Double Bow
New member
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2005
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Shammie and I drove up on Friday and parked at the Zealand trailhead. We were a little down due to the fact that her brother had to back out last minute from joining us for this trip. Nevertheless, we were excited about beginning this weekend which would conclude my pursuit of the 48.The hike to Zealand Falls Hut was uneventful though, a little slow as Shammie was getting use to a heavier pack weight. We stopped in briefly to grab a piece of carrot cake and see what little could be seen through the clouds. We kept going until we reached the junction of the Zeacliff trail where we stopped for a snack. While there, a couple of women passed us and we asked if they had been up Zealand to which they replied that they had come within .1mi of the summit but didn't go up the spur because it was cloudy! 
I guess they hadn't heard that it's a wooded summit.
Later, we revisited the summit and then proceeded to Guyot (which we hadn't been to before) and had to imagine what sort of views we might have had from there if only if were clear. It certainly looked interesting. We finally reached Guyot Shelter where we chatted with the caretaker and got a tent platform for the night. After eating a wonderful pesto salmon pasta dinner (dehydrated) we called it a night since it was so cloudy and we knew we wouldn't be able to see a sunset on West Bond.
The next morning we awoke to find that it had rained a little overnight but that we were still pretty well socked in. Grudgingly, we had breakfast and broke camp after discussing the pros and cons of leaving the tent at the platform until our return back up the Bondcliff trail.
We headed out to West Bond and a little way down the spur, we stashed our packs. We ran ahead to the summit which had nothing really to offer us. No view, just another check on the list and another photo op. Disappointed, we headed back up the spur, grabbed our packs and continued on our way. As we headed over to Bond, I ruefully recalled the fact that if Shammie's brother had been there, we would have been able to decend Bondcliff and head out on the Wilderness trail but instead, we were going to have to head out the way we had come in (Shammie will NOT hitch). When we got to Bond, we found much of the same: wind and clouds with no VFTT. Just another check on the list. My spirits were really low here. It was miserable conditions with no views, like others I had done in the past and I really had to ask myself; what was the point? I certainly wasn't having fun. Was I doing it just to collect experiences and to say that I had done this? Weren't there other things that I could be doing that would have been more enjoyable?
At least things were getting interesting as we headed over to Bondcliff. As we headed down Bond, I twisted my knee. Not seriously, but enough to hurt. On the ridge, the wind made things more exciting to me, scary to Shammie. This gave me some much needed motivation. I did like the rock features and overall terrain. Suddenly, we saw a cloud move and we could see the side of West Bond! Now, however minor, we had seen something.
As we continued, we saw more of West Bond and some of the valleys too. Eventually we reached the summit and saw it, a small patch of sunlight falling on a part of the valley. We looked up and saw a small patch of blue.
We waited watched the clouds and these patches of blue move slowly. As one patch would pass, we would see another to the west come into sight. As we sat there, we watched the sky clear and views reveal themselves slowly before us. I was awestruck. In the time we were there, it went from completely socked in to having all the spectacular views I had heard so much about there. As I tried to take it all in and was identifying the peaks it came to me. I remembered why I hike. I remembered what got me started coming out here in the first place and it wasn't any list or patch or special achievement. It was the priveledge to be able to take in these magnificant sights and be rejuvinated by nature's power. I laughed. I got choked up. I was amazed. It was like I had never been on a mountain top before. I was blown away.
After taking all the pictures we wanted, we headed back over Bond and Guyot on our way back to the car taking pictures and enjoying the views we didn't have on our way in and I was thankful that we didn't have that car spot otherwise, we would have missed out on so much.
I guess they hadn't heard that it's a wooded summit.Later, we revisited the summit and then proceeded to Guyot (which we hadn't been to before) and had to imagine what sort of views we might have had from there if only if were clear. It certainly looked interesting. We finally reached Guyot Shelter where we chatted with the caretaker and got a tent platform for the night. After eating a wonderful pesto salmon pasta dinner (dehydrated) we called it a night since it was so cloudy and we knew we wouldn't be able to see a sunset on West Bond.
The next morning we awoke to find that it had rained a little overnight but that we were still pretty well socked in. Grudgingly, we had breakfast and broke camp after discussing the pros and cons of leaving the tent at the platform until our return back up the Bondcliff trail.
We headed out to West Bond and a little way down the spur, we stashed our packs. We ran ahead to the summit which had nothing really to offer us. No view, just another check on the list and another photo op. Disappointed, we headed back up the spur, grabbed our packs and continued on our way. As we headed over to Bond, I ruefully recalled the fact that if Shammie's brother had been there, we would have been able to decend Bondcliff and head out on the Wilderness trail but instead, we were going to have to head out the way we had come in (Shammie will NOT hitch). When we got to Bond, we found much of the same: wind and clouds with no VFTT. Just another check on the list. My spirits were really low here. It was miserable conditions with no views, like others I had done in the past and I really had to ask myself; what was the point? I certainly wasn't having fun. Was I doing it just to collect experiences and to say that I had done this? Weren't there other things that I could be doing that would have been more enjoyable?
At least things were getting interesting as we headed over to Bondcliff. As we headed down Bond, I twisted my knee. Not seriously, but enough to hurt. On the ridge, the wind made things more exciting to me, scary to Shammie. This gave me some much needed motivation. I did like the rock features and overall terrain. Suddenly, we saw a cloud move and we could see the side of West Bond! Now, however minor, we had seen something.
As we continued, we saw more of West Bond and some of the valleys too. Eventually we reached the summit and saw it, a small patch of sunlight falling on a part of the valley. We looked up and saw a small patch of blue.
We waited watched the clouds and these patches of blue move slowly. As one patch would pass, we would see another to the west come into sight. As we sat there, we watched the sky clear and views reveal themselves slowly before us. I was awestruck. In the time we were there, it went from completely socked in to having all the spectacular views I had heard so much about there. As I tried to take it all in and was identifying the peaks it came to me. I remembered why I hike. I remembered what got me started coming out here in the first place and it wasn't any list or patch or special achievement. It was the priveledge to be able to take in these magnificant sights and be rejuvinated by nature's power. I laughed. I got choked up. I was amazed. It was like I had never been on a mountain top before. I was blown away.
After taking all the pictures we wanted, we headed back over Bond and Guyot on our way back to the car taking pictures and enjoying the views we didn't have on our way in and I was thankful that we didn't have that car spot otherwise, we would have missed out on so much.
