| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Ethan Pond Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur, Zeacliff Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, July 27, 2019 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
There were already probably about a dozen cars parked at the bottom of the road at 9:15am Saturday morning so I didn’t bother checking to see if the upper lot had spots and just pulled off the side of the road down low and walked the 0.3mi. Kinda wished up driven up and pulled off up at the trailhead though as there was plenty of room to do so. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Surprisingly, the only crossing on this hike that isn’t a trivial little trickle or bridged is the crossing of Whitewall Brook. This crossing, while somewhat deep even today, was easy due to large, well placed rocks to hop across on :) Water would have to be very high to cover this large boulders up! That said, the crossing would likely be dangerous long before that as a slip off of one of these boulders would mean a fall into water several feet deep. Today it was probably only 1-2ft deep. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
I felt that all the trails were in good shape. All trails were pretty clear and very easy to follow even if there wasn’t always much blaze. Some brush intrudes on Ethan Pond but it’s not bad at all. I only explicitly recall one blowdown; if I remember correctly it was on Zeacliff Trail right around the crossing of Whitewall Brook. It was a somewhat high step over but no problem. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Only ones I saw were at Zealand Hut and later ascended Zealand. One of the two barked at some hikers that passed. The owner was paying attention and on top of it but considering the dog barked and came towards me, it seems like he really should have either had the dog either on a leash or better trained in voice command. |
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 | Bugs: |
Saw a few but none biting in the morning. I really started to notice them on my way out the Ethan Pond Trail in the evening when my body was really spent so I couldn’t outrun them. At that point, I had mosquitos and black flies biting me (not very numerous at least). The face bugs were also out. Only bug that bit me earlier in the day was a deer fly or two. |
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 | Lost and Found: |
None |
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 | Comments: |
Ethan Pond Trail —> Twinway over Zealand Falls Hut and Mount Zealand hitting Zealand spur and Zealand Falls Spur —> Zeacliff Trail —> Ethan Pond Trail.
What a great way to approach Zealand! I really loved Ethan Pond Trail. Mostly flat with good footing. The hardest part of the trail is the part towards Willey that everyone is on. After it branches off it continues to climb moderately for a bit and then levels off. While seldom travelled by day hikers in the Whites, it’s part of the AT and thus is still well trafficked in the summer. Sort of the perfect combination in my opinion as the trail isn’t overcrowded but is still in good shape (not too brushy, hard to follow, and not many blowdowns) as it still sees plenty of traffic.
All that said, this is still a GRUELING hike. I’ve hiked 20+ miles many times and for some reason this hike nearly killed me on the way out (thank god it was mostly flat). This hike clocked in just under 20 miles with over 4000ft of elevationn gain. Ethan Pond Trail is a breeze but the section of Twinway to Zealand while not exceptionally steep or anything or are doing after you’ve already walked 7+ miles. Then descending Zeacliff Trail was of course painful. Some do not recommend this trail for descent but I opted to go down and just scoot down on my but on the one tough scramble. My knees were absolutely done after this which made even the Ethan Pond Trail feel like hell afterwards. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before ascending or descending Zeacliff Trail.
While I woods and rivers/brooks of Ethan Pond Trail were also lovely, I think my favorite part was when you come out into the open below the cliffs of Whitewall and have a view over towards Zealand. This is a very unique spot in the Whites. I can’t think of any other place that is similar to it.
This was a great day to hit these trails as we haven’t had rain in a long time and water levels were low and the mud was much better than I’m sure it usually is along Ethan Pond Trail. I very much look forward to coming to this area again to do the loop around Thoreau Falls and Shoal Pond and explore the Ethan Pond tentsite. |
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 | Name: |
Liam Cooney |
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 | E-Mail: |
liamcooney96@gmail.com |
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| Date Submitted: |
2019-07-28 |
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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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