Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, Mt. Guyot, West Bond, Mt. Bond, Bondcliff, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, April 22, 2018 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Plowed and plentiful |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Wet/Sticky |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
All bridged or rock hoppable |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Famous last words : It's Sunday of a gorgeous weekend. At least one other party will be doing the traverse. By the time we get to Bondcliff we will have seen at least a dozen others. Well...
Bare boots to Zealand Hut. No one had been above the hut so we donned snowshoes and broke ankle deep snow until down to the rail bed. Saw no one. The blazes are level with the top of the snow up high which would make corridor finding hard for the inexperienced. Between us we have walked these trails at least 40 times so the only place where we got off trail was a short bit near the Guyot campsite which, by good luck, meant we missed the blowdowns. The snow depth also means that the upper body is passing through ice and snow encrusted fir brush a lot of the day. Both annoying and very wetting. Wear eye protection.
The traverse down below the summit of Bondcliff is very treacherous because the new snow is not well bonded to the layer of sleet/rain/snow beneath. Consequently you suddenly slide off the trail into the woods on the downhill side. Our aggressive snow shoes were a huge help here. There were tracks from the shoeless in the stretch that looked like they had a miserable time. Check out a recent post for Carrigain for more of the same.
Heartfelt thanks to Wild Bill C., Gentleman Jack M. and Postal Patty for doing most of the hard work. I was just the bulk who came along behind and pressed it down. Serious clumping issues with the 'shoes by the way.
* Jack M was filling in for Larry Y. who is diagnosed with early onset of Gridiot Remorse. |
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 | Name: |
The Gang of Four:Postal P., Wild Bill C., Larry B., Jack M* |
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 | E-Mail: |
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 | Date Submitted: |
2018-04-22 |
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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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