BIGEarl
Well-known member
December 28, 2011: Zealand – Bonds Traverse
Trails: Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Zealand Mountain, Mount Guyot, West Bond, Mt. Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Joe, Michael, and me
Our hike prep included a lot of discussion on the day preceding the hike concerning the forecasts from the National Weather Service. I wanted everybody informed of the possible conditions.
The National Weather Service White Mountains Summit Forecast for the day showed:
For elevations between 2500 and 4000 feet:
.WEDNESDAY...CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS OR SLEET IN THE
MORNING. A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. WEST
WINDS AROUND 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH INCREASING TO AROUND
50 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT. WIND CHILL VALUES AS LOW AS 13 BELOW IN
THE AFTERNOON.
The forecast for elevations above 4000 feet showed higher winds and lower temperatures.
When it came down to a go/no-go decision we all agreed to do the hike.
As planned, we spotted a vehicle at Lincoln Woods and met at the trailhead lot on Route 302 in Twin Mountain for a north – south hike of the route. The target on-trail time was 5:30 – 6:00am and at 6:00am we were hiking.
The initial part of the day included a road walk on the closed-for-the-winter Zealand Road. That’s an extra ~3.7 miles we really didn’t need but it’s also a good warm-up for the day. Other than the usual stops to adjust layers, etc. it was generally a straight shot to the summer trailhead. After a quick break and a couple pictures we headed out Zealand Trail to the Zealand Falls Hut.
The early conditions were wet! There was water everywhere. The ~3 inches of snow on the ground was generally slush. The pond area below the hut has water ~2 feet above the previous surface ice. The streams are running very high right now and we found some sections of trail that were flooded. Zealand Falls are running wild! One particular area of flooding near the hut required a bushwhack upstream to find a workable crossing point. This flooded area was at the pond below the hut.
While investigating our options to get past the high water, Sue and I headed back a short distance to see about an area with a side trail that appeared tracked out. As we approached the tracked out area I noticed fresh tracks in our tracks. Then I noticed the surface of the pond was disturbed. Sue and I looked closely and eventually he appeared. It was easily the largest beaver I have ever seen. This guy eventually swam to the edge of the pond, came up out of the water, and sat on shore chewing the bark off a stick while watching our moves. I wish there was a Volkswagen nearby for a size comparison. Nice entertainment.
Joe and Michael had found a crossing point and continued to the hut, after the wildlife break we soon followed. On the way past the east side of pond we could see the high water pouring over Zealand Falls. What a sight! We splashed our way to the hut and stopped for a break.
After our hut visit we continued on our way. We were following a couple pairs of tracks already out ahead of us. The first obstacle after leaving the hut was crossing the top of Zealand Falls. It wasn’t too bad but the ice bridge on the larger crossing appears a little questionable. Next came the climb to Zeacliff; ~1 mile, ~1250 feet in elevation, and lots of sweat. I expected this to be the area where we all went with MicroSpikes. In fact, Sue and Joe put on the traction but Michael and I continued to bare boot the hike. With the cloudy and snowy conditions we didn’t even bother wandering out to the viewpoint – there weren’t any. We grabbed a couple trail pictures and continued for Zealand.
Soon we met one of the people that were leaving the tracks, and eventually we met the other. Evidently, they were both hiking from the Hut to Zealand. From Zeacliff the snow depth increased to ~8 – 10 inches; not really enough for snowshoes. Except for some limited drifts this was the usual snow cover from Zeacliff to well past Bondcliff. The exposed area from north of Guyot to Bondcliff was windblown and except for a couple sheltered areas snow depth wasn’t a problem at all; it was the ice.
We made our way to the Zealand summit spur, took the turn, and walked to the summit sign. After a couple quick pictures for evidence we were on our way to the real fun for the day. From Zealand onward there were no tracked out areas and we were breaking trail for the remainder of the hike (except Wilderness Trail – it’s already broken beyond repair). Before leaving Zealand I asked the others about wind noise. I was sure we would be in it soon.
We set off breaking the trail to the treeline north of Guyot. We were dealing with a usual 8 – 10 inches of powder with some areas of weak crust. It was tiring and we all took our turn in the lead. We reached the last pitch to the exposed area and I stopped to pull out some layers. Michael looked at me and asked “It’s time?”. I pointed to the section ahead and commented “That’s the final pitch to the exposed section”. Everybody pulled out head gear, additional jackets, and warmer hand gear. We were generally ready for tough conditions on The Bonds.
I led the final climb to the treeline and had a real tough time doing it. There were many more stops than usual. I got winded, frustrated (more than once), and a couple times really upset with myself, but I stayed in front and kept climbing. Toward the area where the trail breaks out of the scrub the wind noise was at a level that even I could hear. A few yards short of full exposure the wind hit us while we were still in the trail corridor. The exit from the trail corridor was plugged with drifts in the range of knee to hip deep.
Immediately after leaving the shelter of the trail, we stopped and out came the goggles. For some stupid reason, I didn’t bring mine (forgot them at home). Goggles would have been nice.
We’re having fun now!
We had strong wind from the northwest, and Twinway headed to Bondcliff Trail is pointed northwest. We were walking straight into the wind and blowing snow, and blowing ice crystals. Try getting hit in the eyes with ~50 mph (and gusting much higher) of that stuff – it really hurts. I knew once we made it to Bondcliff Trail the route direction would change and the wind would be somewhat on our backs. I kept watching for cairns on Bondcliff Trail. As soon as I saw one I left Twinway and cut the corner. It wasn’t a lot of relief but even a little helps.
The climb to Guyot was interesting. We found an increased amount of ice, much of it covered with loose windblown snow. Watch your step at all times. Additionally, the wind was very gusty (probably 70 – 80 mph, at times like this a handheld weather station would be fun). We all had our hands full just staying upright. I wish there was a video of the climb. Everybody was leaned over to the right trying to compensate for the wind and be prepared for the next gust. I don’t think any of us said a word on this section. We all knew relief was on the other side of Guyot in the scrub and that became our next objective. We all cleared Guyot and continued to the sheltered trail ahead. After a brief stop to regroup and make some observations on the conditions we were back underway and headed to the West Bond Spur with Joe leading the way.
This section was noisy from the wind but very sheltered. We had a good climb to West Bond Spur, briefly stopped at the junction, and Joe continued to lead the way. This is the section of the hike where things happen fast. Up to this point we had hiked for a little over eight hours and only had one 4K summit on our scorecards. The next three were packed together in next couple hours of hike. West Bond Spur is only .5 miles leading to the summit. It didn’t take long for us to reach West Bond, get the usual summit pictures, and because of the conditions – leave. We made the u-turn and returned to Bondcliff Trail. From there it’s only ~.5 miles to the summit of Bond. Michael took the lead and broke out the trail leading to Mount Bond. At this point it’s late in the day, it’s been a tough hike, and we’re all probably a little low on energy. The hike to Mount Bond was slow but determined.
We reached Bond, got our pictures, and the wind kicked us out. In a matter of a few minutes we were leaving Bond with Sue taking the lead, and enjoying the shelter of the scrub near the summit. Unfortunately, we reached the far side of the scrub and went back to full exposure, high gusty wind, blowing snow and ice. Sue and Joe are still on light traction, Michael and I are still bare booting the hike. Daylight is fading fast. Roughly half way to Bondcliff we stopped to pull out the headlights. We all knew this one would end under the lights but I always hope to be past Bondcliff before needing the headlights.
Bondcliff is an icy gauntlet right now. Everywhere is hard ice, some fully exposed, some hidden under windblown snow, and all very treacherous. We carefully made our way toward the summit. At one point Michael lost his footing and slid across a large section of ledge and over the side. Fortunately, we were staying well back from the edge. Everything was ice. Michael went down a couple more times, and then I went down a couple more times. Finally, I took off my pack and got out the MicroSpikes. Michael did the same. Both of us decided we were going to finish this one standing up.
continued........
Trails: Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Wilderness Trail
Summits: Zealand Mountain, Mount Guyot, West Bond, Mt. Bond, Bondcliff
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Joe, Michael, and me
Our hike prep included a lot of discussion on the day preceding the hike concerning the forecasts from the National Weather Service. I wanted everybody informed of the possible conditions.
The National Weather Service White Mountains Summit Forecast for the day showed:
For elevations between 2500 and 4000 feet:
.WEDNESDAY...CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS OR SLEET IN THE
MORNING. A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS IN THE LOWER 30S. WEST
WINDS AROUND 40 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH INCREASING TO AROUND
50 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 80 MPH IN THE AFTERNOON. CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT. WIND CHILL VALUES AS LOW AS 13 BELOW IN
THE AFTERNOON.
The forecast for elevations above 4000 feet showed higher winds and lower temperatures.
When it came down to a go/no-go decision we all agreed to do the hike.
As planned, we spotted a vehicle at Lincoln Woods and met at the trailhead lot on Route 302 in Twin Mountain for a north – south hike of the route. The target on-trail time was 5:30 – 6:00am and at 6:00am we were hiking.
The initial part of the day included a road walk on the closed-for-the-winter Zealand Road. That’s an extra ~3.7 miles we really didn’t need but it’s also a good warm-up for the day. Other than the usual stops to adjust layers, etc. it was generally a straight shot to the summer trailhead. After a quick break and a couple pictures we headed out Zealand Trail to the Zealand Falls Hut.
The early conditions were wet! There was water everywhere. The ~3 inches of snow on the ground was generally slush. The pond area below the hut has water ~2 feet above the previous surface ice. The streams are running very high right now and we found some sections of trail that were flooded. Zealand Falls are running wild! One particular area of flooding near the hut required a bushwhack upstream to find a workable crossing point. This flooded area was at the pond below the hut.
While investigating our options to get past the high water, Sue and I headed back a short distance to see about an area with a side trail that appeared tracked out. As we approached the tracked out area I noticed fresh tracks in our tracks. Then I noticed the surface of the pond was disturbed. Sue and I looked closely and eventually he appeared. It was easily the largest beaver I have ever seen. This guy eventually swam to the edge of the pond, came up out of the water, and sat on shore chewing the bark off a stick while watching our moves. I wish there was a Volkswagen nearby for a size comparison. Nice entertainment.
Joe and Michael had found a crossing point and continued to the hut, after the wildlife break we soon followed. On the way past the east side of pond we could see the high water pouring over Zealand Falls. What a sight! We splashed our way to the hut and stopped for a break.
After our hut visit we continued on our way. We were following a couple pairs of tracks already out ahead of us. The first obstacle after leaving the hut was crossing the top of Zealand Falls. It wasn’t too bad but the ice bridge on the larger crossing appears a little questionable. Next came the climb to Zeacliff; ~1 mile, ~1250 feet in elevation, and lots of sweat. I expected this to be the area where we all went with MicroSpikes. In fact, Sue and Joe put on the traction but Michael and I continued to bare boot the hike. With the cloudy and snowy conditions we didn’t even bother wandering out to the viewpoint – there weren’t any. We grabbed a couple trail pictures and continued for Zealand.
Soon we met one of the people that were leaving the tracks, and eventually we met the other. Evidently, they were both hiking from the Hut to Zealand. From Zeacliff the snow depth increased to ~8 – 10 inches; not really enough for snowshoes. Except for some limited drifts this was the usual snow cover from Zeacliff to well past Bondcliff. The exposed area from north of Guyot to Bondcliff was windblown and except for a couple sheltered areas snow depth wasn’t a problem at all; it was the ice.
We made our way to the Zealand summit spur, took the turn, and walked to the summit sign. After a couple quick pictures for evidence we were on our way to the real fun for the day. From Zealand onward there were no tracked out areas and we were breaking trail for the remainder of the hike (except Wilderness Trail – it’s already broken beyond repair). Before leaving Zealand I asked the others about wind noise. I was sure we would be in it soon.
We set off breaking the trail to the treeline north of Guyot. We were dealing with a usual 8 – 10 inches of powder with some areas of weak crust. It was tiring and we all took our turn in the lead. We reached the last pitch to the exposed area and I stopped to pull out some layers. Michael looked at me and asked “It’s time?”. I pointed to the section ahead and commented “That’s the final pitch to the exposed section”. Everybody pulled out head gear, additional jackets, and warmer hand gear. We were generally ready for tough conditions on The Bonds.
I led the final climb to the treeline and had a real tough time doing it. There were many more stops than usual. I got winded, frustrated (more than once), and a couple times really upset with myself, but I stayed in front and kept climbing. Toward the area where the trail breaks out of the scrub the wind noise was at a level that even I could hear. A few yards short of full exposure the wind hit us while we were still in the trail corridor. The exit from the trail corridor was plugged with drifts in the range of knee to hip deep.
Immediately after leaving the shelter of the trail, we stopped and out came the goggles. For some stupid reason, I didn’t bring mine (forgot them at home). Goggles would have been nice.
We’re having fun now!
We had strong wind from the northwest, and Twinway headed to Bondcliff Trail is pointed northwest. We were walking straight into the wind and blowing snow, and blowing ice crystals. Try getting hit in the eyes with ~50 mph (and gusting much higher) of that stuff – it really hurts. I knew once we made it to Bondcliff Trail the route direction would change and the wind would be somewhat on our backs. I kept watching for cairns on Bondcliff Trail. As soon as I saw one I left Twinway and cut the corner. It wasn’t a lot of relief but even a little helps.
The climb to Guyot was interesting. We found an increased amount of ice, much of it covered with loose windblown snow. Watch your step at all times. Additionally, the wind was very gusty (probably 70 – 80 mph, at times like this a handheld weather station would be fun). We all had our hands full just staying upright. I wish there was a video of the climb. Everybody was leaned over to the right trying to compensate for the wind and be prepared for the next gust. I don’t think any of us said a word on this section. We all knew relief was on the other side of Guyot in the scrub and that became our next objective. We all cleared Guyot and continued to the sheltered trail ahead. After a brief stop to regroup and make some observations on the conditions we were back underway and headed to the West Bond Spur with Joe leading the way.
This section was noisy from the wind but very sheltered. We had a good climb to West Bond Spur, briefly stopped at the junction, and Joe continued to lead the way. This is the section of the hike where things happen fast. Up to this point we had hiked for a little over eight hours and only had one 4K summit on our scorecards. The next three were packed together in next couple hours of hike. West Bond Spur is only .5 miles leading to the summit. It didn’t take long for us to reach West Bond, get the usual summit pictures, and because of the conditions – leave. We made the u-turn and returned to Bondcliff Trail. From there it’s only ~.5 miles to the summit of Bond. Michael took the lead and broke out the trail leading to Mount Bond. At this point it’s late in the day, it’s been a tough hike, and we’re all probably a little low on energy. The hike to Mount Bond was slow but determined.
We reached Bond, got our pictures, and the wind kicked us out. In a matter of a few minutes we were leaving Bond with Sue taking the lead, and enjoying the shelter of the scrub near the summit. Unfortunately, we reached the far side of the scrub and went back to full exposure, high gusty wind, blowing snow and ice. Sue and Joe are still on light traction, Michael and I are still bare booting the hike. Daylight is fading fast. Roughly half way to Bondcliff we stopped to pull out the headlights. We all knew this one would end under the lights but I always hope to be past Bondcliff before needing the headlights.
Bondcliff is an icy gauntlet right now. Everywhere is hard ice, some fully exposed, some hidden under windblown snow, and all very treacherous. We carefully made our way toward the summit. At one point Michael lost his footing and slid across a large section of ledge and over the side. Fortunately, we were staying well back from the edge. Everything was ice. Michael went down a couple more times, and then I went down a couple more times. Finally, I took off my pack and got out the MicroSpikes. Michael did the same. Both of us decided we were going to finish this one standing up.
continued........
