Some Mild-Mannered Adventures in the Zealand Area (03-Feb-2011)

[1HappyHiker]

There was some hesitancy in posting a Trip Report that is so mild-mannered compared to many reports posted on this Forum. But after mulling it over for a day, I opted to post it, despite my reservations. So here goes!

The snow that fell here in the Bethlehem area on 02-February was the powdery type. To take advantage of the fluffy white stuff, I decided to do a combination XC-ski and snowshoe trek in the Zealand area. This definitely was NOT an epic adventure!

I started my trek by skiing on the very tame Flat Iron XC Ski Trail which takes you through some nice woods, and along the Zealand River. At one point, there is a nice view toward North & South Sugarloaf plus Mt. Hale. Below are a few snapshots from this first phase of my trek.

A Segment of the Flat Iron XC Ski Trail

Frozen/Snow-Covered Zealand River as viewed from Flat Iron XC Ski Trail

Sugarloafs & Mt. Hale from Flat Iron XC Ski Trail

After skiing the short (about 1.3 miles) Flat Iron XC Ski Trail, I continued on down the Zealand Road for a short distance and then diverged from the road to ski a segment of the Spruce Goose XC Trail. Although the snow on this trail was powdery, it was deep and unbroken. I wasn't having a lot of fun and so I opted to leave this trail behind one of the Sugarloaf Campground spots and headed back to the main road.

And so, the next phase of my trek was to ski the main road to the Wildlife Pond area. When I arrived at this location, there was no evidence that anyone had recently travelled on the trail to this area. Since I couldn't really determine where the trail was, I simply began skiing off-trail in the direction of the pond. As a side-note, I'm really pleased with my Rossignol BC-90 skis for off-trail adventures. I feel that the floatation they provide is at least as good as (and maybe a bit better) my MSR snowshoes.

Anyway, below are a few snapshots taken from the Wildlife Pond location and a nearby area.

Rosebrook Range on left + Mt. Tom near the center in the distance

Middle and North Sugarloaf

The final phase of my adventure was to ascend North Sugarloaf. I didn't use the traditional approach via the Sugarloaf Trail off the Zealand Road. Instead, I used a non-traditional approach from the west side of the mountain which involved skiing part of the way, and then snowshoeing the steeper portions.

As a side-note, this off-trail trek was done on public land. And as a side-note to this side-note, Steve Smith recently provided me with an excellent link to a map that can be used to determine boundaries for public and non-public lands. I've found it to be a fantastic resource for plotting off-trail adventures. If you're interested, you can click HERE for the link. Once you're at this website, select "Land Conservation" as your Theme (at the upper right of the screen), and then play around with the map to get some familiarity with how it works.

Anyway, enough side-notes!! Below are a few snapshots from my trek to North Sugarloaf. The first snapshot is a side-by-side photo that shows unbroken snow in open hardwoods with a cobalt-blue sky (does it get any better than this??), and it also shows the results of trail-breaking on a wonderful winter day.

At the top of North Sugarloaf, there are many nice views, but the trophy-view is the Presidential Range!

As indicated at the beginning, this report will have limited appeal, but I opted to post it anyway in case there might be a few folks who get some enjoyment from this type of adventure.

1HappyHiker

 

[Amicus]

...this report will have limited appeal...

Ha! The Sugarloafs offer disproportionate view-bang for effort-buck the other three seasons, and I am not surprised to discover that the ratio increases in this snowy Feb. No bugs, no haze, no mud, no leaves - just you and some great views. Thanks for sharing

 

[RoySwkr]

The final phase of my adventure was to ascend North Sugarloaf. I didn't use the traditional approach via the Sugarloaf Trail off the Zealand Road. Instead, I used a non-traditional approach from the west side of the mountain which involved skiing part of the way, and then snowshoeing the steeper portions.

There used to be a WMNF trail up from the W, don't know if you attempted to follow it

As a side-note, this off-trail trek was done on public land. And as a side-note to this side-note, Steve Smith recently provided me with an excellent link to a map that can be used to determine boundaries for public and non-public lands.

The WMG maps now attempt to show public land boundaries which is a great addition, don't know if the aforementioned party was the inspiration for this

The NH Granit maps are not legal documents and I don't know how accurate they are, when I was researching Northern Pass the public land boundaries they showed were different from those on the city of Concord tax maps

 

[Jason Berard]

Neat report! The few times I have been in that area, I have really enjoyed it!
And those photos, WOW!

I hesitate to even add this to your report, as this topic has created...intense discussion before, and I do not want to derail your beautiful trip report, but.....

Just to round out your statement about the GRANIT land conservation maps...
All of the land in dark green on that layer has been conserved, but not all of it is public. It gets confusing, but in some cases, it just means that the development rights have been sold/donated. Add on to that the "current use" program, and it gets pretty confusing!

Here are a couple good links that might clear things up a bit:

http://www.nhctap.com/documents/ctap/products/CTAP%20Factsheets/Land%20Conservation%20and%20Current%20Use%20Factsheet.pdf

http://www.nhspace.org/cu-posting.shtml

and now, back to your regularly scheduled program.

 

[sierra]

Nice report, some of my best days in the mountains are staying low and exploring, sometimes with no plan. I think banging around with no "summitt" in your head allows for just simple woods enjoyment, although you did summit the sugrlof, a highly desirable peak imo.Ive been thinking of getting some backcountry skis as well, I am not a skier but would love to try something else bedsides snowshoeing.

 

[Roxi]

As indicated at the beginning, this report will have limited appeal, but I opted to post it anyway in case there might be a few folks who get some enjoyment from this type of adventure.

Are you kidding me? Your TRs and photos are always appealing! It's about the journey, not the destination, and when it comes to your TRs and photos I've enjoyed both your journeys and your destinations! No need to second guess your postings; you have a loyal following.

 

[Billy]

Glad you "mulled." Too often the audacious and intense is mistaken for the simple joy of being out there. I like to think most people who visit this site can appreciate the simple and pure walk in the woods...and to the top of a mountain - even if it isn't above four thousand feet.

One of the pleasures of your reports is that it's evident that with each passing adventure the child in you is renewed and that sense wonder of wonder is passed on to the rest of us.

I'm not glad he "mulled". He made us wait an extra day.

John, I'm pretty sure there are many many people who share Tom's point of view.

 

[bobandgeri]

Simply lovely! We've done the Sugarloaf's (or would that be loaves?) several times although never in winter. Need to change that before too long. Thanks for the great photos and TR.
g

 

[NeoAkela]

Ahh... I think I will soak up those beautiful blues in your photo of the Presidentials! What a nice report - thanks for sharing that!

 

[1HappyHiker]

Ha! The Sugarloafs offer disproportionate view-bang for effort-buck . . .

You're right about that . . . it sort of borders on being "illegal"!

One of the pleasures of your reports is that it's evident that with each passing adventure the child in you is renewed and that sense of wonder is passed on to the rest of us.

Thanks Tom! It's probably true for many of us on this Forum that the child in us is renewed when we venture out to "play" in the woods.

The NH Granit maps are not legal documents and I don't know how accurate they are . . .

I think you're right, Roy. The NH Granit maps merely serve as a starting point and provide a general idea of boundaries. However, as you say, they're not a legal document. To get boundary info that is legally accurate, you need to utilize other resources.

Just to round out your statement about the GRANIT land conservation maps ... All of the land in dark green on that layer has been conserved, but not all of it is public. It gets confusing, but in some cases, it just means that the development rights have been sold/donated. Add on to that the "current use" program, and it gets pretty confusing!

Here are a couple good links that might clear things up a bit:

http://www.nhctap.com/documents/ctap/products/CTAP%20Factsheets/Land%20Conservation%20and%20Current%20Use%20Factsheet.pdf

http://www.nhspace.org/cu-posting.shtml

Wow Jason! Thanks for those terrific links you provided. Whew! I can see why you said that ". . . it gets pretty confusing!

Nice report, some of my best days in the mountains are staying low and exploring, sometimes with no plan.

Ditto! Couldn't agree more!

It's about the journey, not the destination . . .

Roxi, thank you for your reply! Your statement fits perfectly with what Sierra said above!

I'm not glad he "mulled". He made us wait an extra day.

John, I'm pretty sure there are many many people who share Tom's point of view.

Thanks for your kind words, Billy!

We've done the Sugarloaf's (or would that be loaves?) several times although never in winter. Need to change that before too long.

Thanks guys! And yes, I know what you mean about Sugarloafs vs. Sugarloaves. I'm never certain how to correctly refer to these mountains as a pair. And so, I usually just go the "wordy route" and refer to them as North & Middle Sugarloaf.

Ahh... I think I will soak up those beautiful blues in your photo of the Presidentials!

The weather was typical of how things often happen in the mountains. It began as a very overcast day (as shown in the first few photos of my report). It then progressed to a beautiful blue-sky day as seen in the shot of the Presidentials from North Sugarloaf. It was pure luck that I happened to be on North Sugarloaf during the sunny phase of the day!

 

[Mike P.]

Thanks for sharing, it's nice to see a trip report that is different & in a different area than usual. We'll see several more trips from the Presidentials this winter, (Please keep sharing, this year I won't get to NH for any winter trips), but unlikely we'll see another North Sugarloaf trip from your approach.

 

[1HappyHiker]

. . . it's nice to see a trip report that is different & in a different area than usual . . . Please keep sharing, this year I won't get to NH for any winter trips . . .

Bummer! Sorry that "winter in the Whites" won't be happening for you this year. Hope you'll manage to have some winter-fun down in your neck of the woods!

Thanks for your reply Mike!

 

[mtruman]

What the others said! Always enjoy the unique views that you share John and many of the best don't involve being on top of large mountains. I think we all need an occasional reminder how nice it is to just spend a day in the woods - particularly on this kind of day. Thanks for the views!