adamiata
New member
The day started bright and early with a 7am depart time from the Zealand Road. My special lady friend was gracious enough to get up with me at 4:30 am so she could help me spot my car at Lincoln Woods and drop me off up at Zealand. A young man can't really ask for more than that.
Shorty after I hit the Zealand Trail I realized I'd forgotten my trekking poles in my car, but by now it was too far late to retrieve them. I quickly resigned myself to hiking without them for my longest trek thus far, 19.5 miles with 3,700 feet of elevation gain. I found the Zealand trail to be mostly flat and easy with good footing and I made good time, reaching the hut in slightly over an hour. I feel this is a nice approach to a long day; it makes for a good warm up through some open woods and swampy areas that are beautiful in the morning light.
I paused briefly at the Zealand hut to replenish my water, munch a small snack, and snap a few pictures before pressing on. From here the trail was much rockier and began to gain some elevation. At this point the temperature began to rise and the humidity made its presence known. Sweat began to coat my arms and sting my eyes. About 40 minutes after leaving the hut I arrived at an empty Zeacliff. Though the skys were a bit on the hazy side, I enjoyed the breeze and views of Mount Carrigain in solitude while I rested for a few moments.
After leaving Zeacliff I had an uneventful trek over to Mount Zealand, where I paused to savor the moment of number 21 on my list. A few swigs of Gatorade and a handful of goldfish later and I was once again on my way. Next stop: Guyot.
Breaking out of the treeline at Guyot brought little relief from the heat as there was barely any breeze and temperatures were just as high as they had been in the valley. At this point I began to feel the first indications of a headache coming on. Having no desire to relive my experience with heat exhaustion on the Kinsmans a few weeks ago I began gulping water from my camelbak to replenish what I been sweating out. Fortunately, the Guyot tentsite and its spring were not far away and I was able to use my water filter for the first time to refill my camelbak and top off my reserve water bottles. I remember thinking how the tentsite was much steeper than the flat little clearing I had imagined. The platforms were scattered about on a steep hillside with rockpiles to keep them level. After a brief conversation with the caretaker, Cody, I was once again on my way.
For some reason rest stops of more than a few minutes seem to do more than harm than good for me. Leaving Guyot I felt like my rhythm had been interuppted and I lagged up the spur trail back to the Bondcliff trail. The walk over to West Bond and back was a bit of a struggle as I tried to find my pace again. West Bond was interesting, with clouds socking in the view to the South and mostly clear skies to the North and the ridge forming a sharp dividing line between the two. Looking down the ridge to the other peaks of West Bond I wondered if any of them were actually a bit higher From my perspective it looked possible. I thought I could detect a faint herd path leading West from where I stood, but I didn’t bother to investigate it. A bushwhack down the West Bond ridge sounds like an interesting trip I’d like to try in the future.
Back on the Bondcliff trail I met up with fellow VFTTr, Yellowdog. We’d briefly encountered each other last weekend on Vose Spur, of all places. Feeling a little re-energized, I made good time up to Bond, which seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. Sharing the summit with me was another VFTT member, Dirt. We chatted for a while and took turns identifying the peaks around us. I soon bid him farewell and made my way over the rocky trail to Bondcliff. The trail skirts the edges of some of the cliffs and I was pleased that I was able to keep my cool and venture a little closer to the edge than I normally do. My last 4,000 footer of the day, Bondcliff was my favorite. Number 24, or halfway through the 48 almost exactly a year after I bagged my first peak on the list.
I knew it was all downhill from here, so I finished my snacks and followed the trail as it quickly dropped into the scrub off the back of Bondcliff. Thinking of the folks who ran the Pemi Loop a two weeks before I decided to try my hand at a little trail running. Some of the trail sections were gravely and smooth and I was able to keep a good pace for about a mile before I decided to conserve my energy for the rest of the long walk out. The lower section of the Bondcliff trail seemed to go on forever before I reached the Wilderness trail, which in turn seemed to always have yet another quarter mile of perfectly straight trail visible ahead after each bend. Though tired, I took some satisfaction in the fact that I was still able to reel in and pass the tourists I came across.
At 4 pm, with my knees talking to me, I made my way up the stairs to the Lincoln Woods parking lot and over to my car. Turns out, I had just enough water left to wash down my last mouthful of goldfish before the drive home. In all, I drank 6 liters of water in the 9 hours I’d been walking. All in all, a pleasant day in the mountains.
Shorty after I hit the Zealand Trail I realized I'd forgotten my trekking poles in my car, but by now it was too far late to retrieve them. I quickly resigned myself to hiking without them for my longest trek thus far, 19.5 miles with 3,700 feet of elevation gain. I found the Zealand trail to be mostly flat and easy with good footing and I made good time, reaching the hut in slightly over an hour. I feel this is a nice approach to a long day; it makes for a good warm up through some open woods and swampy areas that are beautiful in the morning light.
I paused briefly at the Zealand hut to replenish my water, munch a small snack, and snap a few pictures before pressing on. From here the trail was much rockier and began to gain some elevation. At this point the temperature began to rise and the humidity made its presence known. Sweat began to coat my arms and sting my eyes. About 40 minutes after leaving the hut I arrived at an empty Zeacliff. Though the skys were a bit on the hazy side, I enjoyed the breeze and views of Mount Carrigain in solitude while I rested for a few moments.
After leaving Zeacliff I had an uneventful trek over to Mount Zealand, where I paused to savor the moment of number 21 on my list. A few swigs of Gatorade and a handful of goldfish later and I was once again on my way. Next stop: Guyot.
Breaking out of the treeline at Guyot brought little relief from the heat as there was barely any breeze and temperatures were just as high as they had been in the valley. At this point I began to feel the first indications of a headache coming on. Having no desire to relive my experience with heat exhaustion on the Kinsmans a few weeks ago I began gulping water from my camelbak to replenish what I been sweating out. Fortunately, the Guyot tentsite and its spring were not far away and I was able to use my water filter for the first time to refill my camelbak and top off my reserve water bottles. I remember thinking how the tentsite was much steeper than the flat little clearing I had imagined. The platforms were scattered about on a steep hillside with rockpiles to keep them level. After a brief conversation with the caretaker, Cody, I was once again on my way.
For some reason rest stops of more than a few minutes seem to do more than harm than good for me. Leaving Guyot I felt like my rhythm had been interuppted and I lagged up the spur trail back to the Bondcliff trail. The walk over to West Bond and back was a bit of a struggle as I tried to find my pace again. West Bond was interesting, with clouds socking in the view to the South and mostly clear skies to the North and the ridge forming a sharp dividing line between the two. Looking down the ridge to the other peaks of West Bond I wondered if any of them were actually a bit higher From my perspective it looked possible. I thought I could detect a faint herd path leading West from where I stood, but I didn’t bother to investigate it. A bushwhack down the West Bond ridge sounds like an interesting trip I’d like to try in the future.
Back on the Bondcliff trail I met up with fellow VFTTr, Yellowdog. We’d briefly encountered each other last weekend on Vose Spur, of all places. Feeling a little re-energized, I made good time up to Bond, which seemed like a good place to stop for lunch. Sharing the summit with me was another VFTT member, Dirt. We chatted for a while and took turns identifying the peaks around us. I soon bid him farewell and made my way over the rocky trail to Bondcliff. The trail skirts the edges of some of the cliffs and I was pleased that I was able to keep my cool and venture a little closer to the edge than I normally do. My last 4,000 footer of the day, Bondcliff was my favorite. Number 24, or halfway through the 48 almost exactly a year after I bagged my first peak on the list.
I knew it was all downhill from here, so I finished my snacks and followed the trail as it quickly dropped into the scrub off the back of Bondcliff. Thinking of the folks who ran the Pemi Loop a two weeks before I decided to try my hand at a little trail running. Some of the trail sections were gravely and smooth and I was able to keep a good pace for about a mile before I decided to conserve my energy for the rest of the long walk out. The lower section of the Bondcliff trail seemed to go on forever before I reached the Wilderness trail, which in turn seemed to always have yet another quarter mile of perfectly straight trail visible ahead after each bend. Though tired, I took some satisfaction in the fact that I was still able to reel in and pass the tourists I came across.
At 4 pm, with my knees talking to me, I made my way up the stairs to the Lincoln Woods parking lot and over to my car. Turns out, I had just enough water left to wash down my last mouthful of goldfish before the drive home. In all, I drank 6 liters of water in the 9 hours I’d been walking. All in all, a pleasant day in the mountains.
I have to go back and get those views from Zeacliff, they look fantastic even with the haze.
