| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, October 28, 2017 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
parking was slightly empty when we arrived around 6:30am but VERY full when we left at 2:30pm |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Wet Trail, Wet/Slippery Rock, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Most water crossings had bridges. At the base near the pond there was a significant amount of water on the trail with no real way to avoid it. Other areas when you cross the water level was fairly high, there is ways around it but could be questionable to the amount of rain to come. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Bridges around the Zeacliff sink when you step on them, not all of them but there are a few that if you aren't paying attention you will find yourself in some deep muddy waters. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
saw a few dogs. Plenty of water for them. |
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 | Bugs: |
none |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Great cold hike, definitely not as cold as it could have been but there were some extraordinarily windy spots. The trail was VERY Wet and saturated with water throughout the entire hike. There were a few rainy days beforehand that probably didn't make it better.
One thing I noticed no one really mentions is how many bridges there are, I counted over 90 from the beginning of the trail to the summit of Zealand. Most are after the hut. Nothing wrong with the amount of bridges but based on the other peaks I have hiked it was the most I had ever seen. The bridges around the Zeacliff outlook are loose and SINK when you step on them. There are parts of mud that are pretty much unavoidable, jumping with a heavy pack is pretty exhausting lol.
We actually started before sunrise so we had to use our headlamps for the first 40 minutes or so which was pretty cool. The bridges around the pond area were a bit icy but nothing crazy. We did experience a moose on the trail, luckily it looked like we spooked him more than he did us and we saw him run off into the marshy area.
The trail was a bit busy especially on our way back. Overall a fun hike, obviously with how wet the trail is it is very slippery especially the logs. No bug issues thanks to the temperature, I would imagine it would be pretty miserable during summer with how much water is around. Beautiful trail, definitely would fall hike this again maybe even early spring when the snow has begun to melt.
side note we did get chased down the mountain for a little bit by a bird, definitely a 1st and hopefully the last |
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 | Name: |
Sammy |
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 | E-Mail: |
theantinoros at gmail .com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2017-10-30 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense. |
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