Kurchian
Member
I was nervous about this hike. I kept holding off until I “was in good shape”. I finally figured that I would probably never be in “particularly good shape” so this was as good a time as any. I am a 55-years-old and over weight by 20lbs and I wasn’t sure if I could reasonably handle the 18 mile roundtrip from Lincoln Woods to Bondcliff. A friend and I had tried to bag it last summer on a Bonds trip that began at Galehead Hut. But the combination of impending storms and tired bodies made us turn back after Mt. Bond. So that left us with the aptly-named Lincoln Woods death march up to Bondcliff.
The night before I stayed in Lincoln and didn’t sleep soundly as I was both anxious about the hike as I awaited the 5:30 AM alarm to ring. When I finally arrived at the trailhead I met my hiking partners, a guy my age and his 22-year-old son. They had been hiking in the Whites all week. They were in better shape than me but were slightly tired from a week of mountain climbing.
We hit the trail at 7:15 AM and I tried to slow my pace. As fresh as I felt then I knew I needed to conserve energy for the trip ahead. I had planned to rest every hour or so, not because I needed to but because I was under the impression that it would reap benefits for me later. We traveled approximately at book time and got as far as the abandoned trestle bridge before our first rest as we set out on the Bondcliff trail. The first half of this trail is gentle. You know that the elevation gain has to come eventually but apart from the stairs and the summit approach the trail never really gets very steep. That surprised me. For me the tougher aspect of the trip was the distance. For all but the very fit, walking 18.2 trail miles is a long walk.
I think of the trip in 4 parts - the initial 4.7 mile amble up the Wilderness Trail, the 4.4 mile ascent to the Bondcliff summit, the 4.4 mile Bondcliff Trail descent and finally, the 4.7 trudge back to your car.
There are some highlights along the way. It is worth the extra .1 mile beyond the Wilderness Trail/Bondcliff Trail intersection to see the old trestle bridge. Believe me, the sign warning people to “Keep Off, Not Safe” weren’t needed for me. It appeared ready to fall down any day. Another highlight of sorts is the walk along the Lincoln Woods/Wilderness Trails. As boring as it might appear I would encourage future travelers to enjoy the nearby river, the several old logging camps and the remnants of the rail bed that you are walking along.
The first half of the Bondcliff Trail is very gentle and follows a old logging roads. The crossings of Black Brook are easy this time of year. There is a stretch of rock steps that are as long as I remember in the Whites and they are much appreciated. I would be interested in the history of that stretch. There are long three stretches of rock steps that greatly assist this steep portion.
As you approach the latter stages you walk across a gravel bank with nice views up to Bondcliff. Although, I must admit that at that point, which is about the 7-8 mile point looking up at Bondcliff is somewhat disconcerting for the two oldish-fat guys. By this time my friend’s son was already at the top waiting for us. This cut across the ridge is interesting as the terrain below you and above you is very steep. So steep that it appears that significant work has been done to deal with landslides. I don’t know how the reinforcing timber was placed in an area that wouldn’t allow for power machinery.
I was using a GPS at this point and had the summit locked in. Because of the curving of the trail on the upper half of this stretch the distance to the summit was misleading. Since GPS distances are straight lines and the trail makes a giant curve parallel to the summit it is disconcerting to see the destination distance getting longer as you ascend.
There is a 5 foot high steep section just as you approach the alpine zone. It looks much harder than it is. Fortunately, there are foot holds at all the right places that allow you to get up and over. Once you do ascend this mini-cliff you are very suddenly presented with a tremendous view. It hits you suddenly and all the complaining you might have been doing quickly ends and you can’t help but think to yourself, “this was worth it”. Ten minutes later you are on the summit. There are tons of places to sit and enjoy a 360 degree view. I’ve climbed 45 of the 48 and it is clear that this rates with Franconia Ridge and the northern Presidentials as my favorite summits. Being in the middle of the Pemi and being able to turn in every direction with unsurpassed view says it all.
My friend’s son hadn’t had enough. He decided to bag Bond while his father and I rested on the summit. After our obligatory cliff pictures we headed back down after our 45 minutes on the top. The walk back is 9.1 miles. For me, 10 miles is usually my limit. At that point my feet start aching and my knees hurt on the descent. So miles 9-18 weren’t too much fun. Getting to the Wilderness Trail was reinforcing because that section is so easy, albeit long. The hardest part of that section for me was avoiding tripping over the railroad ties as my tired feet tried to shuffle me back to the car.
For all of you who might be anxious about this hike perhaps you can take some solace in the fact that two fat guys did it. We left the trailhead at 7:15AM, spent 45 minutes on the summit, and got back to Lincoln Woods about 7:30PM. Believe me, we didn’t rush and we took many a breather.
The night before I stayed in Lincoln and didn’t sleep soundly as I was both anxious about the hike as I awaited the 5:30 AM alarm to ring. When I finally arrived at the trailhead I met my hiking partners, a guy my age and his 22-year-old son. They had been hiking in the Whites all week. They were in better shape than me but were slightly tired from a week of mountain climbing.
We hit the trail at 7:15 AM and I tried to slow my pace. As fresh as I felt then I knew I needed to conserve energy for the trip ahead. I had planned to rest every hour or so, not because I needed to but because I was under the impression that it would reap benefits for me later. We traveled approximately at book time and got as far as the abandoned trestle bridge before our first rest as we set out on the Bondcliff trail. The first half of this trail is gentle. You know that the elevation gain has to come eventually but apart from the stairs and the summit approach the trail never really gets very steep. That surprised me. For me the tougher aspect of the trip was the distance. For all but the very fit, walking 18.2 trail miles is a long walk.
I think of the trip in 4 parts - the initial 4.7 mile amble up the Wilderness Trail, the 4.4 mile ascent to the Bondcliff summit, the 4.4 mile Bondcliff Trail descent and finally, the 4.7 trudge back to your car.
There are some highlights along the way. It is worth the extra .1 mile beyond the Wilderness Trail/Bondcliff Trail intersection to see the old trestle bridge. Believe me, the sign warning people to “Keep Off, Not Safe” weren’t needed for me. It appeared ready to fall down any day. Another highlight of sorts is the walk along the Lincoln Woods/Wilderness Trails. As boring as it might appear I would encourage future travelers to enjoy the nearby river, the several old logging camps and the remnants of the rail bed that you are walking along.
The first half of the Bondcliff Trail is very gentle and follows a old logging roads. The crossings of Black Brook are easy this time of year. There is a stretch of rock steps that are as long as I remember in the Whites and they are much appreciated. I would be interested in the history of that stretch. There are long three stretches of rock steps that greatly assist this steep portion.
As you approach the latter stages you walk across a gravel bank with nice views up to Bondcliff. Although, I must admit that at that point, which is about the 7-8 mile point looking up at Bondcliff is somewhat disconcerting for the two oldish-fat guys. By this time my friend’s son was already at the top waiting for us. This cut across the ridge is interesting as the terrain below you and above you is very steep. So steep that it appears that significant work has been done to deal with landslides. I don’t know how the reinforcing timber was placed in an area that wouldn’t allow for power machinery.
I was using a GPS at this point and had the summit locked in. Because of the curving of the trail on the upper half of this stretch the distance to the summit was misleading. Since GPS distances are straight lines and the trail makes a giant curve parallel to the summit it is disconcerting to see the destination distance getting longer as you ascend.
There is a 5 foot high steep section just as you approach the alpine zone. It looks much harder than it is. Fortunately, there are foot holds at all the right places that allow you to get up and over. Once you do ascend this mini-cliff you are very suddenly presented with a tremendous view. It hits you suddenly and all the complaining you might have been doing quickly ends and you can’t help but think to yourself, “this was worth it”. Ten minutes later you are on the summit. There are tons of places to sit and enjoy a 360 degree view. I’ve climbed 45 of the 48 and it is clear that this rates with Franconia Ridge and the northern Presidentials as my favorite summits. Being in the middle of the Pemi and being able to turn in every direction with unsurpassed view says it all.
My friend’s son hadn’t had enough. He decided to bag Bond while his father and I rested on the summit. After our obligatory cliff pictures we headed back down after our 45 minutes on the top. The walk back is 9.1 miles. For me, 10 miles is usually my limit. At that point my feet start aching and my knees hurt on the descent. So miles 9-18 weren’t too much fun. Getting to the Wilderness Trail was reinforcing because that section is so easy, albeit long. The hardest part of that section for me was avoiding tripping over the railroad ties as my tired feet tried to shuffle me back to the car.
For all of you who might be anxious about this hike perhaps you can take some solace in the fact that two fat guys did it. We left the trailhead at 7:15AM, spent 45 minutes on the summit, and got back to Lincoln Woods about 7:30PM. Believe me, we didn’t rush and we took many a breather.
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