BIGEarl
Well-known member
August 4, 2008: Hale, Zealand, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Trails: Hale Brook Trail, Lend-A-Hand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Hale, Zealand, Guyot, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
The first time I hiked with Sue was last year on a hike from Lincoln Woods, which was a traverse of The Bonds and Zealand from south to north. The group also included Steve, Christa, Amicus, and Katharine. A great group and a great hike. Late in the hike we discussed adding Hale but it didn’t work out. I think we both left the day thinking about a re-hike with Hale. We have several long hikes left in our plans for this year including the re-hike with Hale, this time north to south.
It’s a long hike and we needed an early start. Sue passed through Nashua around 4:00am headed north to Lincoln Woods. I was already on the road. We planned to leave one vehicle at Lincoln Woods and drive to the trailhead for Hale Brook Trail where we would start the traverse. At 5:30am we met at Lincoln Woods, I moved my things to Sue’s car, and we took off for our planned start. As we approached the Twin Mountain exit for Route 3 in Franconia we found it closed and needed to detour through Bethlehem (a 20 – 30 minute side trip). The weather forecast for the day wasn’t great but if the various forecasters were even close it would be cloudy and wet but not too bad.
At 6:30am we set off on our hike. Mount Hale is a small Four Thousand Footer but it’s a real workout from the trailhead to the summit. Now, the trail is more like a brook for much of the distance. We got the message early; it would be a very wet, very muddy day. Roughly 30 minutes into the hike, Sue was 30 yards in front when she passed by a moose standing a short distance from the trail. She kept walking and the moose just watched her pass. I came along, saw the moose, and stopped. That was all it took. The animal didn’t bolt but it decided it was time to leave and slowly turned and walked away. We weren’t able to get the cameras out. This may have been the high point of the day.
We continued our climb of Mount Hale and reached the summit cairn roughly 30 minutes ahead of plan. A nice start. Even on a good day there are no views from the summit and this was not a good day. We got a couple summit pictures and were off on the Lend-A-Hand trail to the Twinway. The Lend-A-Hand Trail is pretty interesting. It is a wide-open trail that could be considered a ski trail. Right now, the amount of water on it would make it suited for water skiing. I can’t imagine this trail ever sees more water and mud, even in the spring. Fortunately there are bridges over the bad places and we were able to get through to the Twinway without any real problems. Along the way the rain started. We packed away the cameras and pulled out the rain gear and pack covers.
At the Twinway we didn’t take the short trip to the Zealand Falls Hut and instead headed for the ridge. Crossing the streams above the falls was interesting but we both made it without a problem. More mud and running water in the trail. Soon we were at the junction with the Zeacliff viewpoint spur – we passed. From this area for most of the hike to Zealand Mountain we were dodging mud pits and raindrops. A short distance before reaching Zealand Mountain we came upon a group of four hikers headed north. They were interested in knowing the distance to the hut. Soon, we came upon a solo hiker also headed north. He was interested in knowing the distance to the hut. I wonder what was going on at the hut? Right about here I complained to Sue about a song that was racing around in my head and I couldn’t get rid of it – Splish Splash, I was taking a bath… This wasn’t helping.
We reached the spur to the summit, made the turn, and mud-hopped our way out. A couple pictures, a quick snack, Sue added a layer, and we were gone. We were still making good time; I’m sure the complete lack of stopping for views had something to do with it. Soon after leaving Zealand we were passed by a solo hiker from Iowa headed for Galehead Hut (I think). He was enjoying the day but made some comments about the roughness of the trail – welcome to New Hampshire.
We reached the Alpine Zone at Guyot and soon hit the junction with the Bondcliff Trail. Still raining, still no pictures, we made the turn and headed south for our next target – West Bond. Along the way we passed the Guyot Tent Site. There we made a quick stop and I checked my hike notes. Only .2 miles to the West Bond Spur (1 mile r/t), then a quick .5 miles to Mt. Bond, then a short 1.2 miles to Bondcliff and we would be headed down for our ~nine mile hike back to Lincoln Woods. We had lost a little time but were still in good shape when we reached the summit of Mt. Bond. Here, we started to lose time. The rain combined with the slippery rocks and very rough terrain made for slow going. Pressing to save a few minutes could result in a fall that would most likely leave a mark. Neither of us wanted that. We slowly made our way to Bondcliff. A short distance before the final climb the clouds opened up a little, we got some glimpses of the sun and even saw a rainbow. Maybe we’ll have a happy ending. We pulled out the cameras and got pictures of Bondcliff and the surrounding area. Then, we made the final climb. We reached Bondcliff, got a couple more pictures, and the rain returned – so much for a happy ending. We packed the cameras away and headed across Bondcliff to the shelter of the spruce and the hike down.
The upper part of the Bondcliff Trail is a running brook. After roughly a half mile the trail cleared and we were hiking in pretty good conditions – aside from the rain. The stream crossings that are usually dry or nearly dry by now were raging. We managed to cross all without problems but a couple were interesting. Down toward the bottom of the Bondcliff Trail, below the stone stairs, the mud pits came back and brought friends. From here for most of the way to the Wilderness Trail we were skirting mud pits. We also started to see evidence of others that were on the trail recently and were having a tough time with the pits.
Finally, the Wilderness Trail. I never thought I would be happy to see this trail but today was unusual. I also never expected the amount of mud pits on the Wilderness Trail that we encountered. This trail is a mess. Usually, the old, rotting railroad ties are a real headache but today they saved us by providing high spots to use while negotiating some of the pits. I wonder if there is a plan to replace the rotting ties.
We hit the Wilderness Trail and worked to find a comfortable pace, as fast as possible, for the final 4.7 mile hike out. Gradually our speed increased and we were actually moving at a pretty good pace considering the amount of hike we had behind us. We reached the new bridge at Franconia Falls, had a quick break, and were off on the final walk to Lincoln Woods. Roughly half way we stopped to pull out the headlights – easier to see the mud pits with.
We hit Lincoln Woods, spent a few minutes cleaning up a little, and headed for Zealand Road and the trailhead lot for Hale Brook Trail to retrieve Sue’s car. Fortunately, Route 3 in Twin Mountain was re-opened and a couple 30 minute detours were avoided.
Soon we were back on the highway south thinking about our next adventure. It won’t be long, on second thought maybe it will.
Thanks Sue. I know you don’t like hiking in the rain, sorry.
Pictures will follow.
As promised, here are the pictures.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the Slideshow
Trails: Hale Brook Trail, Lend-A-Hand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Hale, Zealand, Guyot, West Bond, Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
The first time I hiked with Sue was last year on a hike from Lincoln Woods, which was a traverse of The Bonds and Zealand from south to north. The group also included Steve, Christa, Amicus, and Katharine. A great group and a great hike. Late in the hike we discussed adding Hale but it didn’t work out. I think we both left the day thinking about a re-hike with Hale. We have several long hikes left in our plans for this year including the re-hike with Hale, this time north to south.
It’s a long hike and we needed an early start. Sue passed through Nashua around 4:00am headed north to Lincoln Woods. I was already on the road. We planned to leave one vehicle at Lincoln Woods and drive to the trailhead for Hale Brook Trail where we would start the traverse. At 5:30am we met at Lincoln Woods, I moved my things to Sue’s car, and we took off for our planned start. As we approached the Twin Mountain exit for Route 3 in Franconia we found it closed and needed to detour through Bethlehem (a 20 – 30 minute side trip). The weather forecast for the day wasn’t great but if the various forecasters were even close it would be cloudy and wet but not too bad.
At 6:30am we set off on our hike. Mount Hale is a small Four Thousand Footer but it’s a real workout from the trailhead to the summit. Now, the trail is more like a brook for much of the distance. We got the message early; it would be a very wet, very muddy day. Roughly 30 minutes into the hike, Sue was 30 yards in front when she passed by a moose standing a short distance from the trail. She kept walking and the moose just watched her pass. I came along, saw the moose, and stopped. That was all it took. The animal didn’t bolt but it decided it was time to leave and slowly turned and walked away. We weren’t able to get the cameras out. This may have been the high point of the day.
We continued our climb of Mount Hale and reached the summit cairn roughly 30 minutes ahead of plan. A nice start. Even on a good day there are no views from the summit and this was not a good day. We got a couple summit pictures and were off on the Lend-A-Hand trail to the Twinway. The Lend-A-Hand Trail is pretty interesting. It is a wide-open trail that could be considered a ski trail. Right now, the amount of water on it would make it suited for water skiing. I can’t imagine this trail ever sees more water and mud, even in the spring. Fortunately there are bridges over the bad places and we were able to get through to the Twinway without any real problems. Along the way the rain started. We packed away the cameras and pulled out the rain gear and pack covers.
At the Twinway we didn’t take the short trip to the Zealand Falls Hut and instead headed for the ridge. Crossing the streams above the falls was interesting but we both made it without a problem. More mud and running water in the trail. Soon we were at the junction with the Zeacliff viewpoint spur – we passed. From this area for most of the hike to Zealand Mountain we were dodging mud pits and raindrops. A short distance before reaching Zealand Mountain we came upon a group of four hikers headed north. They were interested in knowing the distance to the hut. Soon, we came upon a solo hiker also headed north. He was interested in knowing the distance to the hut. I wonder what was going on at the hut? Right about here I complained to Sue about a song that was racing around in my head and I couldn’t get rid of it – Splish Splash, I was taking a bath… This wasn’t helping.
We reached the spur to the summit, made the turn, and mud-hopped our way out. A couple pictures, a quick snack, Sue added a layer, and we were gone. We were still making good time; I’m sure the complete lack of stopping for views had something to do with it. Soon after leaving Zealand we were passed by a solo hiker from Iowa headed for Galehead Hut (I think). He was enjoying the day but made some comments about the roughness of the trail – welcome to New Hampshire.
We reached the Alpine Zone at Guyot and soon hit the junction with the Bondcliff Trail. Still raining, still no pictures, we made the turn and headed south for our next target – West Bond. Along the way we passed the Guyot Tent Site. There we made a quick stop and I checked my hike notes. Only .2 miles to the West Bond Spur (1 mile r/t), then a quick .5 miles to Mt. Bond, then a short 1.2 miles to Bondcliff and we would be headed down for our ~nine mile hike back to Lincoln Woods. We had lost a little time but were still in good shape when we reached the summit of Mt. Bond. Here, we started to lose time. The rain combined with the slippery rocks and very rough terrain made for slow going. Pressing to save a few minutes could result in a fall that would most likely leave a mark. Neither of us wanted that. We slowly made our way to Bondcliff. A short distance before the final climb the clouds opened up a little, we got some glimpses of the sun and even saw a rainbow. Maybe we’ll have a happy ending. We pulled out the cameras and got pictures of Bondcliff and the surrounding area. Then, we made the final climb. We reached Bondcliff, got a couple more pictures, and the rain returned – so much for a happy ending. We packed the cameras away and headed across Bondcliff to the shelter of the spruce and the hike down.
The upper part of the Bondcliff Trail is a running brook. After roughly a half mile the trail cleared and we were hiking in pretty good conditions – aside from the rain. The stream crossings that are usually dry or nearly dry by now were raging. We managed to cross all without problems but a couple were interesting. Down toward the bottom of the Bondcliff Trail, below the stone stairs, the mud pits came back and brought friends. From here for most of the way to the Wilderness Trail we were skirting mud pits. We also started to see evidence of others that were on the trail recently and were having a tough time with the pits.
Finally, the Wilderness Trail. I never thought I would be happy to see this trail but today was unusual. I also never expected the amount of mud pits on the Wilderness Trail that we encountered. This trail is a mess. Usually, the old, rotting railroad ties are a real headache but today they saved us by providing high spots to use while negotiating some of the pits. I wonder if there is a plan to replace the rotting ties.
We hit the Wilderness Trail and worked to find a comfortable pace, as fast as possible, for the final 4.7 mile hike out. Gradually our speed increased and we were actually moving at a pretty good pace considering the amount of hike we had behind us. We reached the new bridge at Franconia Falls, had a quick break, and were off on the final walk to Lincoln Woods. Roughly half way we stopped to pull out the headlights – easier to see the mud pits with.
We hit Lincoln Woods, spent a few minutes cleaning up a little, and headed for Zealand Road and the trailhead lot for Hale Brook Trail to retrieve Sue’s car. Fortunately, Route 3 in Twin Mountain was re-opened and a couple 30 minute detours were avoided.
Soon we were back on the highway south thinking about our next adventure. It won’t be long, on second thought maybe it will.
Thanks Sue. I know you don’t like hiking in the rain, sorry.
Pictures will follow.
As promised, here are the pictures.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the Slideshow
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