alpinista
Active member
I saw the weather forecast and the string of of "mostly sunny" days about to hit the Whites -- so I ditched work for a few days to notch off some peaks. It had been several years since I'd attempted the Bonds. The last time, I went over North and South Twin and stayed at Guyot, only to confront a threat of t'storms the next morning. Rather than risk being on the Bonds in the midst of that, I hightailed it back down Twinway, bagged Zealand and spent a wonderful day under tree cover.
I had such a nice time on the last portion of that hike, I decided to hike in that way this time. The weather couldn't have been better; I was truly blessed. By the time I hit the top of Mt. Guyot, I was getting fatigued -- but the endless views were inspiring! I'd heard along the way that there were two groups of medical students staying at Guyot, and I worried I wouldn't score a platform, but when I got there, there was plenty of room as most of the students were "cowboy camping," managing to squeeze 10 at a time on each platform. I was next to the Harvard Med crew and they were nice enough to share their pasta dinners, which came with an amazingly good sauce -- just enough of a zip in the spice department.
The sunset from Guyot was perfect, and I was on Platform 2 with a great view.
The campsite was filled with extremely nice folks -- from Adam and Mark, a father-and-son team from Harvard, Mass., to two ladies bagging the NE115. Thanks everyone for the great conversations!
I hit the trail the next morning by 8 a.m., leaving my full pack at the intersection of the spur path and Bondcliff. With just my fanny pack on, I first hit West Bond. We were in the middle of that eerie myst that often comes through in the morning, but I hoped it would burn off by the time I summitted. Alas, the views were limited. So rather than linger, I made my way to Bond, which reminded me a lot of Carter Dome. But again, I was encased in mist, so who knows what it really looks like! It took a few minutes for me to find the trail off Bond, but once I did, I found the narrow passageway through krummolz a total gas. The views were still limited, but I spied the ridge path up to Bondcliff. When I arrived, I was so stoked to see the jagged edged cliff I'd seen on Metsky's Web site -- and the current edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide! Sadly, still no views!
Along the way, though, I was treated to the sun burning so brightly through thin clouds that it actually looked like a full moon.
I'd been anxious to get to these mountains not only because they've captured my imagination for so long -- but also because I wanted to figure out which one was SherpaK's favorite. But sorry, Sherp, without views (did I mention there weren't any views and I was stuck in a giant misty cloud???), I still can't figure it out. I'm guessing Bondcliff because of the ridgewalk, but I really don't know. They all -- like every mountain -- have their own charm.
I made my way back, picked up my full pack, and ventured back toward Mt. Guyot. Of course, the mist by then was starting to roll out and the sun was poking its way through just as I was making my way below treeline on the Twinway.
Here's when I ran into a gang of about 10 Canadians -- from ages 80 to late 40s. Mixed in were a ton of thru-hikers, both SOBOs and NOBOs as they converged on their treks along the AT.
I bagged Zealand again on my way back. What the heck! It's there, I'd done it before, but it never hurts to see these summits countless times.
Stupidly, to save weight, I'd only filled 2 bottles instead of three. I had enough to keep me going, but I would have been drinking more water had I planned better. I stopped off at Zealand Pond, remembering it from my last trip as massive. But when I got there, it seemed to have shrunk. Still, stubborn me, I figured I'd venture out to the water -- only to end up postholing up to my knees in muck. I must've been quite the sight for a thru-hiker relaxing along the edge, writing in his journal. He called out to me, "you probably don't want to fill up your water bottles here," he said as I struggled to free my legs from the quicksand-like mud. "But you've probably already figured that out."
Uh, yup. Thanks a lot pal!
Instead, I filled up at the hut, which gave me a chance to shed the pack for a little bit and rest my shoulders. I was getting weary, but pushed on, knowing the end was near. Of course, I forgot about the roots and twisting and turning trail at the very end! Still, it wouldn't be a hike without a little bit of a struggle.
All in all, a great trip meeting tons of hikers out on a fabulous string of unheard of beautiful days in the Whites!
#42,43,44!
I had such a nice time on the last portion of that hike, I decided to hike in that way this time. The weather couldn't have been better; I was truly blessed. By the time I hit the top of Mt. Guyot, I was getting fatigued -- but the endless views were inspiring! I'd heard along the way that there were two groups of medical students staying at Guyot, and I worried I wouldn't score a platform, but when I got there, there was plenty of room as most of the students were "cowboy camping," managing to squeeze 10 at a time on each platform. I was next to the Harvard Med crew and they were nice enough to share their pasta dinners, which came with an amazingly good sauce -- just enough of a zip in the spice department.
The sunset from Guyot was perfect, and I was on Platform 2 with a great view.
The campsite was filled with extremely nice folks -- from Adam and Mark, a father-and-son team from Harvard, Mass., to two ladies bagging the NE115. Thanks everyone for the great conversations!
I hit the trail the next morning by 8 a.m., leaving my full pack at the intersection of the spur path and Bondcliff. With just my fanny pack on, I first hit West Bond. We were in the middle of that eerie myst that often comes through in the morning, but I hoped it would burn off by the time I summitted. Alas, the views were limited. So rather than linger, I made my way to Bond, which reminded me a lot of Carter Dome. But again, I was encased in mist, so who knows what it really looks like! It took a few minutes for me to find the trail off Bond, but once I did, I found the narrow passageway through krummolz a total gas. The views were still limited, but I spied the ridge path up to Bondcliff. When I arrived, I was so stoked to see the jagged edged cliff I'd seen on Metsky's Web site -- and the current edition of the AMC White Mountain Guide! Sadly, still no views!
Along the way, though, I was treated to the sun burning so brightly through thin clouds that it actually looked like a full moon.
I'd been anxious to get to these mountains not only because they've captured my imagination for so long -- but also because I wanted to figure out which one was SherpaK's favorite. But sorry, Sherp, without views (did I mention there weren't any views and I was stuck in a giant misty cloud???), I still can't figure it out. I'm guessing Bondcliff because of the ridgewalk, but I really don't know. They all -- like every mountain -- have their own charm.
I made my way back, picked up my full pack, and ventured back toward Mt. Guyot. Of course, the mist by then was starting to roll out and the sun was poking its way through just as I was making my way below treeline on the Twinway.
Here's when I ran into a gang of about 10 Canadians -- from ages 80 to late 40s. Mixed in were a ton of thru-hikers, both SOBOs and NOBOs as they converged on their treks along the AT.
I bagged Zealand again on my way back. What the heck! It's there, I'd done it before, but it never hurts to see these summits countless times.
Stupidly, to save weight, I'd only filled 2 bottles instead of three. I had enough to keep me going, but I would have been drinking more water had I planned better. I stopped off at Zealand Pond, remembering it from my last trip as massive. But when I got there, it seemed to have shrunk. Still, stubborn me, I figured I'd venture out to the water -- only to end up postholing up to my knees in muck. I must've been quite the sight for a thru-hiker relaxing along the edge, writing in his journal. He called out to me, "you probably don't want to fill up your water bottles here," he said as I struggled to free my legs from the quicksand-like mud. "But you've probably already figured that out."
Uh, yup. Thanks a lot pal!
Instead, I filled up at the hut, which gave me a chance to shed the pack for a little bit and rest my shoulders. I was getting weary, but pushed on, knowing the end was near. Of course, I forgot about the roots and twisting and turning trail at the very end! Still, it wouldn't be a hike without a little bit of a struggle.
All in all, a great trip meeting tons of hikers out on a fabulous string of unheard of beautiful days in the Whites!
#42,43,44!
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