| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
Parked at the winter lot for Zealand Rd off US 302 (this is a mere 0.2 miles from Zealand Rd). Lot was plowed. Very large. No fee. There is a kiosk but it pertains to the snowmobile corridor. No privy. |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Most crossings on Zealand Trl are bridged with human made bridges. There are two crossings that are not but we’re extremely shallow today. I just trudged across in snowshoes. There are a few crossings on Twinway with the most notable being the two just above the hut. These are well bridged with firm ice bridges and thick, thick snow. I simply walked across them in my snowshoes. |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Two new blow downs on Twinway. The first very large tree is not far above the hut. The second is soon after the ladder and requires the hiker to crawl under. Someone has removed branches to help prevent impalement. |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
If they can take deep snow, let ‘em have it. The ladder on Twinway would not have been an issue with snow packing between the rungs. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Route:
Out and back on Zealand Rd > Zealand Trail > Twinway.
Zealand Rd: this morning I used snowshoes as there was a substantial amount of snow on the road (8-10 inches). There were multiple tracks including bare boots, cross country skis, and a somewhat blown in snowshoe trough. This afternoon the road had been plowed to the Bethlehem Water reservoir. So, bare boots were best coming down.
Zealand Trail: well blazed in blue. Some traffic helping to break out the trail to the hut. But there is still a mix of bare boots and snowshoes making the emerging trench choppy and slower going. Snowshoes worked best for me. Snow was too deep for anything else. Snow was a lovely powder texture that didn’t stick to the shoes. Hut open today, water, hot water, coffee and tea available- water is free. Bathrooms. Caretaker told me a group came through from Hale yesterday (what I could see of Lend-a-Hand was broken out by snowshoes). So, for the spike users I caution that the trench has not been established. Spikes will not help and will likely annoy the snowshoer coming behind you trying to help build those Whites winter trails we love so much (and can race over in spikes once “built”).
Twinway: this is the AT and is blazed in standard white blazes. Not broken out. *Sigh* But my snowshoes were pumped at the opportunity to lay some sweet winter trail! It is barely broken out now. The snow was so thick I hardly made a dent. BUT, if you want to get out there this week, I broke trail all the way to Zealand summit (including the summit spur). My track is still unconsolidated and will take several more pairs of snowshoes to get a trough going. Snow was DEEP, 20-28 inches. Nice powdery snow, though. I cleared off the ladder as best I could to make rungs visible. I was able to go up & down the ladder in snowshoes just fine. No ice encountered under the thick snow blanket. I wisely wore a shirt with a hood as I got so much snow dumped on me from branches leaning into the trail. It took an inordinate amount of time to break Trail while ascending, much less time descending though you will see several body prints where I totally and completely wiped out on unseen boulders under the snow. |
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 | Name: |
Remington34 |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2022-12-20 |
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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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