zealand almost-again

hikerfast · Mar 18, 2005

this Zealand mountain is like my waterloo. I won't be finishing on Madison tomorrow. Actually it was a great hike and ski. I started up the road at 10:15 on cross country skis. The snow was sticky and made things a lot slower, but I guess the thighs get a workout. Had the snow sticking to the skis, stops you better than brakes, like skiiing on sandpaper. This requiredsome stops to scrape it off. I tried that swix, some improvement, but silicone spray would have been better I think. 2 hours and 15 to the hut. I hung out there for awhile, changed into boots and got my snowshoes out. I was up on zeacliff in 45 minutes, absolutely gorgeous. I headed over towards Zealand, and whoever broke it out had gotten off trail. I followed tracks and came to a fork of tracks. I headed right and remembered to head left when i got back to that junction. Shortly I came to another fork with tracks. I headed left and made a note to head right at that fork on the way back. This happened about 5 times and I figured I didn't want to be stuck in a maze on the way back, so I returned to Zeacliff area. I did some poking around and found the AT going left, and broke that out for a mile or so. There were a couple more forks and I made a note of which way to come on way back. I went up a steep pitch and got some nice views. I went up a steeper pitch, passing a couple more forks and got to a nice false summit. Beautiful views. A couple people there said maybe a mile or maybe more to the summit. My snowshoe bindings kept slipping off my heel every 10 steps, very annoying. I was not sure if I was going to end up in a maze on the way back, and I had finished all my food(surprisingly), so I decided that better turn back with them. So close but I am more careful than I used to be. I knew the compass bearing to get back, but that would require breaking trail thru deep snow in scrub, which I didn't want to do in additon to a 22 mile hike. Going down was uneventful, didn't have trouble finding the route back. Stopped at Zeacliff again and took it all in. The snowshoes were coming off every few steps. Finally I took a bungee and wrapped it around the strap in the back and forward around my ankle, and this worked. Wish I had done this when I was debating whether to continue. Changed back into ski boots at the hut, and put the snowshoes away. The ski out was fast, the snow has flash frozen, real nice. Great fun screaming down the Zealand road, did a few face plants on the trail and on the road. I think not counting the time I was lost in the maze, I was only going 3 hours and 20 minutes to where I turned around. Wish I had skiied out to the hut the night before after work, and slept there. Next year! unless I get real ambitious tomorrow and do it again. Pictures are attached if I did this right. Hope everybody likes my dorky ear muffs.
http://community.webshots.com/album/298459972eaoSPg

Rik · Mar 18, 2005

Nice report. No pics though.

hikerfast · Mar 18, 2005

trying to figure out how everybody posts their groups of pics

hikerfast · Mar 18, 2005

http://community.webshots.com/scripts/editPhotos.fcgi?action=viewall&albumID=298459972

David Metsky · Mar 18, 2005

Alas, that's not the right link. You posted the edit link, which none of us can see even though you can. You need to go to the http://community.webshots.com/user/XXXXX page and post that link so we can all see it.

-dave-