Zealand / Bonds - Out and back, or traverse? ...for our 48 4K finish!

So...the day is finally upon us.

Henry and I will (probably) hike on Friday to complete our 48 4Ks...and we've saved the best for last -- Zealand and Bonds!

We're planning to start at Zealand Road, hit the Hut to reload on water, then do Zeacliff > Zealand Mountain > West Bond > Mount Bond > Bondcliff.

The question is...is the 9 miles to Lincoln Woods an absolute bore? Should we reverse direction back the way we came, in lieu of the 1,200 or so MORE of elevation gain? If guess if we reverse direction, we could save West Bond for last too...

The distances are virtually the same...would love anyone's opinions on pros vs. cons for each.

Also -- besides the AMC shuttle -- is there any shuttle / taxi service, if we go through to Lincoln Woods and can't find a ride? We've always done loops and out 'n back hikes...this is the first time we'll have to get a ride...any input there would be much appreciated too!

Thanks!

JW

I've done the out and back from Zealand Road. It was no fun having to climb back up Bond from Bondcliff, negotiate the boulders between Guyot & Zealand, and descend from Zeacliff to the hut. At that point in the day I would have been happy to just directly descend and walk the admittedly mind-numbing distance to a car at Lincoln Woods. So it's just my opinion but I'd prefer the traverse over the out and back. Bring a filter or steri-pen and you can get water for the final walkout either along the descent or if dry then when you hit the formerly-known-as-the-Wilderness-Trail.

Jeff&Henry said:

Also -- besides the AMC shuttle -- is there any shuttle / taxi service, if we go through to Lincoln Woods and can't find a ride?

Click to expand...

Shuttle Connection Hiker Rates is the only shuttle I know ... not cheap but, IMHO, beats the killer ascents on the way back if you choose an out and back.

Traverse! Bondcliff is a fine location to finish. The walk out is pretty good, if somewhat boring, with decent footing. To add to Michael J's comment - don't expect water for the first two crossings of Black Brook on the way out.

Tim

I'd suggest doing Bondcliff last then heading out through the Pemi, just to mix it up. Maybe hike Zealand then head to Guyot, stay there, do West Bond that night for sunset, then in the morning do Bond in the dark (leave Guyot at around 3:15 or so) for a Bondcliff sunrise.

The hike from Bondcliff down to the river is a great hike. It's the last five miles out that's a bore. Actually the first couple of miles on the wilderness trail aren't that bad, it just gets to you after a while. But by that point you realize you're almost to your car and that keeps you going and while boring, it is an easy walk out with no real difficulties if you should be overtaken by night.

If you're going to do it in a day, traverse. I'd have to think that you could find a good Samaritan to help with a car spot for such a glorious finish. The other option is a backpack.Staying at Guyot and then doing some combination of the Bonds (without packs) on either day one or day two and then heading back out to Zealand works well (as we discovered last week). The best benefit of this approach is the opportunity to be on West Bond (or Bond) for sunset. Whichever way you choose, best of luck!! Look forward to reading the final trip report.

The Wilderness Trail under a (nearly) full moon with snow under one's feet is actually quite pleasant.

Tim

The traverse is the way to go. The hike out from Bondcliff goes by quickly.

Traverse

I just did Gale River to Lincoln Woods and the way is clear. "It's all downhill" from the Twinway/Bondcliff Trail junction. There is no comparison from a strictly hiking standpoint. Going back up to Bond from Bondcliff is tough. The walk out is boring, but that's different from hard. Transportation might change to balance, but Henry will be happier with a shuttle ride than a hike back up....

I'd say traverse as well, Bondcliff makes for an awesome finish! The 9 miles out isn't so bad, but can get tedious nearer to the end.

Another option is to hang a left onto the Wilderness Trail, take Shoal Pond Trail, Ethan Pond Trail back to Zealand Trail back to the parking lot.

The walk is pleasant, the water is plentiful, and it's not a terrible elevation gain from the low point on the Wilderness Trail to the high point on Shoal Pond Trail.

You might consider doing the traverse from the other direction - going from south to north - if there's any chance of t-storms that day. By doing it in that direction, it gets you off the peaks early in the day. You could also refill at Zealand Hut for the final 3 miles or so. It's also mentally easier to do the less interesting trails early in the day, while you're anticipating the great views on Bondcliff, Bond and Guyot.

In winter, I prefer the north->south direction.

wardsgirl said:

Another option is to hang a left onto the Wilderness Trail, take Shoal Pond Trail, Ethan Pond Trail back to Zealand Trail back to the parking lot.

The walk is pleasant, the water is plentiful, and it's not a terrible elevation gain from the low point on the Wilderness Trail to the high point on Shoal Pond Trail.

Click to expand...

But the bridge is gone :-(

Hiker Shuttle

Earlier this summer I got an early morning shuttle from LW to Zealand TH from Bill, Mountain Courier Shuttle, 207-329-6433. $40 for me and the dog. Bill's a super nice guy, highly recommended. If you shuttle in the morning then you wind up back at your car at the end of the hike, so no worries about keeping a schedule.

You could try finding someone to swap cars with & then do a key swap hike, each traverse in one direction, meet in the middle & get your keys back and hike to your car. (You do have find someone you trust some)

Been over a few times, The walk from Guyot out outside of Zeacliff and the view from Zealand Hut isn't much better than the wilderness walk.

Traverse!

Traverse - it is really an easy walk after you get off Bondcliff...you will have 48 peaks to discuss -which is only 5.33 per mile. You basically have a choice of doing a 20 mile hike with no elevation for the last 9 miles, or having plenty of elevation gain in the last 9 miles!

sapblatt said:

Traverse - it is really an easy walk after you get off Bondcliff...you will have 48 peaks to discuss -which is only 5.33 per mile. You basically have a choice of doing a 20 mile hike with no elevation for the last 9 miles, or having plenty of elevation gain in the last 9 miles!

Click to expand...

To reverse direction after Bondcliff, my gps log said it would only be 1100 ft of elevation to go back up to Zealand Rd. This is broken up into two sections with the majority being Bond. In the grand scheme of things, that isn't a lot, but at the halfway point of an already long hike, it could be more than you want. I did a traverse when I finished on these peaks even though I planned an out and back. I think partly due to hot weather, I wasn't feeling good and couldn't keep food down. I was getting tired and knew the gain back up would be hard. Walking out to Lincoln Woods wasn't bad even when tired, I just needed a ride back to my truck and didn't know of the shuttle service. I plan on repeating this hike as an out and back on a cooler day.