We started up the Zealand Rd around 6:30am on Saturday morning, in snowshoes. There were only three cars in the parking lot, and we didn't see or hear any snowmobiles before we reached the Hale Brook Trail. Snowshoes were necessary.
There was one set of tracks up the trail, which felt unbroken. The steep side traverse was rather gnarly, as the newly-fallen snow wanted to slide rather than condense, and getting up Hale was a bit of work--although we crossed over the brook without noticing it! Never heard it, never saw it.
Five of us started out, but two turned around, as neither was feeling all that great.
Three of us reached the summit and then continued down Lend-a-Hand. There was a bit of route finding, as the snow was so high that finding the line wasn't always easy or obvious.
At the junction with the Twinway, my two friends turned left, went to the Zealand Falls Hut, and departed, and I continued up alone. The trail up was barely broken. One person in snowshoes, one barebooting (and looking unhappy from the likes of the sinking). A few minutes later I encountered the hut caretaker and her friend. She was in snowshoes. They had gone up to Zeacliff.
Past Zeacliff, nothing was broken out. There was quite a bit of snow, and hence quite a bit of pushing through tree branches that are normally above head-height above the trail. Fortunately, I knew the trail well, since again, route finding wasn't always obvious.
The blue sign indicating the turnoff to Zealand was half under snow! The Zealand sign was about shin-height.
By the time I got back to Zeacliff, others had been up, and the trail out was a nice highway, especially below the hut. I know that at least four others did Zealand on Sunday, and some others went up Lend-a-Hand.
Boy there is a lot of snow up there right now!
Snowshoes are a must, microspikes are also a necessary item.
Happy hiking!
Brian
There was one set of tracks up the trail, which felt unbroken. The steep side traverse was rather gnarly, as the newly-fallen snow wanted to slide rather than condense, and getting up Hale was a bit of work--although we crossed over the brook without noticing it! Never heard it, never saw it.
Five of us started out, but two turned around, as neither was feeling all that great.
Three of us reached the summit and then continued down Lend-a-Hand. There was a bit of route finding, as the snow was so high that finding the line wasn't always easy or obvious.
At the junction with the Twinway, my two friends turned left, went to the Zealand Falls Hut, and departed, and I continued up alone. The trail up was barely broken. One person in snowshoes, one barebooting (and looking unhappy from the likes of the sinking). A few minutes later I encountered the hut caretaker and her friend. She was in snowshoes. They had gone up to Zeacliff.
Past Zeacliff, nothing was broken out. There was quite a bit of snow, and hence quite a bit of pushing through tree branches that are normally above head-height above the trail. Fortunately, I knew the trail well, since again, route finding wasn't always obvious.
The blue sign indicating the turnoff to Zealand was half under snow! The Zealand sign was about shin-height.
By the time I got back to Zeacliff, others had been up, and the trail out was a nice highway, especially below the hut. I know that at least four others did Zealand on Sunday, and some others went up Lend-a-Hand.
Boy there is a lot of snow up there right now!
Snowshoes are a must, microspikes are also a necessary item.
Happy hiking!
Brian
