BIGEarl
Well-known member
March 7, 2009: Zealand – Bonds Traverse
Trails: Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Zealand, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), MadRiver (Rick), Kevinmac (Kevin), and me.
Plan A for the day was a Presi Traverse, but high winds in the forecast caused us to change to Plan B. Our plan was to spot a vehicle at Lincoln Woods, and drive to the winter lot on Route 302 in Twin Mountain and hike back. The conditions were forecast to be great for the hike with mild temperatures and mostly sunny conditions but some wind in the open sections from Guyot through Bondcliff.
Nearly on plan, we set off at 5:30am for the hike south. The initial 3.5 mile warm-up was on Zealand Road which is closed in the winter. We started on light traction (Stabilicers and MicroSpikes) but made a change to snowshoes roughly half-way to the trailhead. The sky was completely overcast but we could see blue sky to the south and expected improved conditions as we went along.
While hiking the Zealand Trail there was quite a bit of joking about “Psycho Moose” that was roaming the area. We were prepared for him with Kevin singing as a Moose repellant (have you heard him sing – it nearly drove us away). We found evidence of moose scraping on some trees, then lots of droppings and tracks (the kind of sign that is common in an area where they are yarded up for the winter) but no Psycho Moose.
We made our way to the area of the bog bridges below the hut and there was quite a bit of “moose sign” but no moose. Oh well, maybe next time. Soon after crossing the “S” bridge the clouds had broken and we were enjoying terrific blue-sky hiking conditions.
We met a group of skiers on their way out from the hut. We wandered to the hut and stopped for a short break. We believed the trail south was getting quite a bit of traffic and expected to maintain a good pace on the hike.
Back on the trail we started the climb. This initial steep section leads to the area above Zeacliff. Toward the ridge we met an EMS group hike headed north. They had stayed at the hut the previous night and were now headed back from Zeacliff for their exit hike. Once we hit the ridge we also reached the end of the trail with recent traffic. From here south the hike was much slower. Some areas of the trail between Zeacliff and Zealand were drifted in and needed extra attention to follow. Sue was in the lead for nearly all of the hike and did a terrific job of guiding us on our way. Soon after leaving the Zeacliff area we were caught by the Zealand Hut Caretaker – Julie and she hiked along with us to Zealand.
The Zealand Spur was generally drifted in. We found a number of places with evidence of traffic and set off in search of the summit sign. Along the way I managed to find a really nice spruce trap. Standing up was nearly as difficult as getting out. Nice entertainment and nobody thought to snap any pictures – I think. We wandered to the high point, found the sign, Julie snapped pictures with all of the cameras, and said goodbye. She headed back to the hut and we continued our hike south.
Leaving Zealand we gave up quite a bit of elevation and had a very nice view to Guyot in front of us. The view also made very clear the amount of elevation we would eventually re-climb. Even though there was no Psycho Moose problem in this area, Kevin continued to sing – can’t be too careful, I guess. We approached the first high point and open area north of the summit of Guyot expecting to be hit with a significant wind but it wasn’t there. Conditions on the exposed area were very pleasant. At this location the views are great and we stopped to enjoy the sights and get some pictures. The junction with the Bondcliff Trail was just ahead.
We continued and were able to hear voiced ahead. At one point we had an open view to West Bond and could see hikers on it’s summit. After rounding one final turn before the trails junction we met a very large group headed north. As it turned out it was Hiker Ed and around a dozen of his closest friends doing the same hike in the opposite direction. They got started around the same time as us and we were now passing at the midpoint of the hike. Hiking south we’ll now have broken trails to follow, and they’ll have the same heading north. We briefly visited and were soon back to the day’s project.
From the summit of Guyot the views are outstanding. A high overcast was moving in but the distance views seemed unlimited. After the expected pictures we were leaving for the West Bond Spur. It’s a short hike past the Guyot Tentsite and on to the trails junction. At the junction we met Donna. She was there with mtnmama, mtnpa, and Juniper. Their objective for the day was West Bond. After she left to catch her hiking partners we met another group exiting from West Bond also hiking a S-N traverse. It’s only .5 miles and a moderate amount of elevation and we were on the summit of West Bond. Still no wind and great overcast views. It’s getting late and we wanted to clear Bondcliff before dark so we promptly headed back for the climb of Mount Bond.
The first part of the hike seemed like a very slow process. We hiked a long time before reaching our first summit. Now, the pace has really picked up. In little time we were stepping onto the summit area of Mount Bond. We all passed cameras around for the usual summit shots, admired the views, and were soon off for the hike to the final peak for the day.
A previous group had cautioned us about the conditions around Bondcliff. They explained we would need to make a change from snowshoes to crampons – or possibly lighter traction aids, and then change back after exiting Bondcliff. We reached the lower part of the initial descent from Mount Bond and made the change. The walk across to the open cliffs was a fast one. We encountered a mix of soft ice, hard ice, snow, and bare rocks. There was generally enough snow-ice sections to help protect the points. Soon, with light fading, we reached Bondcliff. One of the objectives for the day was to be past Bondcliff before dark. It looked like we were going to just barely miss. We got the summit shots and started the long hike out.
Nine miles with roughly half climbing down from Bondcliff and half on an old railroad grade stood between us and our waiting vehicle. The broken trail from Bondcliff bypasses the ledges at the usual exit making for an easy departure. Since the base of snow is very deep we were plowing through treetops, hat snatchers, and sharp things looking for an unprotected eye. I believe there may have been some grumbling on the initial hike out. Early on, I decided to change back to snowshoes but the others delayed their change. Eventually, we were all riding snowshoes for the final return to Lincoln Woods. We stopped at the first open stream coming down the Bondcliff Trail. At least a couple of us had reached our Gatorade limit and needed some plain water – the stop did the trick.
From here it wasn’t long before reaching the Bondcliff – Wilderness trails junction where we also found some campers set up in a no-camping area. They must have missed the sign. We re-grouped and prepared for the worst part of the hike. It was late, we were tired, and the rain started to fall. Only 4.7 miles stood between us and the trailhead – but it was 4.7 miles of old railroad grade.
Everybody knows, the Wilderness trail goes on forever. It’s flat and boring. It’s a real test at the end of a long day. In daylight at least there is beautiful surrounding to enjoy. In total darkness it is total torture. On our final walk we separated a few times and stopped to re-group trying to stay generally together. Finally, after a Wilderness eternity we reached the Lincoln Woods suspension bridge, made the turn and headed for the waiting truck.
Well, that was easy. The day lasted a couple hours longer than expected but that happens with unpredictable winter conditions. Our objectives were the four summits all needed by Sue and Rick for their W48 lists. Congratulations – hard work but you’ve got them!
Thanks to Sue, Kevin, and Rich for a great day in the mountains. Too bad we got a little wet at the end but none of us will melt.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Zealand, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), MadRiver (Rick), Kevinmac (Kevin), and me.
Plan A for the day was a Presi Traverse, but high winds in the forecast caused us to change to Plan B. Our plan was to spot a vehicle at Lincoln Woods, and drive to the winter lot on Route 302 in Twin Mountain and hike back. The conditions were forecast to be great for the hike with mild temperatures and mostly sunny conditions but some wind in the open sections from Guyot through Bondcliff.
Nearly on plan, we set off at 5:30am for the hike south. The initial 3.5 mile warm-up was on Zealand Road which is closed in the winter. We started on light traction (Stabilicers and MicroSpikes) but made a change to snowshoes roughly half-way to the trailhead. The sky was completely overcast but we could see blue sky to the south and expected improved conditions as we went along.
While hiking the Zealand Trail there was quite a bit of joking about “Psycho Moose” that was roaming the area. We were prepared for him with Kevin singing as a Moose repellant (have you heard him sing – it nearly drove us away). We found evidence of moose scraping on some trees, then lots of droppings and tracks (the kind of sign that is common in an area where they are yarded up for the winter) but no Psycho Moose.
We made our way to the area of the bog bridges below the hut and there was quite a bit of “moose sign” but no moose. Oh well, maybe next time. Soon after crossing the “S” bridge the clouds had broken and we were enjoying terrific blue-sky hiking conditions.
We met a group of skiers on their way out from the hut. We wandered to the hut and stopped for a short break. We believed the trail south was getting quite a bit of traffic and expected to maintain a good pace on the hike.
Back on the trail we started the climb. This initial steep section leads to the area above Zeacliff. Toward the ridge we met an EMS group hike headed north. They had stayed at the hut the previous night and were now headed back from Zeacliff for their exit hike. Once we hit the ridge we also reached the end of the trail with recent traffic. From here south the hike was much slower. Some areas of the trail between Zeacliff and Zealand were drifted in and needed extra attention to follow. Sue was in the lead for nearly all of the hike and did a terrific job of guiding us on our way. Soon after leaving the Zeacliff area we were caught by the Zealand Hut Caretaker – Julie and she hiked along with us to Zealand.
The Zealand Spur was generally drifted in. We found a number of places with evidence of traffic and set off in search of the summit sign. Along the way I managed to find a really nice spruce trap. Standing up was nearly as difficult as getting out. Nice entertainment and nobody thought to snap any pictures – I think. We wandered to the high point, found the sign, Julie snapped pictures with all of the cameras, and said goodbye. She headed back to the hut and we continued our hike south.
Leaving Zealand we gave up quite a bit of elevation and had a very nice view to Guyot in front of us. The view also made very clear the amount of elevation we would eventually re-climb. Even though there was no Psycho Moose problem in this area, Kevin continued to sing – can’t be too careful, I guess. We approached the first high point and open area north of the summit of Guyot expecting to be hit with a significant wind but it wasn’t there. Conditions on the exposed area were very pleasant. At this location the views are great and we stopped to enjoy the sights and get some pictures. The junction with the Bondcliff Trail was just ahead.
We continued and were able to hear voiced ahead. At one point we had an open view to West Bond and could see hikers on it’s summit. After rounding one final turn before the trails junction we met a very large group headed north. As it turned out it was Hiker Ed and around a dozen of his closest friends doing the same hike in the opposite direction. They got started around the same time as us and we were now passing at the midpoint of the hike. Hiking south we’ll now have broken trails to follow, and they’ll have the same heading north. We briefly visited and were soon back to the day’s project.
From the summit of Guyot the views are outstanding. A high overcast was moving in but the distance views seemed unlimited. After the expected pictures we were leaving for the West Bond Spur. It’s a short hike past the Guyot Tentsite and on to the trails junction. At the junction we met Donna. She was there with mtnmama, mtnpa, and Juniper. Their objective for the day was West Bond. After she left to catch her hiking partners we met another group exiting from West Bond also hiking a S-N traverse. It’s only .5 miles and a moderate amount of elevation and we were on the summit of West Bond. Still no wind and great overcast views. It’s getting late and we wanted to clear Bondcliff before dark so we promptly headed back for the climb of Mount Bond.
The first part of the hike seemed like a very slow process. We hiked a long time before reaching our first summit. Now, the pace has really picked up. In little time we were stepping onto the summit area of Mount Bond. We all passed cameras around for the usual summit shots, admired the views, and were soon off for the hike to the final peak for the day.
A previous group had cautioned us about the conditions around Bondcliff. They explained we would need to make a change from snowshoes to crampons – or possibly lighter traction aids, and then change back after exiting Bondcliff. We reached the lower part of the initial descent from Mount Bond and made the change. The walk across to the open cliffs was a fast one. We encountered a mix of soft ice, hard ice, snow, and bare rocks. There was generally enough snow-ice sections to help protect the points. Soon, with light fading, we reached Bondcliff. One of the objectives for the day was to be past Bondcliff before dark. It looked like we were going to just barely miss. We got the summit shots and started the long hike out.
Nine miles with roughly half climbing down from Bondcliff and half on an old railroad grade stood between us and our waiting vehicle. The broken trail from Bondcliff bypasses the ledges at the usual exit making for an easy departure. Since the base of snow is very deep we were plowing through treetops, hat snatchers, and sharp things looking for an unprotected eye. I believe there may have been some grumbling on the initial hike out. Early on, I decided to change back to snowshoes but the others delayed their change. Eventually, we were all riding snowshoes for the final return to Lincoln Woods. We stopped at the first open stream coming down the Bondcliff Trail. At least a couple of us had reached our Gatorade limit and needed some plain water – the stop did the trick.
From here it wasn’t long before reaching the Bondcliff – Wilderness trails junction where we also found some campers set up in a no-camping area. They must have missed the sign. We re-grouped and prepared for the worst part of the hike. It was late, we were tired, and the rain started to fall. Only 4.7 miles stood between us and the trailhead – but it was 4.7 miles of old railroad grade.
Everybody knows, the Wilderness trail goes on forever. It’s flat and boring. It’s a real test at the end of a long day. In daylight at least there is beautiful surrounding to enjoy. In total darkness it is total torture. On our final walk we separated a few times and stopped to re-group trying to stay generally together. Finally, after a Wilderness eternity we reached the Lincoln Woods suspension bridge, made the turn and headed for the waiting truck.
Well, that was easy. The day lasted a couple hours longer than expected but that happens with unpredictable winter conditions. Our objectives were the four summits all needed by Sue and Rick for their W48 lists. Congratulations – hard work but you’ve got them!
Thanks to Sue, Kevin, and Rich for a great day in the mountains. Too bad we got a little wet at the end but none of us will melt.
Pictures will follow.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
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