Zealand 1/28

[mtnpa]

Mtnmama's crazy friend donna planned to bag Zealand on Saturday. She was going solo, so I shuffled my plans and went along. We started up the road at 7:15 under clear skies. The road was skiable, but we had to pick our spots. I have new ski boots so I had to stop a couple of times in the first two miles to tend to impending blisters. The second break was at the Mt Hale parking area. Here we met a man who was dropping his skis to head up Hale. About a half mile up the Zealand Trail there wasn't much snow. Our ski trek was over. The short flat hike to the hut was very pleasant in the morning sun. At the hut we stopped for a short rest and a snack. We talked with Adam the caretaker about conditions further up. The climb up the Twinway went quickly with occasional breaks to catch our breath. Breaking out of the forest at Zeacliff we were greeted by blue skies and spectacular views. We were out of the wind and in the sun. Along the ridge we traveled through light drifted snow. Soon we reached the steep ascent to the top of Zealand. Many spots in this short stretch were very icy. I made it up OK, but I definitely needed crampons to get down. We went slowly back across the ridge enjoying the occasional views on the way. We dropped quickly down to the hut, crossing paths with three hikers on their way up to the cliffs. At the hut we rested and snacked while several people checked in. From the hut back to the road is one of the more enjoyable sections of hiking anywhere. We passed a few groups on their way to the hut then would see no one until we reached the highway. Additional melting caused ski conditions to deteriorate duing the day. Skiing out went faster than it seemed to my tired body. We reached the car shortly after five where we were met by JohnS. We went back to the Mountain House for pizza and beer

 

[John S]

Nice report. Sounds like a long day but it was a great day to be outside. I had a good time at the Mountain House Saturday night and managed to get Field and Willey in before the snow started on Sunday. I hope you beat the snow on Sunday – it was really slow going almost to Concord.