roots regains the old right-of-way along the edge of the Zealand River.
From here, it's not long before the trail breaks in and out of the open, as the grade levels out and the trail enters a realm of beaver ponds reflecting views of Mt. Tom and Mt. Hale. Very close to the height of land of the Notch, the perfect weather put such a smile on my face that I was practically dancing down the trail past the junctions of the A-Z Trail and the Twinway, the latter of which leads up to the AMC's Zealand Falls Hut. I was tempted to visit the Falls, but I was only halfway to my destination.
From this point to Thoreau Falls is a difference in elevation of only 12 feet, and on the old railroad grade I made excellent time. There are a few rough spots where slides have dislodged the trail and boulders require a bit of climbing around, but none of it is difficult or even moderate. This trail is flat-out easy. Before I knew it, I had come out on the boulder field long-since slid from Whitewall Mountain.
Here the trail was literally carved from the talus, a packed sand and gravel bed straight across the slope. The open views here are incredible, and I stopped for a considerable time to take pictures looking back up through the Notch towards Mt. Hale, up to the fabulous Zeacliff outlook, and down through the Pemi towards the Bonds and Mt. Carrigain. Some grey clouds blew through and I found myself chilled and little nervous for the weather. I need not have worried.
Just moments after noon I arrived at Thoreau Falls, 4.8 miles from the car. I couldn't resist just walking around and staring at the features of this beautiful location. Just inside the Wilderness Boundary, the trail crosses the North Fork of the Pemigewasset River at the top of the Falls, water gliding smoothly over granite faces pitted with glacial potholes, some several feet deep. From there it cascades down a long, curving chute of granite, having carved away all of what I believe is called traprock, its blocky, stacked appearance open to view alongside.
At this point, it was time to be decadent. I took off my boots, soaked my feet in the cool water, and set up my comfy, inflatable-cushion camp chair. I laid out a spread of grapes, crackers, hummus, and brie, and topped it off with a (Lexan) glass of Roberto Mondavi Merlot. I cracked open the new Harry Potter (I'm rereading to get all the bits I missed the first time) and let all my cares wash away for an hour. I could hear only the rushing and bubbling of the water. I saw only 7 other people at the Falls, as well as a ranger hiking through with a full pack.
Now, I knew that Hikerfast had expressed an interest in doing a traverse from Lincoln Woods all the way up to Zealand and getting a ride back to his car from me. Unfortunately, I had no idea if he was actually doing it. I stayed at the Falls until 1:45 and then started back to the car. I was amazed at how rejuvenated I felt. For a long time my hikes have been struggles, disheartening, focusing only on the summit or campsite or car as destination; however, at this moment I was looking forward to the sheer joy of walking down the Ethan Pond Trail. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the trail's level grade, maybe it was just the wine talking, but even in the valley I was on top of the world and it felt great!
On the way back I didn't stop for pictures anywhere, except to photograph this lovely snake I found sunning itself on the edge of the trail. It was about 3 feet long and willing to not scurry away while I fumbled with the camera. After that, I just let my energy flow to my feet and made it back to my car at 3:30, 4.8 miles in only 1:45. Since my preannounced timeline would have had me at the car at 4:00, I decided to wait until then to see if Hikerfast showed up; at 3:58 he came off the trail and I drove him back to his car.
It was a perfect day to have been in the mountains, and now I'm ready to head back and tackle more summits!
The full photo album for this hike is available here.
This was one of those hikes.
This vast network of logging railroads gave rise to many of today's hiking trails. It is possible today to traverse from the Kancamagus Highway up to Rte 302, almost all the way on old rail beds. In particular, in the 1880's construction began on the Zealand Valley railroad, running from the main line at the Ammonoosuc River southward 10 miles through Zealand Notch to Ethan Pond, with a side branch to Shoal Pond. Today, to follow this route I first gave a through-hiker a ride from Five Corners up to Fosters, then drove up Zealand Road from Rte 302 to the parking area where the Zealand Trail begins along the old rail bed.
After barely a quarter-mile, the Zealand Trail detours to the right along the slope, as the railroad grade vanishes into a wet, boggy area. In the winter, this is the cross-country ski trail; however, in the summer it is necessary to take the rocky, surprisingly dark detour. There's something about the geography of this stretch of trail, or perhaps the forest canopy itself, that makes it oddly dark and dreary. It may also be that this is the one part of the trail that does any climbing - it contains the majority of the 450' of rise in the first 2 miles. It's not long, however, before one final rise through a forest of pine roots regains the old right-of-way along the edge of the Zealand River.
Here the trail was literally carved from the talus, a packed sand and gravel bed straight across the slope. The open views here are incredible, and I stopped for a considerable time to take pictures looking back up through the Notch towards Mt. Hale, up to the fabulous Zeacliff outlook, and down through the Pemi towards the Bonds and Mt. Carrigain. Some grey clouds blew through and I found myself chilled and little nervous for the weather. I need not have worried.
Now, I knew that Hikerfast had expressed an interest in doing a traverse from Lincoln Woods all the way up to Zealand and getting a ride back to his car from me. Unfortunately, I had no idea if he was actually doing it. I stayed at the Falls until 1:45 and then started back to the car. I was amazed at how rejuvenated I felt. For a long time my hikes have been struggles, disheartening, focusing only on the summit or campsite or car as destination; however, at this moment I was looking forward to the sheer joy of walking down the Ethan Pond Trail. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the trail's level grade, maybe it was just the wine talking, but even in the valley I was on top of the world and it felt great!
It was a perfect day to have been in the mountains, and now I'm ready to head back and tackle more summits!
The full photo album for this hike is available here.
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