The Final Four: Bondcliff, Bond, West Bond and Zealand
The odds makers were heavily favoring a Bondcliff versus Zealand final, given that Bond and West Bond were such a long shot. In the end, TimC and his lovely wife Val (ADKnBVI), Jeremy (Rocket21), Skip (Loanshark) and I completed a classic Bonds/Zealand traverse (south-to-north) for my winter 48 completion, as well as TimC's winter 48 completion (single-season no less!) in 13 hours 30 minutes for an offical distance of 23 miles with 4550 feet. Here's the TR.
March 11, 2010
We chose to go south-to-north for a couple of reasons, among them: trail breaking, if any, would be easier in the downhill direction; Zealand Falls Hut is both convenient and safer at mile 15 more so than at mile 7; some amongst us hate the Lincoln Woods / Wilderness Trail at the end of a trip. Meeting at the route 302 Zealand winter lot at 6:30am to spot cars, we got to Lincoln Woods and were ready to go by 7:20. TimC was not there yet, but Val assured us he would catch up without problem. The Lincoln Woods/Wilderness trail was extremely well packed and somewhat icy, but we bare booted to the Bondcliff Trail junction in about 90 minutes. On with the snowshoes, we left a message for TimC, even though Val assured us he wouldn't see it, and struck off along the Bondcliff Trail. This too was nicely tracked although it had numerous blowdowns, bendovers, and leaners. We cut a few of the really, really obnoxious ones, but it will take more than 3 people with pruning saws to make any kind of dent. We ran into Peter Crane on his way down from an overnighter to West Bond and we got the latest beta on the trail conditions. More of the same blowdown mess below treeline all the way there. At least it was broken out and there was a route to follow.
Franconia Brook Bridge, Ascending the drainage parallel to the Bondcliff Trail
As described by Peter, the Bondcliff Trail detoured onto the brook bed for a time which avoided some switchbacks and probably a lot of nasty spruce. The brook bed was really easy going - a nice 10-foot wide path which turned left onto the trail at the fourth (and final) crossing. TimC had caught up to us by now and I learned that he'd done the Presidential Traverse with Tim Seaver and Cath the day before. Ouch. We ate and drank and let TimC catch his breath before ascending the ramp along the backside ridge of Bondcliff. There are a lot of in-your-face spruce branches, but mostly of the soft variety. For the first calmity of the day, I had broken a pole, which through me off balance, but also let me "swim" through the firs with my left hand. The sun was up higher now and the temps were well above freezing and the snow was getting sticky. At just about the four hour mark, the summit ridge appeared and we walked right up the snowfield which has buried any trace of the usual ledge climb.
Bondcliff - 45/48
Approaching the summit of Bondcliff, Winter #45: Bondcliff and in short sleeves!
Even above the trees, there was virtually no wind and the temps were in the low 30s. Once on the true summit there was no snow and we took off our snowshoes. As I made my way out to the cliff for the traditionally photo, it occured to me that my winter cliff shot would be in short sleeves while in both previous photos I had on a jacket or fleece. From the summit we could see that "the weather" was to the south, as predicted, and it was throwing some clouds our way. The sun came and went but primarily we enjoyed blue skies and warm sunshine. After we'd all had our pictures taken and a quick snack, the snowshoes went on our packs for the descent.
Bond - 46/48
Looking up towards Bond, and back down towards Bondcliff
On the way up to Bond, there was enough snow to warrant snowshoes again. The slope before us was covered in a huge snowfield, and the track switchbacked through the snowfield, forsaking the trail alltogether. We walked alongside a father and son duo for a bit. The son was doing Sherpa duty and carrying their joint belongings which I observed did not include snowshoes (but did include crampons. Later on West Bond they admitted they were returning to winter hiking and requested information on what kind of snowshoes they should run out and purchase.) Being on top of the trees for most of the ascent meant we enjoyed views for most of the ascent. In turn this slowed me down since I tend to look around me instead of where I want to go. Presently the grade leveled out and we stepped through the last of the trees and onto the summit of Bond. In the non-winter season, the northern views are partially obstructed by the trees. On this day we had pretty much unobstructed 360-degree views, even while sitting down and having lunch.
Whitewall then Willey Range then Presidentials, Winter #46: Bond, with the Presidentials
West Bond - 47/48
West Bond(L) and Franconia Ridge, Skip approaching the West Bond summit
While we ate lunch and soaked up the views, TimC regaled us with his Presidential Traverse details in the company of uber hikers Cath & Tim (Seaver, now we have three Tims.) It was very hard to leave but the clock was ticking and while we were on schedule, we knew we weren't even half way through (on time anyway). The track to West Bond is more difficult to follow as the snow becomes really deep and extra sticky. Enroute we met a hiker who had come from Zealand and so we knew there was a track to follow. This encouraged us and we moved right along. Between Peter Crane's track and Jeremy's memory we found the West Bond Spur sign about 6 inches above the snow level.
Winter #47: West Bond, Jefferson in the background, Bond from West Bond
The real fun began here. There was a track, and even scattered blazes. Almost every step involved moving multiple branches out of the way. Again, having one pole became an advantage because there was one less pole to get tangled and one hand free to make a path. After a 20-minute struggle we popped out on the summit. The views to the south showed dark clouds, while the views north were still mainly clear with thin clouds. No time to eat here - just a few photos and back down to the col. I checked my thermometer at this point and it said nearly 50 degrees -- in the shade.
(continued)
The odds makers were heavily favoring a Bondcliff versus Zealand final, given that Bond and West Bond were such a long shot. In the end, TimC and his lovely wife Val (ADKnBVI), Jeremy (Rocket21), Skip (Loanshark) and I completed a classic Bonds/Zealand traverse (south-to-north) for my winter 48 completion, as well as TimC's winter 48 completion (single-season no less!) in 13 hours 30 minutes for an offical distance of 23 miles with 4550 feet. Here's the TR.
March 11, 2010
We chose to go south-to-north for a couple of reasons, among them: trail breaking, if any, would be easier in the downhill direction; Zealand Falls Hut is both convenient and safer at mile 15 more so than at mile 7; some amongst us hate the Lincoln Woods / Wilderness Trail at the end of a trip. Meeting at the route 302 Zealand winter lot at 6:30am to spot cars, we got to Lincoln Woods and were ready to go by 7:20. TimC was not there yet, but Val assured us he would catch up without problem. The Lincoln Woods/Wilderness trail was extremely well packed and somewhat icy, but we bare booted to the Bondcliff Trail junction in about 90 minutes. On with the snowshoes, we left a message for TimC, even though Val assured us he wouldn't see it, and struck off along the Bondcliff Trail. This too was nicely tracked although it had numerous blowdowns, bendovers, and leaners. We cut a few of the really, really obnoxious ones, but it will take more than 3 people with pruning saws to make any kind of dent. We ran into Peter Crane on his way down from an overnighter to West Bond and we got the latest beta on the trail conditions. More of the same blowdown mess below treeline all the way there. At least it was broken out and there was a route to follow.
Franconia Brook Bridge, Ascending the drainage parallel to the Bondcliff Trail
As described by Peter, the Bondcliff Trail detoured onto the brook bed for a time which avoided some switchbacks and probably a lot of nasty spruce. The brook bed was really easy going - a nice 10-foot wide path which turned left onto the trail at the fourth (and final) crossing. TimC had caught up to us by now and I learned that he'd done the Presidential Traverse with Tim Seaver and Cath the day before. Ouch. We ate and drank and let TimC catch his breath before ascending the ramp along the backside ridge of Bondcliff. There are a lot of in-your-face spruce branches, but mostly of the soft variety. For the first calmity of the day, I had broken a pole, which through me off balance, but also let me "swim" through the firs with my left hand. The sun was up higher now and the temps were well above freezing and the snow was getting sticky. At just about the four hour mark, the summit ridge appeared and we walked right up the snowfield which has buried any trace of the usual ledge climb.
Bondcliff - 45/48
Approaching the summit of Bondcliff, Winter #45: Bondcliff and in short sleeves!
Even above the trees, there was virtually no wind and the temps were in the low 30s. Once on the true summit there was no snow and we took off our snowshoes. As I made my way out to the cliff for the traditionally photo, it occured to me that my winter cliff shot would be in short sleeves while in both previous photos I had on a jacket or fleece. From the summit we could see that "the weather" was to the south, as predicted, and it was throwing some clouds our way. The sun came and went but primarily we enjoyed blue skies and warm sunshine. After we'd all had our pictures taken and a quick snack, the snowshoes went on our packs for the descent.
Bond - 46/48
Looking up towards Bond, and back down towards Bondcliff
On the way up to Bond, there was enough snow to warrant snowshoes again. The slope before us was covered in a huge snowfield, and the track switchbacked through the snowfield, forsaking the trail alltogether. We walked alongside a father and son duo for a bit. The son was doing Sherpa duty and carrying their joint belongings which I observed did not include snowshoes (but did include crampons. Later on West Bond they admitted they were returning to winter hiking and requested information on what kind of snowshoes they should run out and purchase.) Being on top of the trees for most of the ascent meant we enjoyed views for most of the ascent. In turn this slowed me down since I tend to look around me instead of where I want to go. Presently the grade leveled out and we stepped through the last of the trees and onto the summit of Bond. In the non-winter season, the northern views are partially obstructed by the trees. On this day we had pretty much unobstructed 360-degree views, even while sitting down and having lunch.
Whitewall then Willey Range then Presidentials, Winter #46: Bond, with the Presidentials
West Bond - 47/48
West Bond(L) and Franconia Ridge, Skip approaching the West Bond summit
While we ate lunch and soaked up the views, TimC regaled us with his Presidential Traverse details in the company of uber hikers Cath & Tim (Seaver, now we have three Tims.) It was very hard to leave but the clock was ticking and while we were on schedule, we knew we weren't even half way through (on time anyway). The track to West Bond is more difficult to follow as the snow becomes really deep and extra sticky. Enroute we met a hiker who had come from Zealand and so we knew there was a track to follow. This encouraged us and we moved right along. Between Peter Crane's track and Jeremy's memory we found the West Bond Spur sign about 6 inches above the snow level.
Winter #47: West Bond, Jefferson in the background, Bond from West Bond
The real fun began here. There was a track, and even scattered blazes. Almost every step involved moving multiple branches out of the way. Again, having one pole became an advantage because there was one less pole to get tangled and one hand free to make a path. After a 20-minute struggle we popped out on the summit. The views to the south showed dark clouds, while the views north were still mainly clear with thin clouds. No time to eat here - just a few photos and back down to the col. I checked my thermometer at this point and it said nearly 50 degrees -- in the shade.
(continued)
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