RoySwkr
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- Sep 4, 2003
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I am not as ambitious as BE and TT http://vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?t=38284 but when I heard that Bondcliff was one of the few ice-free 4k I decided to go in-and-out on free parking day. The forecast was excellent not just for that day but the next one too. I arrived at Lincoln Woods in the dark but it was light by the time I started off. The trail in to Franconia Brook had some muddy spots but no serious problems, while there were several large blowdowns beyond. Now that this section is no longer part of a ski loop, there will be less pressure on the Forest Service to bring in crosscut saws and clear them since Bonds hikers can be expected to walk around. I had a quick look at the trestle and the remains of the steel bridge which had been cut into pieces for removal.
The Bondcliff Trail had not only large blowdowns but lots of broken branches, it must have been tricky finding the relocation by headlamp. The relocation also seemed muddier than the original trail which doesn't speak well for its designers. The brook crossings were higher than I expected but no problem with rubber boots. Bondcliff Trail like Signal Ridge Trail used to be an alley in open birches, but the spruce is coming in and even if the trail was cleared full width the woods beyond would make you feel like you are walking in a tunnel. Maybe I won't hike these trails again but rely on my memories.
I met some backpackers coming down higher up, and there were tiny patches of snow in the woods but none on the trail. Up in the scrub, there was a patch of old level ice of about half a square foot that you pretty much had to step on but not worth carrying Footfangs for. It was hazy in the distance, but from the summit you could see the nearby peaks with the taller ones still having snow.
Then there was nothing left but the walk out. I was passed by a family from North Woodstock who were making the traverse from Zealand Road and reported ice in the Zealand-Guyot col. Partway out the Wilderness Trail, it got dark enough to get out my headlamp. Just past Franconia Brook, I saw a light ahead from someone walking out who every so often would turn around but all I could see was the light. I think I would have waited so as to have someone to talk to for an hour, but they continued at just about my pace but eventually turned off or sped up as I didn't see them at the parking lot. In fact my car was the last one in the whole lot, amazing with such a good overnight forecast.
So thanks BE for giving me the boost to do this trip. It is always a long slog back out but not as bad as you had it and certainly conditions were great.
The Bondcliff Trail had not only large blowdowns but lots of broken branches, it must have been tricky finding the relocation by headlamp. The relocation also seemed muddier than the original trail which doesn't speak well for its designers. The brook crossings were higher than I expected but no problem with rubber boots. Bondcliff Trail like Signal Ridge Trail used to be an alley in open birches, but the spruce is coming in and even if the trail was cleared full width the woods beyond would make you feel like you are walking in a tunnel. Maybe I won't hike these trails again but rely on my memories.
I met some backpackers coming down higher up, and there were tiny patches of snow in the woods but none on the trail. Up in the scrub, there was a patch of old level ice of about half a square foot that you pretty much had to step on but not worth carrying Footfangs for. It was hazy in the distance, but from the summit you could see the nearby peaks with the taller ones still having snow.
Then there was nothing left but the walk out. I was passed by a family from North Woodstock who were making the traverse from Zealand Road and reported ice in the Zealand-Guyot col. Partway out the Wilderness Trail, it got dark enough to get out my headlamp. Just past Franconia Brook, I saw a light ahead from someone walking out who every so often would turn around but all I could see was the light. I think I would have waited so as to have someone to talk to for an hour, but they continued at just about my pace but eventually turned off or sped up as I didn't see them at the parking lot. In fact my car was the last one in the whole lot, amazing with such a good overnight forecast.
So thanks BE for giving me the boost to do this trip. It is always a long slog back out but not as bad as you had it and certainly conditions were great.
