hikersinger
Member
A year ago, I finished the NH 48 with a trip over the Bonds, a stay at Guyot, and two more nights at Zealand with some trail work thrown in (Zeacliff). I had planned it to coincide with the full moon for a truly lunar experience, but alas, clouds and near-steady rain/drizzle took that dream away. We still had a great time; how can you not in the mountains?
Fast-forward a year, and with an upcoming week's vacation planned I was determined to reprise this trip on my own terms. The full moon just a few days away (September 19), the forecast called for perfect, clear conditions day and night throughout the day or so on either side; yet my vacation was a week away. So I basically dropped everything, worked with my accommodating boss to move my vacation around, and headed up a week early.
I had planned to take the same route as last year, starting at Lincoln Woods and possibly throwing a 2/3 Pemi Loop in at the end to get back to my car. But Zealand had already filled up on the night of the full moon. So I thought quickly and decided to reverse the trip, starting in from the north, staying at the hut one night, Guyot the next, and hiking back out the third day.
I hiked in to the hut via Zealand Trail, stashed my multi-day pack, and headed out again with a hydration pack, some snacks, loppers, clippers, and gloves. Conditions were great as expected for early Fall -- near-peak color at about 1,500'.
I hiked along Ethan Pond Trail to Zeacliff, the trail I've co-adopted with Jamie Gillon, and got to work. Whitewall Brook was low and easily passable, then I started the steep climb. Jamie and some friends had been on the trail earlier in the summer, so the trail looked great much of the way up. I had visited the trail twice last year, my first year as an adopter, and got much of the bottom half of the trail into good shape. The upper half needed more work since it was more dense and had been growing in for a few years.
Much of the work I spent involved cutting evergreen branches back on the upper 1/3 of the trail. It could use a bit more work, but it's in very good shape now. I welcome any feedback from anyone that's traveled the trail this year! I had a bit of extra time before dinner and spent it on Zeacliff, whose views I hadn't yet been able to enjoy. It's really something up there, for sure; well worth the stop (as a hand-written note on one of the side path signs states, ahem).
Following an always-good dinner at the hut, which was full up mostly with a middle school group from Mass, I got to talking with a few NOBO AT thru hikers. I gave them some wine I brought with me since I knew they would appreciate it a whole lot more than me. I asked one of them, Black Squatch (a play on Sasquatch? who knows) how soon he got his trail name after he started, and he said it didn't take long. He asked if I had one; I told him I didn't, though I had dubbed myself "hikersinger" so I'd have a nice VFTT name. When I mentioned that, he came up with "Choir Boy" and immediately assigned me that name. I'll take it!
In the morning, following breakfast, I was asked to speak to the school group about my trail work service. (They were to do a bit of service themselves as part of the AMC program they were taking part in.) I then packed up most of my stuff, sans tools and a bit of food and some clothes, since I'd be returning the next day, and continued along Twinway past Zealand and on to Guyot.
Conditions were spectacular above treeline: not a cloud in the sky, little or no wind, and very few people (it was mid-week). I did run across a trio made up of two Forest Service rangers and an AMC backcountry shelter coordinator, who were on their way to Guyot to discuss AMC's request to expand the site with a couple new platforms. No doubt, Guyot is very popular during the summer, at least on weekends.
I reached the shelter and set my stuff in place; I was the only one checked into the shelter at that point, but it was early still. I then made my way with hydration and snacks over to Bond, then to Bondcliff. Spent a good amount of time on Bondcliff, saw a few people, took the obligatory photo or 100, and called my mom to wish her a belated Happy Birthday. (I couldn't reach her the day before since I was out of cell signal range.)
Afternoon hours waning, I made my way back to Guyot and some dinner. I encountered a group of three up from the Andover, NH area to take photos and experience sunset on West Bond. They were from an assisted-living facility and were going to put together a presentation for the guests, to bring the mountain experience to them. Very cool!
They let me tag along to West Bond after dinner, and we had a wonderful time seeing the sun drop down over Franconia Ridge, while the moon came up over the Bonds. Magical.
The next day, I reluctantly packed up and started back over Zealand to the hut. I spent more time at Zeacliff, then worked my way back out to Zealand Road, and home.
Traveling with the Pemi wilderness and along the Bonds was pure joy in these conditions. Quiet, remote, clear weather, and being on my own provided some much-needed solace and leveling I needed. Sounds like an annual trip to me.
Fast-forward a year, and with an upcoming week's vacation planned I was determined to reprise this trip on my own terms. The full moon just a few days away (September 19), the forecast called for perfect, clear conditions day and night throughout the day or so on either side; yet my vacation was a week away. So I basically dropped everything, worked with my accommodating boss to move my vacation around, and headed up a week early.
I had planned to take the same route as last year, starting at Lincoln Woods and possibly throwing a 2/3 Pemi Loop in at the end to get back to my car. But Zealand had already filled up on the night of the full moon. So I thought quickly and decided to reverse the trip, starting in from the north, staying at the hut one night, Guyot the next, and hiking back out the third day.
I hiked in to the hut via Zealand Trail, stashed my multi-day pack, and headed out again with a hydration pack, some snacks, loppers, clippers, and gloves. Conditions were great as expected for early Fall -- near-peak color at about 1,500'.
I hiked along Ethan Pond Trail to Zeacliff, the trail I've co-adopted with Jamie Gillon, and got to work. Whitewall Brook was low and easily passable, then I started the steep climb. Jamie and some friends had been on the trail earlier in the summer, so the trail looked great much of the way up. I had visited the trail twice last year, my first year as an adopter, and got much of the bottom half of the trail into good shape. The upper half needed more work since it was more dense and had been growing in for a few years.
Much of the work I spent involved cutting evergreen branches back on the upper 1/3 of the trail. It could use a bit more work, but it's in very good shape now. I welcome any feedback from anyone that's traveled the trail this year! I had a bit of extra time before dinner and spent it on Zeacliff, whose views I hadn't yet been able to enjoy. It's really something up there, for sure; well worth the stop (as a hand-written note on one of the side path signs states, ahem).
Following an always-good dinner at the hut, which was full up mostly with a middle school group from Mass, I got to talking with a few NOBO AT thru hikers. I gave them some wine I brought with me since I knew they would appreciate it a whole lot more than me. I asked one of them, Black Squatch (a play on Sasquatch? who knows) how soon he got his trail name after he started, and he said it didn't take long. He asked if I had one; I told him I didn't, though I had dubbed myself "hikersinger" so I'd have a nice VFTT name. When I mentioned that, he came up with "Choir Boy" and immediately assigned me that name. I'll take it!
In the morning, following breakfast, I was asked to speak to the school group about my trail work service. (They were to do a bit of service themselves as part of the AMC program they were taking part in.) I then packed up most of my stuff, sans tools and a bit of food and some clothes, since I'd be returning the next day, and continued along Twinway past Zealand and on to Guyot.
Conditions were spectacular above treeline: not a cloud in the sky, little or no wind, and very few people (it was mid-week). I did run across a trio made up of two Forest Service rangers and an AMC backcountry shelter coordinator, who were on their way to Guyot to discuss AMC's request to expand the site with a couple new platforms. No doubt, Guyot is very popular during the summer, at least on weekends.
I reached the shelter and set my stuff in place; I was the only one checked into the shelter at that point, but it was early still. I then made my way with hydration and snacks over to Bond, then to Bondcliff. Spent a good amount of time on Bondcliff, saw a few people, took the obligatory photo or 100, and called my mom to wish her a belated Happy Birthday. (I couldn't reach her the day before since I was out of cell signal range.)
Afternoon hours waning, I made my way back to Guyot and some dinner. I encountered a group of three up from the Andover, NH area to take photos and experience sunset on West Bond. They were from an assisted-living facility and were going to put together a presentation for the guests, to bring the mountain experience to them. Very cool!
They let me tag along to West Bond after dinner, and we had a wonderful time seeing the sun drop down over Franconia Ridge, while the moon came up over the Bonds. Magical.
The next day, I reluctantly packed up and started back over Zealand to the hut. I spent more time at Zeacliff, then worked my way back out to Zealand Road, and home.
Traveling with the Pemi wilderness and along the Bonds was pure joy in these conditions. Quiet, remote, clear weather, and being on my own provided some much-needed solace and leveling I needed. Sounds like an annual trip to me.
