Winter Loop Challenge: Hale, Zealand, South Twin, North Twin

[hikersinger]

Route:

• Herd path from Little River Road to North Twin trailhead (1 mi)
• North Twin trail to Fire Warden bushwhack junction (1 mi)
• Fire Warden bushwhack to Hale summit (2.3 mi)
• Lend-a-Hand trail to Zealand Falls AMC hut (2.8 mi)
• Twinway to Zeacliff (1.3 mi)
• Zeacliff along Twinway to Zealand Mountain (1.6 mi)
• Zealand Mountain along Twinway to South Twin summit (3.3 mi)
• North Twin spur to North Twin summit (1.3 mi)
• North Twin trail to its start (4.3 mi)
• Herd path back to Little River Road (1 mi)

Strava GPS tracks (missed 2.9 miles between the Zealand Falls hut and Zealand Mountain):
1 of 2: https://www.strava.com/activities/494519846
2 of 2: https://www.strava.com/activities/494519862

Photo album: Hale, Zealand, and the Twins photo album

I've been on a slow-but-sure quest to hike the NH 48 in winter for the past three seasons. Being a committed dad and family man with three kids ranging from age 9 through 17, it's been tougher to get out there as much as I'd like. I managed to find a day available so I hoped to claim at least two peaks. Hale and Zealand seemed the perfect fit.

I'd been wanting to take the famed Fire Warden trail, an unofficial but well-traveled trail in winter. This trail becomes a more desirable route in the off-season since it ends up being the shortest route in winter to Hale; the other route, the Hale Brook trail, requires a 2.5-mile road walk to the trailhead since that road (Zealand Road) is closed in winter.

As I looked at the route, it became clearer that I should just include the Twins. The distance to Zealand was long already -- just under 10 miles -- but continuing along Twinway to South Twin and North Twin, and back to the same starting point, would be nearly exactly the same distance as returning the way I came. It would also involve less vertical climb than heading back over Hale.

So, a loop it would be. I did a lot of homework on this one: researching the Fire Warden trail entrance and route to be sure I wouldn't miss or lose it; recent trip reports and intel about the conditions of the various trails I'd be taking; and just how long it might take me to do this, knowing I'd need to cover 20 miles in one winterday. Thankfully, recent conditions were favorable in that there was little new accumulation to deal with, and I knew of various solo hikers and groups that had hiked various portions of the route.

Still, I headed up early and got to the end of Little River Road a bit after 6am, first light. I arranged my pack and was on my way by 6:30. A group of three hikers arrived at the same time right ahead of me, and started up the same trail perhaps 10 minutes earlier than I did. I didn't know which way they were going, but I knew I could already look forward to any trail breaking help they would provide, regardless of the direction they were heading (i.e. up Fire Warden to Hale, or up to North Twin).

Temps were quite frigid: -14F at 6:30am. We were just coming out of an Arctic blast that saw -20 and even -30 up along the Presidential Range. The system was moving out that day, though, and by mid morning temperatures were around +10, with a bright sun out. The day would end in the mid-single digits, overcast with light flurries announcing the next storm.

The going was flat and easy for the mile that took me along a herd path to the beginning of the North Twin trail (the road to which is closed in winter, hence the need for this herd path hike). Another mile and I came to the Fire Warden trail junction, right after a point where a small tree lies right in the middle of the trail, and a path over a roughly 8-10 foot berm opens up on the left. The junction lies a short distance after the North Twin trail re-routes in winter to avoid the first major crossing of the Little River, staying on its east bank.

The Fire Warden trailyielded immediate beauty, with relatively sparse trees, many of which were birches, my favorite. I already knew that one person had hiked the trail a couple days earlier, and still others had used it the week before, so it was in pretty good shape, not requiring any real trail breaking. The trail never got steep, and could only be considered"moderate" at the beginning. It features a few switchbacks, the last of which I skipped via a previous hikers tracks (I wasn't so brave as to follow them the first two times). So I guess you could say I bushwhacked the bushwhack. Along the upper third of the trail there's a real nice view to the left through some trees, to the summits of Washington and Jefferson.

I soon reached the summit of Hale, my#35 of 48. It features a broad, cleared summit, former home to a fire lookout tower, views largely obstructedby tree growth. I snapped a few photos and continued along the Lend-a-Hand trail toward the Zealand Falls AMC hut. This trail wasroughly broken out,seeminglyby a few people that appear to have bare-booted it (i.e. not using snowshoes). This would normally be annoying, but the going was easy since the snow was fluffy and not too deep, and I was descending for the most part so I could almost "glide" through it.

Soon I crossed paths with the first person I saw on the trails, a guy who was heading up to Hale. He said he had broken out the trail to South Twin from the hut the previous day, so this gave me some hope that I wouldn't have too hard a time there. The stretch between Zealand and South Twin is not as well-traveled in winter since it lies deep in the wilderness. The only thing was, this guy wasn't using snowshoes, so I'd have to see if his efforts would make any real difference for me.

I reached the hut by 10:30. Zealand Falls is one of four AMC huts that remain open during the winter, but only on a self-service basis (no bedding or hearty meals provided!). Only the caretaker was there at that point, and we chatted a bit. It had been a relatively busy weekend, with 25 spending the night that previous Friday, and a little under 20 on Saturday and Sunday.

Other than the hut caretaker, and one woman who had just arrived with her dog as I was leaving, I did see one older man walk by the hut a short time before I left. I figured he was on his way to Zealand and back.

After a quick bite I left, longing for the next time I could stay there. I plan to spend a couple nights there this summer with my oldest daughter for some exploration and trail maintenance (I'm co-adopter of the nearby Zeacliff trail).

I continued along the Twinway trail up toward the popular Zeacliff outlook. I couldn't miss that, and was awarded with stunning views out to Washington, the Tom/Field/Willey range, and Carrigain.

Travel along the Twinway was relatively good. The trail was very well packed up to Zeacliff since it's a popular destination for those staying at the hut. Conditions were much less solid from Zeacliff to Zealand Mountain, not surprisingly, but still straightforward. For the most part I was completing the initial trail breaking along this stretch, flattening as I went along by stepping opposite to the tracks that were made before me.

Shortly before the spur path to the Zealand summit proper, I crossed paths with the man who had traveled by the hut earlier. He was distinctive looking in that he had a green AMC NH Chapter sweatshirt on, and a matching green hat as well. He introduced himself as Ed, and I wondered to myself if this was the "Hiker Ed" I had seen on Views from the Top. When I got home I quickly realized this was the venerable Ed Hawkins, who is well-known as a multiple grid finisher and all around hiking legend in these parts. I mean, there's celebrity, and then there's celebrity! I love these chance encounters; what seems like a big world really ends up being much smaller in hiking circles, especially in winter.

I quickly tagged Zealand, reaching #36 of 48, and continued along. I was feeling pretty great and quickly discarded any backup plan to turn around and head back the way I came. The going along this section of the Twinway was only a little more difficult at times with drifts and overall less broken-out trail -- not unexpected given the remoteness of the area.

Soon enough, though, I crested treeline and found myself at one of the most spectacular junctions in all the Whites. I could clearly see the northern end of Bonds to the south, the Twins to the north, and Franconia ridge directly ahead to the west. These sweeping views simply take your breath away, and they're even more amazing in winter. Though I didn't linger long due to the strong winds, I paused and felt all the work to this point (and ahead) was worth this view alone. I had hoped I could take the short detour up the Bondcliff trail to visit the Guyot "throne," but I will be back when I finish out the winter 48 on the Bonds, hopefully next year.

(continued below...)

 

[hikersinger]

(...continued from above)

I soon was hiking along the least-traveled section of the whole route, with drifts and hardly broken-out trail -- as expected, just the bare-booted tracks of the guy I had met earlier. ​I was into the teens in miles at this point, too, so I was needing to reach down pretty deep to continue pushing myself. ​ Though I didn't feel like it at times, I regularly d​rank water​ and snack​ed​ along the way​ to keep the energy going as I steadily climbed toward the South Twin ​summit. This hike, more than any other in the past, has spurred an interest in reading more about fueling the body, and of maintaining energy levels for endurance over many hours.

Hiker Ed was to be the last person I would encounter for the rest of the trip. The solitude was wonderful, but at times also trying as I felt the pressure of doing everything I could to ensure an uneventful hike. This seems obvious, of course, but when you're so deep in the wilderness, the feelings become amplified. Still, I felt quite confident in my abilities, I had plenty of water and food left, and maintained a steady, measured pace, keeping tabs on my heart rate in particular, being sure to pause for a few moments if I felt it going too high. As I've taken my hikes up a few notches the past year or so, I've come to relish ​the opportunity to push myself farther, testing my own abilities in harsher conditions. I've learned a ton, and grown physically, emotionally, and spiritually from it.

Climbing up and onto the exposed summit of South Twin​ was glorious. Winds were quite strong so I didn't stay long, but I couldn't help but yell out "woo-yeah!"​ a few times, having reached this point. ​ This was the beginning of the end of this pretty epic loop. I figured,​ by now, that the group of three I saw at the beginning, ​had already summited the Twins and were on their way down, so I would benefit by their trail packing from this point forward.​ And it would be mostly downhill and flat ahead, save the short ascent from the col between the Twins, up to the North Twin​summit.

The storm front had solidly blown in by this point, strong winds whipping snow across the trail ​by my face. Thankfully much of the way from here was under treeline, but ​much of the North Twin Spur remained close to treeline enough that it didn't shield me much.

I reached North Twin and took its short spur path to ​what I suppose is the summit itself ​-- though I still wonder if the summit proper ​lies to the left off this spur path, through some scrub, largely unreachable. In any case, I could feel the mountains ushering me to continue on, though; it was time to get off the mountain.

At this point I had 5.3 miles left to the car: ​the entirety of the North Twin trail, 4.3 miles,​ plus that one last mile of herd path to ​​Little River Road.

I will​ say, without hesitation, ​that any 4-mile trail anywhere is pretty much a pain in the butt. Sure, I had traveled 15 miles so far this day, so I was done with it all, but it took a great deal of patience and determination to work through the 4.3 miles of the North Twin trail. The trail itself wasn't terrible; it was merely the distance this time.

As I reached the end of the North Twin trail, I realized I wouldn't have to hike out in the dark; something I hadn't​ quite expected. A quick hike of the herd path and I was back at my car by 5:30, basically at dusk. Total hiking time was about 10 ​hours 15 minutes, about​ two hours quicker than I had planned.

This was an awesome loop -- one that requires a lot of stamina and patience, but offers great rewards along the way. Among other things, it allowed me the chance to​ travel a great bushwhack; visit a beloved hut​ again; travel through the Pemigewasset Wilderness, one of my favorite areas​in the Whites; hit four official 4000-foot peaks in one day; and simply enjoy the solitude of winter in the wilderness. I ended the day quite exhausted, but thankful and blessed for the ability to take on a challenge like this, succeed, and receive such great rewards.​

 

[Rhody Seth]

Wow, sounds like a great trip!

 

[MTNRUNR]

Awesome hike and Great Pictures! Thanks for sharing and Congratulations!!!

 

[Sematary]

Great job, man. I know what you mean about finding time. lol I've been working on the 4000 footers for what seems like forever.

 

[una_dogger]

In summer you can add a Bonds out and back to add extra bang to your peakbagging buck. One of my favorite hikes and no carspot! I chose up N Twin down FW. It's a soft way to end a big hike and gets the water crossings out of the way first thing.

Great report!!!

 

[TJsName]

In summer you can add a Bonds out and back to add extra bang to your peakbagging buck. One of my favorite hikes and no carspot! I chose up N Twin down FW. It's a soft way to end a big hike and gets the water crossings out of the way first thing.

I recall standing on South Twin a few years ago looking at Hale and Zealand wondering if we should try for the loop. With no intel on trailing conditions from Guyot to Zealand, and a strong desire to sled down North Twin, we turned around. It was the right call, but I'd still like to do this loop one day.