Hitting the Trails: 11/16/2013-11/17/2013 Bondcliff - Mount Bond - Mount Guyot

Saturday 11/16/2013

Bondcliff / Mount Bond / Mount Guyot / Mount Zealand

Lincoln Woods Trailhead / Lincoln Woods Trail / Bondcliff Trail /Bondcliff / Mount Bond / Twinway Trail /Mount Guyot / Mount Zealand / Zeacliff Trail / Ethan Pond Trail / Thoreau Falls Trail / Cedar Brook Trail / Eastside Trail

Was really itching for an overnight in the mountains and the weather looked very promising, with clear skies forecast for most of Saturday. I was debating between the Presidential Range and the Great Gulf Wilderness, or Mount Moriah and the Wild River Wilderness or something in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. My last visit to the Bonds in September was fairly low visibility, so I decided to take another trip through the Bonds with an overnight in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

This turned out to be perhaps the best weather of the year, just an awesome day in the mountains. The sun was shining for most of the day and visibility stretched for miles in all directions.

I landed at the Lincoln Woods trail head at about 7:45am and started off with a full pack. The parking lot was fairly empty and a group of four was just headed into the trail when I arrived. Temperature was about 35 degrees with overcast skies. After having the bite valve and tubing on my hydration pack freezing over the past few weeks, I decided not to bring it and relied on Nalgene bottles. It was cold enough for a wool hat, but didn't need gloves.

I started down the Lincoln Woods Trail with the ground frozen enough to avoid any wet, muddy spots. There is a section of water runoff down the rock face right before the construction zone which had turned to ice. I passed a group rallying at the Osseo Trail junction and I continued straight towards the suspension bridge. I passed the group from the parking lot and eventually crossed the bridge and started the trek on the Bondcliff Trail.

On my right, I could see numerous ponds of water which had frozen over. Also, most of the trail had a covering of snow, which would be present for the entire trip. About a mile before the junction with the now closed section of the Wilderness Trail, I noticed some movement up ahead of me. I stopped and watched a male deer enter the trail from the woods on the left. The deer stopped on the trail as we watched each other without moving. The "showdown" lasted about 30 seconds, before the deer crossed into the other side of the woods. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple of good photos and some video before he disappeared. I took this as a good omen that I was in for a great day!

I continued on Bondcliff and soon came to the junction with the now closed section of the Wilderness Trail. I hooked a left to continue on Bondcliff and began the ascent. Soon I busted out the trekking poles and made steady progress with a few water crossings along the way. The water crossings were very manageable and I was able to easily keep my feet dry. The snow got a little deeper as I kept gaining elevation but there were obvious boot prints from someone who hit the trail ahead of me. At a small clearing, the skies were blue and clear with the sun shining brightly. As I headed back into the woods, the sunlight would periodically poke through the snow covered branches surrounding the trail. Close to the summit of Bondcliff, there is a section of trail that requires a little extra care scrambling over some larger rocks, but the footholds and handholds are there, even with the snow partially covering some of the areas. Right before I hit the clearing with leads to the summit, two guys were headed down, the first people I had seen on Bondcliff Trail. To give you an idea of how pleasant the weather was on the ridge line, one of the guys was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt and looked very comfortable. I can't stress enough how absolutely gorgeous the weather conditions were on Saturday.

I had Bondcliff summit all to myself and stayed there a long time, taking in the amazing views in all directions. I haven't had a summit to myself in quite a while, so it was a nice change to just enjoy the peace and quiet. My gaze followed my journey from last week, along the summits of Flume, Liberty, Lincoln and then down the snow covered Lincoln Slide. The summit of Lafayette was covered in snow, yet Garfield did not appear to have any snow to speak of. I then spotted the distinctive slide of Mount Lowell and then spied the fire tower on Mount Carrigain. The snow covered summit of Mount Washington and the surrounding ridge line was spectacular and I need to get back there soon. Just being able to view all of the summits with none of them covered in the clouds is a treat.

I had some fun setting up my camera to take video of myself on the mandatory Bondcliff photo spot. I had given my shoulders a nice rest from the backpack and knew it was time to go, even though I could have stayed there another hour. I still had a long way to go and was really hoping to be near my campsite before dark. The trip to the Bond Summit was incredible as views of Mount Washington got closer. I kept an eye on West Bond for any folks on the summit. Most of the snow had melted on the ridge, but once I was back in the scrub, the snow returned and got deeper as I began the ascent to Mount Bond. As I glanced to the left towards West Bond, I spied two people on the summit. Right before the summit, the snow made a section or two a little tricky, but nothing that required much effort. The views from Bond were just as good. There was a woman hanging out waiting for the rest of her party, who were the folks I saw on West Bond, which she skipped. Congrats to her dog, who was finishing his 2nd round of the 48 4k's, on his birthday, no less! I took a quick break for photos and water, then pushed on towards Mount Guyot.

I passed the West Bond party who were all doing a traverse back the way I had come. The trees really close in on this section of trail and I really enjoy the long path of snow covered branches enclosing the path. The trail kept heading down to the junction with the West Bond spur. I felt really good, but knew I didn't have enough time to bag West Bond today, so I pressed on and eventually hit the Guyot Campsite spur. The trail then started to ascend towards the junction with Twinway and Mount Guyot. Views of Mount Washington got closer and closer and I made it to Twinway and then the climb up to the summit of Mount Guyot. I took another short break and started to realize that even though I was making great time, that 4:30pm sunset was coming quickly. My new goal was just make it to Thoreau Falls before dark as I really didn't want to make that crossing without some visible light to assess any ice or snow issues.

I continued on Twinway towards Mount Zealand. The snow covering most of the trail actually made this section pretty nice. I passed a section of open woods on the right where I had began my bushwhack down to Jumping Brook back in the summer (but that's another story, epic!). Before long I arrived at the spur trail for Mount Zealand. This is usually a very muddy, sloppy mess, so the snow made this trail easy going. I took a quick break at the wood summit, then pressed on for the junction with the Zeacliff Trail. I was still feeling really good, but by now I was regretting not bringing my hydration pack (which would not have frozen today), since it was more of a hassle dealing with the Nalgene bottles (that hydration pack has really spoiled me this year). More importantly, I still had dry, comfortable feet, even though I was walking in miles of snow covered trails.

I pressed on and ran into a couple on a day hike heading to Mount Zealand for the first time. We chatted for a bit, then headed our separate ways. Further down the trail, I came across a very cool snowman with tree branches for arms waving to passersby hanging out on the trail. That brought a smile to my face. There are some descents that require extra care even without snow, but no ice to worry about. I knew I was getting my final views of Mount Washington along the way. I passed the junction with the Zealand Pond spur trail.

I reached the junction with Zeacliff and took a break to regroup for the challenging descent back into the Pemigewasset Wilderness. The trail had fresh snow with no boot prints, so I was blazing the way. I knew from past experience this trail deserves respect on the descent, so I took my time although I would have like to go at a slightly faster pace. After heading down for about 20 minutes, I heard the distinctive barking of a dog behind me. Then the barking stopped. About 5 minutes later more barking, getting closer. A little further down, the dog sounded really close, so I stopped for a quick break to see my barking stalker. I soon saw my "killer" dog and was greeted by more barking. A couple soon followed and they were headed all the way back to the Lincoln Woods Trailhead. They were on a good pace, so I let them pass me and followed their boot prints and paw prints all the way down Zeacliff. By the time I hit the junction with Ethan Pond Trail, sunset had officially occurred 5 minutes earlier, so I knew daylight would be leaving shortly.

I continued on Ethan Pond Trail to the junction with Thoreau Falls Trail. I arrived at the Falls with just enough daylight left to work out a safe crossing over the ice crust along with snow covered rocks. This was the end of my dry feet streak, which had to happen eventually. I had pulled out my headlamp at the Ethan Pond junction and now I had to turn it on. A glorious full moon provided some light, but not enough to navigate the rocky, wet, snowy trail. I still had 2-3 miles to go before reaching some campsites I had scoped out earlier in the year. I still had the boot prints and paw prints from the folks who passed me on Zeacliff. I wondered how far ahead they were. Even taking extra care in the dark and keeping a slow pace, I still managed to step in some wet areas, keeping those shoes and feet wet. As long as I kept moving, I knew my feet would be fine, but I would need to address them when I set up camp.

I finally reached my camp site for the night, which required more wet boots and feet. I took a few moments to decide on the best spot, which was a nice snow-covered clearing. I then got to work on setting up camp and had the tent up fairly quickly. I have been using the EMS Velocity 2 all year and it has been a great tent for me. I blew up the Thermarest to help with the snow and broke out the 15 degree sleeping bag. By now I knew it was time to take care of my feet before anything else. The laces on my boots were frozen solid. I peeled off my wet Darn Toughs and put on a dry pair. My camp shoes are just a pair of open toe Under Armour plastic sandals. I will need to come up with something else as the snow was getting through and getting my socks damp, but it was good enough to walk around camp. I found a spot for a bear bag and got the rope set up for later. I then filled up my Nalgene bottles and had a delicious freeze dried meal of Louisiana beans and rice followed by a steaming cup of decaf coffee and a Snickers bar for dessert. After I poured the boiling water into the meal pouch and sealed it, I used the pouch to warm up my feet, which were still feeling cold and slightly numb. I got enough warmth to my feet so that I could eat and get my bear bag hung up for the night. I was camped near a clearing of trees which allowed for great views of the full moon.

I was in the tent around 9pm and immediately switched on a dry pair of extra thick wool socks to get my feet back to normal. After some massaging and getting tucked in my bag, my feet were feeling great (although I could now feel some stiffness/soreness in my leg muscles). Turns out I did 20 miles. Had a great night's sleep even though it was cold out there. The only part of me not covered up was my face and my nose and cheeks were cold to the touch. Once I turned my face under the bag, everything was nice and toasty.

I set the alarm for 5:30am and threw on some layers to work on breaking down camp. I got the Thermarest and sleeping bag packed up. I tried the plastic bag method of putting my dry feet into plastic bags, then into my wet, cold boots. By 6am or so, I was packed up and daylight had arrived.

Clear skies were gone as I started the 10 mile trek back to the trailhead. I crossed over the Thoreau Falls Bridge with nice views of Mount Carrigain. At the junction with Cedar Brook Trail, I debated making the right to the river crossing, but decided to take Cedar Brook to the East Side Trail. I kept thinking about a nice cup of coffee and bagel sandwich at White Mountain Bagel on the hike back to the trailhead.

Excluding all of the great hikes with my son this year, this was undoubtedly one of my favorite hikes of the season.

Lincoln Woods Trail Suspension Bridge

Lincoln Woods Trail Ice

Lincoln Woods Trail

Bondcliff Trail

Bondcliff Trail - Deer

Bondcliff Trail - Ascent Begins

Bondcliff Trail

Bondcliff Summit

Bondcliff Summit - Panoramic Franconia Ridge

Bondcliff Summit

Bondcliff Summit - Mount Washington

Bondcliff Summit - Mount Carrigain

Bondcliff Summit - Mount Lowell (far left)

Bondcliff Summit - Lincoln Slide

Bondcliff Summit - The "Photo" Cliff

Bondcliff Summit - Break Time

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Bond

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Bond view of West Bond

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Bond - people on West Bond

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Bond

Mount Bond Summit

Mount Bond Summit- Mount Washington

Mount Bond Summit - Mount Lowell / Mount Carrigain

Mount Bond Summit - Panoramic

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Guyot

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Guyot - Looking Back

Bondcliff Trail to Mount Guyot

Bondcliff Trail / Twinway Trail Junction

Mount Guyot Summit

Mount Guyot Summit - Mount Washington

Mount Guyot Summit - Franconia Ridge

Mount Guyot Summit - Mount Carrigain

Mount Guyot Summit

Twinway Trail to Mount Zealand

Mount Zealand Summit

Twinway Trail to Zeacliff Trail

Twinway Trail to Zeacliff Trail - Icicles

Twinway Trail to Zeacliff Trail

Twinway Trail to Zeacliff Trail - SNOWMAN on the trail (Awesome!!!)

Twinway Trail / Zeacliff Trail Junction

Zeacliff Trail to Ethan Pond Trail

Zeacliff Trail / Ethan Pond Trail Junction

Ethan Pond Trail looking back

Thoreau Falls Trail Campsite - Full Moon

Thoreau Falls Trail Campsite - Daybreak

Thoreau Falls Trail - Bridge

Thoreau Falls Trail Bridge - Mount Carrigain

Thoreau Falls Trail / Wilderness Trail Junction

Thoreau Falls Trail to Cedar Brook Trail

Cedar Brook Trail Washout

Cedar Brook Trail / East Side Trail Junction

East Side Trail

11/16/2013 Lincoln Woods Trail Suspension Bridge to Bondcliff Trail

11/16/2013 Deer on Bondcliff Trail (little shaky)

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Trail - The Ascent Begins (Old Trail Junction)

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Trail - Water Crossing 2500 Feet Elevation

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Trail - 3100 Feet Elevation

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Trail - 3800 Feet Elevation

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Summit - Views of Franconia Ridge, Mt. Washington

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Summit - Fun on the Cliff

11/16/2013 Bondcliff Trail Approach to Mount Bond Summit - Snow Melting on Trees

11/16/2013 Spur Trail to Mount Zealand Summit (no mud, for once!)

11/16/2013 Ethan Pond Trail from Zeacliff Trail

11/16/2013 Thoreau Falls with Ice and Snow

11/16/2013 Thoreau Falls Trail - Night Hiking Fun

11/16/2013 Thoreau Falls Trail - Full Moon at Campsite

11/17/2013 Daybreak at Thoreau Falls Trail Campsite

11/17/2013 Thoreau Falls Trail Bridge - View of Mount Carrigain Fire Tower

Google Earth Image of Hike

Google Earth kmz File of Hike

Hitting the Trails

Sunday, November 17, 2013

11/16/2013-11/17/2013 Bondcliff - Mount Bond - Mount Guyot - Mount Zealand

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