marnof
New member
Last on the List, A Vacation Tale (Bonds Traverse, Potash, Lincoln-Lafayette) 8/2012
This report features highlights of a family vacation in Weare, NH. But, as you might guess, the highlights (for me) are usually hiking related!
Our base camp was an old farmhouse with a great view that reaches from the Uncanoonucs to the Pack Monadnocks. Weather during our time there was hit and miss, typical for summer. A nice double rainbow formed over North Uncanoonuc in Goffstown on a stormy afternoon--a sign of good things to come.
This year I was hoping to catch some great weather and finish my NH48 with a Bonds traverse. Without internet or smartphone, I did rely quite a bit on my wife's iPhone to dial in a perfect day for the traverse. My wife and daughter dropped me off at the trailhead on Zealand Rd. with my car left at Lincoln Woods.
I found the hike to Zealand summit very enjoyable, with marshes, ponds and waterfalls to gawk at along the way.
The summit of Zealand, for me, is even more anticlimactic than Owl's Head, and for that reason alone it deserves recognition. That's one amazing pile of rocks in the woods! Just keep repeating "It's about the journey!!" when you see it, lest you become discouraged and run back to the trailhead at this point.
Having passed Zealand Hut, and approaching Mt. Guyot, the trail breaks out into the open, with amazing vistas in every direction. Up until this point I had seen many hikers on the trail, but for this stretch to West Bond, only a couple people. It's an amazing place to hike through by yourself, with ravens and hawks making appearances occasionally, like this one over Southwest Twin.
I have to agree with the opinion that West Bond may have the best views in the Whites. I would have enjoyed sitting on that summit, facing each direction for a half hour, and just soaking it all in. Looking down to Redrock Pond, across the Pemi Wilderness to Franconia Ridge, and the stunning view to Bondcliff is something I'll never forget. But this is a long hike, so I spent just 20 minutes at this amazing place before heading to Bond.
Soon enough I was approaching my destination, the last on a list of 48 peaks that I have been visiting over the years, on vacations and stolen moments away from work and family. Part of me dreads taking those final steps, as if somehow, having completed that list I'll lose all sense of purpose, my interest in hiking, and retire to the LazyBoy armchair. Not likely.
I was lucky to meet a very nice pair of hikers from Franconia who were completing their 40th on Bondcliff. They were gracious enough to capture my thrilling and somewhat unconventional ascent of Bondcliff for posterity. No boring obligatory Bondcliff summit shot for this 48 finisher! No sireeee. DISCLAIMER: This is photoshopped and should never be attempted by anyone without protection (and life insurance policy in force.) And thanks to the very kind man who helped memorialize the moment for me.
The thrill of Bondcliff helped propel me onward through the woods to my waiting car at Lincoln Woods. I had revisited this area a week before on an Owl's Head hike and learned to deal with the potential tedium by cranking up my pace double-time.
* * * * *
The next fair weather day on the calendar was a chance to hike with my wife and daughter, this time to a great peak just off the Kancamagus Highway: Potash Mountain. We opted for the forest road access rather than the traditional trailhead. Last year I had to bushwhack upstream in order to safely cross Downes Brook due to TS Irene damage, and found the forest road to be a decent alternative. There was no shortage of moose tracks, snakes and mosquitos on the road for entertainment on this day. After intersecting the actual trail, the hiking started in earnest. For a fairly short and moderate hike, Potash Mt. has some great views, like this view to Green's Cliff and Carrigain beyond.
A photo of three intrepid hikers on Potash Mountain blocking a great view towards Passaconaway:
We had the summit to ourselves for lunch, soon other hikers arrived and settled in as we were readying to head back down.
* * * * *
As luck would have it, another window of fair weather opened up for my daughter and I to do a classic hike: the Lincoln-Lafayette loop--up Falling Waters trail to Little Haystack Mt., Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette, then down the Greenleaf/Carriage Road trails. The scenery was incredibly beautiful on the Falling Waters trail that day, not to mention the pretty waterfalls!
This is a very popular route, and the trail was as busy as any I've seen in the Whites. The weather August 18 called for improving conditions as the day went on, which is exactly what we encountered on this counterclockwise loop. The clouds moved out of our way as we progressed up the ridge from Little Haystack to Lincoln.
On the approach to Lafayette, it looked like we would again have an open summit, but the bottom of a cloud did slide by during our break on top. Now that's a cool experience in itself--and one of my favorites--seeing pieces of a cloud wafting by, as it scrapes slowly over the the summit. Before we stopped at Greenleaf Hut on the descent, the summit was clear again.
A great vacation by all means, and outstanding hiking in the White Mountains, as usual. I have to say, I'm very grateful to the hiking community and moderators on this forum for all the invaluable information and inspiration they provide--it's a reference I continue to turn to for up-to-the-moment logistical support. Sites like these serve to keep the fire burning for those of us that don't always have access to the mountains, and make safe travel easier for us when we get there. For my part, I'll continue to pass along to the next generation my enthusiasm for hiking, which isn't that hard to do--once you're exposed to the views from the top! Thanks, Mark
This report features highlights of a family vacation in Weare, NH. But, as you might guess, the highlights (for me) are usually hiking related!
Our base camp was an old farmhouse with a great view that reaches from the Uncanoonucs to the Pack Monadnocks. Weather during our time there was hit and miss, typical for summer. A nice double rainbow formed over North Uncanoonuc in Goffstown on a stormy afternoon--a sign of good things to come.
This year I was hoping to catch some great weather and finish my NH48 with a Bonds traverse. Without internet or smartphone, I did rely quite a bit on my wife's iPhone to dial in a perfect day for the traverse. My wife and daughter dropped me off at the trailhead on Zealand Rd. with my car left at Lincoln Woods.
I found the hike to Zealand summit very enjoyable, with marshes, ponds and waterfalls to gawk at along the way.
The summit of Zealand, for me, is even more anticlimactic than Owl's Head, and for that reason alone it deserves recognition. That's one amazing pile of rocks in the woods! Just keep repeating "It's about the journey!!" when you see it, lest you become discouraged and run back to the trailhead at this point.
Having passed Zealand Hut, and approaching Mt. Guyot, the trail breaks out into the open, with amazing vistas in every direction. Up until this point I had seen many hikers on the trail, but for this stretch to West Bond, only a couple people. It's an amazing place to hike through by yourself, with ravens and hawks making appearances occasionally, like this one over Southwest Twin.
I have to agree with the opinion that West Bond may have the best views in the Whites. I would have enjoyed sitting on that summit, facing each direction for a half hour, and just soaking it all in. Looking down to Redrock Pond, across the Pemi Wilderness to Franconia Ridge, and the stunning view to Bondcliff is something I'll never forget. But this is a long hike, so I spent just 20 minutes at this amazing place before heading to Bond.
Soon enough I was approaching my destination, the last on a list of 48 peaks that I have been visiting over the years, on vacations and stolen moments away from work and family. Part of me dreads taking those final steps, as if somehow, having completed that list I'll lose all sense of purpose, my interest in hiking, and retire to the LazyBoy armchair. Not likely.
I was lucky to meet a very nice pair of hikers from Franconia who were completing their 40th on Bondcliff. They were gracious enough to capture my thrilling and somewhat unconventional ascent of Bondcliff for posterity. No boring obligatory Bondcliff summit shot for this 48 finisher! No sireeee. DISCLAIMER: This is photoshopped and should never be attempted by anyone without protection (and life insurance policy in force.) And thanks to the very kind man who helped memorialize the moment for me.
The thrill of Bondcliff helped propel me onward through the woods to my waiting car at Lincoln Woods. I had revisited this area a week before on an Owl's Head hike and learned to deal with the potential tedium by cranking up my pace double-time.
* * * * *
The next fair weather day on the calendar was a chance to hike with my wife and daughter, this time to a great peak just off the Kancamagus Highway: Potash Mountain. We opted for the forest road access rather than the traditional trailhead. Last year I had to bushwhack upstream in order to safely cross Downes Brook due to TS Irene damage, and found the forest road to be a decent alternative. There was no shortage of moose tracks, snakes and mosquitos on the road for entertainment on this day. After intersecting the actual trail, the hiking started in earnest. For a fairly short and moderate hike, Potash Mt. has some great views, like this view to Green's Cliff and Carrigain beyond.
A photo of three intrepid hikers on Potash Mountain blocking a great view towards Passaconaway:
We had the summit to ourselves for lunch, soon other hikers arrived and settled in as we were readying to head back down.
* * * * *
As luck would have it, another window of fair weather opened up for my daughter and I to do a classic hike: the Lincoln-Lafayette loop--up Falling Waters trail to Little Haystack Mt., Mt. Lincoln and Mt. Lafayette, then down the Greenleaf/Carriage Road trails. The scenery was incredibly beautiful on the Falling Waters trail that day, not to mention the pretty waterfalls!
This is a very popular route, and the trail was as busy as any I've seen in the Whites. The weather August 18 called for improving conditions as the day went on, which is exactly what we encountered on this counterclockwise loop. The clouds moved out of our way as we progressed up the ridge from Little Haystack to Lincoln.
On the approach to Lafayette, it looked like we would again have an open summit, but the bottom of a cloud did slide by during our break on top. Now that's a cool experience in itself--and one of my favorites--seeing pieces of a cloud wafting by, as it scrapes slowly over the the summit. Before we stopped at Greenleaf Hut on the descent, the summit was clear again.
A great vacation by all means, and outstanding hiking in the White Mountains, as usual. I have to say, I'm very grateful to the hiking community and moderators on this forum for all the invaluable information and inspiration they provide--it's a reference I continue to turn to for up-to-the-moment logistical support. Sites like these serve to keep the fire burning for those of us that don't always have access to the mountains, and make safe travel easier for us when we get there. For my part, I'll continue to pass along to the next generation my enthusiasm for hiking, which isn't that hard to do--once you're exposed to the views from the top! Thanks, Mark
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