Summits: Zealand (4,260'), Guyot (4,580'), West Bond (4,540'), Mount Bond (4,698'), Bondcliff (4,265')
Trail route: Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zeacliff Spur, Zealand Spur, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Lincoln Woods Trail
Trail conditions: Mostly dry with a few patches of mud and wetness
Weather: Cool start warming up with comfortable temps throughout the hike with lots of blue sky and sunshine
Total miles: 19.5
Total time: 11:00
I needed one more hike to grid out this month meaning I will have hiked all 48 4,000 footers in July. I would be joining Jim, Scott and Lisa for this traverse and later Jill would join us for the hike out to Lincoln Woods. I had already done Zealand Mountain in July but the traverse was shorter than an out and back to just the Bonds. The following is a timeline of the hike.
Friday
8:00 PM - Met Scott and Lisa at our camping spot.
Saturday
4:15 AM - Jim met us at our camping spot.
4:45 AM - Spotted vehicles and drove over to Zealand trailhead.
5:30 AM - Started our hike on the Zealand Trail with 19.5 miles and 5 summits ahead of us.
6:35 AM - Arrive at Zealand Hut.
7:32 AM - Crossed the Twinway bog bridges on the way to Zealand Mountain.
7:37 AM - Encountered an aggressive spruce grouse in the middle of the trail daring us to pass.
8:30 AM - Arrived at Zealand Mountain.
9:16 AM - On the summit of Mount Guyot.
9:50 AM - Arrive at the West Bond spur path.
10:10 AM - On the summit of West Bond.
11:00 AM - On the summit of Mount Bond and had lunch.
11:40 AM - We met Jill coming up Mount Bond as we were descending. She continued on to the summit and we kept going to Bondcliff.
12:20 PM - Arrived at Bondcliff and we took a break while Jill caught up with us.
1:00 PM - We start our descent from the summit of Bondcliff and 9 miles out to Lincoln Woods parking lot.
3:32 PM - We arrive at the bridge over Franconia Brook with the final 2.8 miles ahead of us.
4:24 PM - We cross the suspension bridge over the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River to Lincoln Woods parking lot after 19.5 miles and 5 summits.
I have now hiked all 48 4,000 footers in July. My next grid summits are in December. I have plenty of other hikes I can do in the meantime that include peaks in Maine and Vermont. The conditions were spectacular today and it was nice to have great company on this long hike that is always an adventure!
Enjoy the photos and videos from this hike!
Sunset soon on the drive to meet Lisa and Scott at our camping spot
The hike begins with 19.5 miles and five summits ahead of us
Zeacliff in the distance
Maple leaves turning red
Sun rising
Small purple-fringed orchid
A cool misty morning
Zealand Pond reflection
View from Zealand Hut
Zealand Hut
Straddling a water crossing
Stepping over a water crossing
Zealand Mountain can be seen over the treetops
Twinway bog bridges
Wildflowers beside the trail
Spruce grouse guarding the bog bridge
A standoff between Lisa and the grouse
Lisa wins the standoff
Grouse perched on a low branch
Going up
Climbing the ladder
On the summit of Zealand Mountain
On the summit of Mount Guyot
Arriving at Bondcliff Trail after 7 miles
Large cairn on Guyot
Gray jay picks up a snack on Scott's hat
West Bond up ahead
On the summit of West Bond
Gray jay following us
Mount Garfield
South Twin
Bondcliff
On the summit of Mount Bond
Crossing Bondcliff ridge
A look back at Mount Bond
Bondcliff summit up ahead
Arriving at Bondcliff
Mount Washington in the distance
Jill standing on the Bondcliff perch
Scott below the Hillary Step
Easy water crossing
Easier water crossing
Suspension bridge to Lincoln Woods parking lot after 19.5 miles and 5 summits
Having Fun in the Great Outdoors!
Hey Don, it was great meeting you and everyone else. I hung out on top of Bond for a bit but never saw Jill again. Glad you all got down ok. Congrats on gridding out July!
ReplyDeleteGreat meeting you too!! Maybe we'll cross paths on the trail again one of these days!
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