SherpaTom
Member
Trails: Zealand Rd., Hale Brook, Lend-O-Hand, Twinway, Bondcliff, Licoln Woods
Date of Hike: Mar. 17 & 18, 2013
Trail Conditions: We hiked in on Zealand Rd. on Sunday to bag Hale and stay at Zealand Hut. The trails were all in excellent condition, hard packed and little new snow. On Sunday, a bit windy on top of Hale. We met a group from Amherst, not regular hikers, having a tremendous time sliding down to the Hut. On Day 2, we set off to finish the traverse. The views from Zeacliff were spectacular and you did not want to leave but we knew we had a long day ahead of us. Above Zealcliff, you can lose the trail a bit through the trees but we were fortunate to have one hiker out before us who laid down some nice tracks for us. Again views along the way were spectacular, with blue skies and no wind. Stops made along the way at the false summit of Zealand, Zealnd Mtn & Guyot were all met with great views. As we descended off Guyot, we appeared to be on a different trail than summer trail as it angled more towards W. Bond (did not mind reducing the trek by 0.3 miles). W. Bond views were spectacular and again with little wind. We met up with a couple we met at the Hut and wished them luck as we traveled on to Bond & Bondcliff, meeting a few hikers here and there. One such hiker doing a 24 mile in & out from Dwarfs Motel, yikes!!! We sat on Bondcliff and did not have to put on a winter coat or gloves; temps probably in the 20's and again wind only gusting at 5 mph. Leaving Bondcliff at around 2pm we met a hiker coming up, who planned to hike out with a head lamp. Our travels down were steady but legs were tired as we turned for our final stretch. Overall, out slightly over book time, which we attributed to our many stops for mouth watering views.
Special Equipment Used: We bare-booted to Hale Brook, then changed to snowshoes and started with snowshoes on Day#2, until we switched to spikes on top off Bond. Snowshoes weren't really needed barring a couple of spots, but traction with them or spikes was advisable.
Comments: This was a fantastic end of the season hike, bagging 5 peaks. The weather on Monday was what you hope for if you plan to do the Bonds, sunny and mild winds. Thanks to my fellow hikers for making this to the top of my Winter hiking experience.
SherpaTom (31) W
Bob (31) W
Dan (22) W
James (21) W
Peter (8) W
Date of Hike: Mar. 17 & 18, 2013
Trail Conditions: We hiked in on Zealand Rd. on Sunday to bag Hale and stay at Zealand Hut. The trails were all in excellent condition, hard packed and little new snow. On Sunday, a bit windy on top of Hale. We met a group from Amherst, not regular hikers, having a tremendous time sliding down to the Hut. On Day 2, we set off to finish the traverse. The views from Zeacliff were spectacular and you did not want to leave but we knew we had a long day ahead of us. Above Zealcliff, you can lose the trail a bit through the trees but we were fortunate to have one hiker out before us who laid down some nice tracks for us. Again views along the way were spectacular, with blue skies and no wind. Stops made along the way at the false summit of Zealand, Zealnd Mtn & Guyot were all met with great views. As we descended off Guyot, we appeared to be on a different trail than summer trail as it angled more towards W. Bond (did not mind reducing the trek by 0.3 miles). W. Bond views were spectacular and again with little wind. We met up with a couple we met at the Hut and wished them luck as we traveled on to Bond & Bondcliff, meeting a few hikers here and there. One such hiker doing a 24 mile in & out from Dwarfs Motel, yikes!!! We sat on Bondcliff and did not have to put on a winter coat or gloves; temps probably in the 20's and again wind only gusting at 5 mph. Leaving Bondcliff at around 2pm we met a hiker coming up, who planned to hike out with a head lamp. Our travels down were steady but legs were tired as we turned for our final stretch. Overall, out slightly over book time, which we attributed to our many stops for mouth watering views.
Special Equipment Used: We bare-booted to Hale Brook, then changed to snowshoes and started with snowshoes on Day#2, until we switched to spikes on top off Bond. Snowshoes weren't really needed barring a couple of spots, but traction with them or spikes was advisable.
Comments: This was a fantastic end of the season hike, bagging 5 peaks. The weather on Monday was what you hope for if you plan to do the Bonds, sunny and mild winds. Thanks to my fellow hikers for making this to the top of my Winter hiking experience.
SherpaTom (31) W
Bob (31) W
Dan (22) W
James (21) W
Peter (8) W
