PETCH
New member
Peaks/Trails: Zeacliff and Zealand Mtn via Zealand Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Zeacliff Trail, Twinway
Date of Hike: June 5 2011, Sunday
Trail Conditions: all in great shape, nothing major to speak of
Special Equipment: lots of bug dope
Cast of Characters: just me, no bird (flamingo off getting a pedicure), yes, those chickens do have sharp talons
Some Comments:
- Had to abort on Saturday's hike with CrazyBob, Jim, and Shawn due to work issues
- Sunday was quieter, so decided to take a walk in the woods
- The goal was to hit a new area and trail. A walk into Zealand Notch and up Zeacliff trail was on the bucket list.
- A 8:30am start up the Zealand Trail, and soon I was on something new heading down the Ethan Pond Trail. This is part of the AT and obviously gets its share of traffic. But I didn't see a soul and it was nice to just be out in the woods alone.
- The Ethan Pond trail continues through Zealand Notch and is sheltered to start. Then boulder fields start appearing and eventually you break into the open at the Zeacliff Trail intersection to see some fantastic views. Looking North, you could see the Zealand Falls hut in the distance. Looking South you could see towards Carrigain.
- Zeacliff can be seen rising high above the notch on the opposite side. The Zeacliff trail goes down quite steeply and crosses a stream before beginning the steep climb. Real nice trail, that doesn't get a lot of use. Nice rock slabs just before gaining the peak.
- I decided to save the views from Zeacliff until later. It was just before 11am, and I wanted to put some more miles on. So I decided to head over to Zealand. Why? Well, from last summer, I remember this section of the Twinway being an enjoyable hike. Lots of bog bridges and rock slabs. There were some obstructed views over towards Hale and the Twins as well. Ran into a couple guys at Zealand burning a pipe (obviously for medicinal purposes). It was to ward off the bugs, I was told.
- Although tempting to keep going over to Guyot, I decided to head back and make it over to Zeacliff. Will save Guyot and the Bonds for another day.
- Ran into LRiz and company along the Twinway. They were going as far as Zealand as well.
- Last summer on a Bonds traverse, I didn't take the time to go over and check out the views from Zeacliff. Now it was time to stop and smell the bacon. I love bacon.... The views were better than anticipated. Great views of Zealand Notch, Hancocks and Carrigain. Every time I see Carrigain, it seems to get bigger. Had lunch with 40,000 flying guests.
- Finished up, put on the knee brace, and began the uneventful trip down. Arrived at the parking lot at 2:05pm. Fast trails, not a lot of elevation gain, and just a couple breaks, made for a quick hike.
Zeacliff from Zealand Notch
Looking South down Zealand Notch
Looking North up Zealand Notch
Flowers in bloom along the Twinway
The Presidentials behind the Willey Range from Zeacliff
Looking across Zealand Notch from Zeacliff
Trip stats: 12.1 miles, 2800ft of ele, 5hrs 35min
Slideshow from this trip^
Ascent List:http://peakbagger.com/climber/climblistc.aspx?cid=1767
All Hiking Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/mpetcher/
Date of Hike: June 5 2011, Sunday
Trail Conditions: all in great shape, nothing major to speak of
Special Equipment: lots of bug dope
Cast of Characters: just me, no bird (flamingo off getting a pedicure), yes, those chickens do have sharp talons
Some Comments:
- Had to abort on Saturday's hike with CrazyBob, Jim, and Shawn due to work issues
- Sunday was quieter, so decided to take a walk in the woods
- The goal was to hit a new area and trail. A walk into Zealand Notch and up Zeacliff trail was on the bucket list.
- A 8:30am start up the Zealand Trail, and soon I was on something new heading down the Ethan Pond Trail. This is part of the AT and obviously gets its share of traffic. But I didn't see a soul and it was nice to just be out in the woods alone.
- The Ethan Pond trail continues through Zealand Notch and is sheltered to start. Then boulder fields start appearing and eventually you break into the open at the Zeacliff Trail intersection to see some fantastic views. Looking North, you could see the Zealand Falls hut in the distance. Looking South you could see towards Carrigain.
- Zeacliff can be seen rising high above the notch on the opposite side. The Zeacliff trail goes down quite steeply and crosses a stream before beginning the steep climb. Real nice trail, that doesn't get a lot of use. Nice rock slabs just before gaining the peak.
- I decided to save the views from Zeacliff until later. It was just before 11am, and I wanted to put some more miles on. So I decided to head over to Zealand. Why? Well, from last summer, I remember this section of the Twinway being an enjoyable hike. Lots of bog bridges and rock slabs. There were some obstructed views over towards Hale and the Twins as well. Ran into a couple guys at Zealand burning a pipe (obviously for medicinal purposes). It was to ward off the bugs, I was told.
- Although tempting to keep going over to Guyot, I decided to head back and make it over to Zeacliff. Will save Guyot and the Bonds for another day.
- Ran into LRiz and company along the Twinway. They were going as far as Zealand as well.
- Last summer on a Bonds traverse, I didn't take the time to go over and check out the views from Zeacliff. Now it was time to stop and smell the bacon. I love bacon.... The views were better than anticipated. Great views of Zealand Notch, Hancocks and Carrigain. Every time I see Carrigain, it seems to get bigger. Had lunch with 40,000 flying guests.
- Finished up, put on the knee brace, and began the uneventful trip down. Arrived at the parking lot at 2:05pm. Fast trails, not a lot of elevation gain, and just a couple breaks, made for a quick hike.
Zeacliff from Zealand Notch
Looking South down Zealand Notch
Looking North up Zealand Notch
Flowers in bloom along the Twinway
The Presidentials behind the Willey Range from Zeacliff
Looking across Zealand Notch from Zeacliff
Trip stats: 12.1 miles, 2800ft of ele, 5hrs 35min
Slideshow from this trip^
Ascent List:http://peakbagger.com/climber/climblistc.aspx?cid=1767
All Hiking Pictures:http://picasaweb.google.com/mpetcher/
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