|
Route Summary This is a two-day point-to-point backpack traversing Zealand Mountain, Mount Guyot, West Bond, Mount Bond, and Bondcliff. Although all five peaks are over 4,000 feet, Mount Guyot does not qualify for the 4000-footer list. All peaks, except for Zealand Mountain offer excellent views. Other great views are encountered along the way at Zealand Falls Hut, the Zeacliff Outlook, and some spots directly on the trail. The route also passes within a few strides of Zealand Pond and Zealand Falls and within 0.1 mile of Zeacliff Pond. Day 1: Zeacliff, Zealand, Guyot, and West Bond:
Day 2: Mt. Bond and Bondcliff:
Day 1: Zeacliff, Zealand, Guyot, and West Bond:
Daily Rating: Moderate Daily Elevation Gain: 3970 feet (cumulative) Daily Typical Hiking Time: 6:50 Daily Typical Outing Duration: 11:00 Day 2: Mt. Bond and Bondcliff:
Daily Rating: Easy/Moderate Daily Elevation Gain: 750 feet (cumulative) Daily Typical Hiking Time: 6:00 Daily Typical Outing Duration: 8:00 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Trail Guide
This two-day backpack covered over 20 miles and summited five peaks above 4,000 feet. The first day we started at Zealand Trail in Bethlehem, New Hampshire and summited Zealand Mountain, Mount Guyot, and West Bond. We stayed overnight at Guyot Campsite. The next day we hiked up Mount Bond and Bondcliff then completed the long trek out to Kancamagus Highway in Lincoln, New Hampshire. Since this is a long trip report, I've divided it into sections: Day 1: Zeacliff, Zealand, Guyot, and West Bond Day 1: Zeacliff, Zealand, Guyot, and West Bond In preparation for our two-day backpack, we headed up to the mountains Thursday afternoon, and after spotting a car in Lincoln Woods, went to Twin Mountain to camp. We got up later than expected Friday morning, had a quick breakfast and went off to the trail. We left the second vehicle with the wet tents draped all over and were on the trail by 8:00 a.m. Zealand Trail was very mellow except for the last 0.2 mile to Zealand Falls Hut. There were roots at the beginning, but otherwise it was fairly dry and easy. We met two folks along the trail – a man and his wife, both in their 80's. We left them at the hut and headed up towards Zeacliff. This was not as easy as the trail to the hut, but going slow and steady got us up the 1.2 miles in just under an hour. Not bad with 30-pound packs. Views were great, though it was quite hazy, with Mount Washington completely in the clouds. The heat and humidity were beginning to get to us. It was very sticky. After a quick snack we were off towards Mount Guyot. The first bog bridge seemed to be above water until it was stepped on and quickly sunk. We made it across with our boots mostly dry. The hike up to Zealand Mountain was steeper than we expected, with two tricky spots including a little scrambling and an additional area with a ladder that made that section much easier. Muddy trail conditions took some extra time. At the spur path (0.1 mile) leading to Zealand's summit we made the very muddy traverse. Nothing spectacular, no views, just a small wooden sign. Didn't even stop for pictures as there was a group of guys spread out. Back to the junction for a short break for lunch. From here to Guyot was rather uneventful. Black flies (gnats?) and horseflies were relentless. Neither of us had bug spray, but we probably wouldn't have used it if we did have it. At one point Cathie was fed up with the horsefly that was harassing her. She asked me to get rid of it. Unfortunately, it kept landing on her head, which made for some rather comical moments as I was smacking her, but the fly seemed to get away each time. At this point we did meet one of the five people we saw all day on that trail. He swore he saw nothing. Hmmm... Continuing with the hike, there were some open ledges providing glimpses of views along the way but for the most part we were completely within the trees. We finally arrived at the above-treeline view of the trail over to the open summit of Guyot. By this time we were soaked with sweat. The humidity seemed to be getting worse. From there it was a short 0.7 mile to the spur path for the shelter and tent platforms at Guyot Campsite. That 0.2 mile down to the shelter was tough after the previous eight. We arrived around 3:00 p.m. Ryan, the caretaker, was around doing trail work and told us there were still one or two open platforms and room in the shelter. He said the water from the spring is not tested so we might want to filter or treat it. He also suggested a sunset hike up to West Bond. HA HA. He described the trail as "mellow" and the uphill portion as "insignificant." All things relative, we figure Ryan is about 23 and lives to hike. Being more than twice his age (me, and Cathie not far behind), we wondered at his choice of adjectives. For the time being, we opted for the last open platform rather than the shelter. We quickly set up our tent and bivy before the bugs got too bad. We got water, treated it with iodine tablets and then a phase two neutralizer that worked like magic; cleared both the iodine taste and color. We lounged for a bit, let the sweat dry, (did I mention it was humid?) had dinner, (dehydrated for us both. Cathie loved her lasagna. My curried chicken didn't sit well in my stomach. Ugh!) and decided to get to West Bond that night rather than start the next day with it. The 0.2 mile back up to the main trail was arduous and seemed much longer than when we'd come down, but we made it. It was discouraging on the West Bond spur path to be going downhill for so long. It's a 0.5-mile long spur, and it seemed like we went down for 0.45 mile and then finally up only for the very last section. There is a bit of a hand-over-hand scramble to the top of a very small summit, but we made it. Mellow and insignificant it was not! The views, however, were spectacular, especially with the late day sun on the Bondcliffs. We left before we had to use headlamps for our return trek and hit the sack early. Neither of us sleeps well while camping, but I did enjoy the brilliance of the stars and crescent moon. Day 2: Mt. Bond and Bondcliff Up with the sun, choked down breakfast, packed up and hit the trail for the hike up, over and out. We were glad we'd done West Bond the prior night as our legs were feeling it from yesterday's 9.7 miles. The first section up to Mount Bond tested our legs some more and we were both wondering what the heck we were thinking with all that weight on our backs, with the sweat already dripping because – you guessed it – it was humid. Before we knew it though, we were on the summit of Bond with great views. Us and about 3 billion bugs. It was crazy, hazy and hot so we made quick work of it and headed down into the trees for the traverse over to Bondcliff. Footing was tricky along this section until we began the uphill trek but it was well worth the effort. It was nice to be looking across Owl's Head Mountain to the backsides of Mounts Lincoln, Lafayette and Garfield, where we'd been a few weeks earlier. Five major peaks (four that count on 4000-footer list) within 20 hours. Wooo Hooo!! We took a break here, met a man and his son from Portsmouth who were heading out the same way but needed a lift back to the Zealand trailhead where they'd left their only car. They were in luck – we were headed back that way and offered them a ride. They hiked a bit faster than us, but since it was either us or sticking out their thumbs, I think they were happy to wait at the bottom. At first it was a relief to be off the summit and into the trees, but after a while the mud really got tricky and it was time consuming placing each footstep. Side-stepping into the trees was a test with the branches pulling on the backpacks. By the time we got to Wilderness Trail, 4.4 miles later, we were pretty tired and ready to be done; but we had almost 5 miles left. Some say that last stretch is boring; we were just glad it was flat. The packs didn't seem to be getting any lighter despite the fact that I'd finished off most of my 50+ ounces of water. We stopped for lunch at the Pemigewasset River (East Branch) and soaked our tired feet then hit the trail once more for the last stage. We made those five miles in good time, under two hours. 9.7 miles the first day, 11.2 the second – more than we usually hike but well worth the effort. |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Driving Directions
The starting point for this hike is the Zealand Trailhead, located in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. The endpoint is the Lincoln Woods Trailhead, located in Lincoln, New Hampshire. Zealand Trailhead From the East:
From the West:
Lincoln Woods Trailhead From Rt. 16:
From I-93:
Winter: Zealand Road is closed to vehicular travel during the winter, although hikers and skiers are welcome to use it. Snowmobile trails also intersect the road in a couple spots. There is a large winter parking lot on Route 302, 0.2 mile east of Zealand Road. Parking here instead of at the far end of Zealand Road adds 3.7 miles and 500 feet of elevation gain to the hike. Check out the White Mountain National Forest's road status page for the most up-to-date information on road closures. Facilities
Other Notes WMNF Recreational Pass A parking permit is required to park at White Mountain National Forest trailheads and parking areas. You can purchase a WMNF permit from the forest service and other vendors and can also pay-by-the-day using self-service kiosks located in many parking areas. For more information on parking passes please refer to the White Mountain National Forest website. Rates:
More Zealand, Zeacliff, Guyot, Bonds Trail Reports
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Website by LeapfrogProgramming.com
© 1998-2025
|