An Epic Day in the Clouds: Tackling the Bonds

Sometimes the views don't make the adventure. That was certainly the case for my brothers and I as we set out on a 15.4 mi. trek on Sunday to knock out four official NH 4000 Footers (Zealand, Bond, Bondcliff, and West Bond) as well as Mt. Guyot.

Our journey started from the Zealand Falls Hut where we had arrived the night before for a two-night stay after hiking in over Mt. Hale. During breakfast, we were anxious to hear the latest weather report from the Mt. Washington Observatory to see how bad the outlook was for the day. We knew from checking forecasts prior to hiking into the land of no cell service that Sunday was looking sketchy with some moderate to heavy rain and strong winds expected. We were happy to hear the hut croo say that the heaviest of the rain wasn't expected until the evening. We decided we had the window of opportunity we needed to get in all the peaks, so we finished up breakfast and set off from the hut around 8 a.m.

We could see the clouds starting to thicken in the sky as we stepped out of the hut and took in one of the few good views of the day. The sun was still showing through and cast a wonderful light on the first signs of fall down in the valley. From there, we began the steep trek up the Twinway Trail. Going in this direction, we were headed southbound on the Appalachian Trail and gaining a lot of elevation over not a lot of mileage. We passed several thru-hikers headed for Crawford Notch along the way. It was a steep, (dry) rocky climb for most of the way until we came to the crest of the Zealand ridge and headed for the Zeacliff viewpoint. We got there just in time to take in our last view of the day with the White Mountains stretching out all around us and the clouds gathering with ever increasing speed.

Our best view of the day from Zeacliff

From the viewpoint we continued on the Twinway Trail along the ridge now gaining elevation at a much gentler pace. The trail had smooth easy footing by way of bog bridges, smooth rock faces and single track dirt runs for a good portion of this section before becoming increasingly steeper and rockier as we headed up to the side trail for the summit of Zealand.

It was at this point that the winds also picked up as well, causing us all to add an extra layer to battle the gusts that would be bothering us for the rest of our trip. The clouds also descended upon us as well and became part of our path the rest of the way out and back.

Ladder heading up the Twinway Trail to Zealand (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

The final climb up to Zealand was probably the easiest ascent of the day, both because of its gradual elevation gain and it was the point our legs were at their freshest. The side trail to the summit was well marked with a small cairn and a sign on a tree pointing us the right way. Going the direction we were headed you can't miss it. We quickly headed over to the summit to bag peak number one for the day, and then it was on to Guyot.

From the summit of Zealand the trek picked up in strenuousness as it was a steep drop off the summit followed by a steep climb up to Guyot, almost like hiking along the letter "V." There were points along this section we had to get on all fours to clamber up rock slabs and keep our balance along sections of the trail that were just rocks piled on more rocks.

When we broke the treeline at the Guyot summit, we were finally hit with our first truly strong gusts and wet weather of the day. As we turned left to head down the rough, rocky start of the Bondcliff Trail, we were bombarded by winds so strong that we couldn't hear each other without shouting even when standing side-by-side. We couldn't tell if the water smacking us was rain or just the moisture in the clouds whipping by, but either way, we would be getting damp the rest of the way.

Once we got back into the trees the descent was quick down past the Guyot campsite and trailhead for West Bond (we decided to save that for our return route). The climb up to our high point of the day, the summit of Mt. Bond, was a gradual rocky approach, now a little slippery with rain starting to fall. The winds on the summit of Bond were stiff and made our stay up there brief. The mix of the wind and rain made the chills set in quickly whenever we took a respite above treeline, so we tried to save most of breaks for warmer, more wooded sections of the trail.

My older brother, Paul, descending Mt. Bond onto the Bondcliff ridge

Once over Bond we steeply descended onto the Bondcliff ridge, coming out of the trees onto a very slippery, rocky welcome to full exposure. Everything on the ridge was well soaked from the rain and winds. We had to keep our tired minds focused on following the cairns and finding good footing, but we all slipped and stumbled a few times. Luckily, none of us got any injuries along the way.

My brothers working their way along the ridge

The thick cloud cover hid the iconic cliff of the Bondcliff summit well, and we falsely hoped we had reached the summit several times, only to see another, higher section of the ridge appear before us. After three or four false summits, we were finally rewarded with a view of the cliff on our right and climbed up onto the summit to cap the furthest point of our adventure.

This is as close as we were getting to the cliff with those winds! (Photo credit: Paul Vinson)

 On our way back to the Zealand Falls Hut, all of our trails were now soaked and sopping wet. The side trip to West Bond was a quick twenty minutes each way, and the winds on its exposed summit were probably the harshest we felt during the entire trek. We trudged over slippery boulders, thick mud, deep puddles, and ever increasing rain until we finally returned to our starting point at the hut, ducking under the porch just as the clouds really let loose a downpour. All told we completed this hike in 15.4 unbelievable miles in 9 hours and 45 minutes, crossing the 5 mountains along the way a total of 9 times. We arrived back at the hut a mere 15 minutes before dinner service, soaked from head to toe.

With the mix of the terrain and the weather, this was the most challenging hike I've taken on in my quest to summit all of the 4000 footers, and I am so happy my brothers were part of this chapter. I wouldn't have picked this day to hike these mountains solo, but the three of us now have an amazing story of unbelievable accomplishment we will most certainly look back on every time we get together.

Photo credit: Paul Vinson

Owl's Head: Living Up to It's Reputation

The start of a very long day...

I figured I'd put off this mountain long enough. With one more mountain to go for halfway through the New Hampshire 4000 Footers, it was time to knock Owl's Head off the list.

I set off early Sunday morning for the Lincoln Woods Trailhead off of the Kancamagus Highway. The lot was about 75% full when I arrived around 8 a.m., but I figured most of those people were overnighters or car spotters from Saturday. As I got deeper into my hike, I was reassured that very few were there for the same long out-and-back trek I had in store.

One of several nice viewpoints along the Lincoln Woods Trail

I started up the Lincoln Woods Trail for the first 3 miles of the 18.4 mi. mammoth round-trip hike to Owl's Head. It's wide, flat, easy grade made for a pleasant start on what was a bit of a chilly morning for late August. It felt like fall was getting an early start up in the mountains. The trail was completely dry and in fine shape. The viewpoints along the Pemigewasset River-East Branch were some nice first views to take in as I headed deeper into the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

Into the wilderness I went, withe Franconia Brook Trailhead just up the trail to the left

 My first little bit of elevation gain came when I reached the boundary for the Wilderness area and subsequently the trailhead for the Franconia Brook Trail. It was a quick, moderate rise up to yet another long flat stretch of hiking deeper and deeper into the forest. Along this trail I got my first short stretches of "mud cake" trail. Nothing that couldn't be avoided along the edges, and still nothing damp either, which was what I was hoping for with it not having rained significantly in the area for over a week. There were a few stream crossing along this trail, but none very wide and all easily done by hopping across a couple rocks.

Deeper into the wilderness still

The Franconia Brook Trail went by quickly and then it was on to the more interesting parts of the hike as I started the stretch along the Lincoln Brook Trail. This trail started similarly to the Lincoln Brook Trail, with a easy, steady, moderate rise until about a half mile in, where I finally came to the first of the two big stream crossings so often referred to as "difficult in high water" when this trail is discussed. Having heard the stories of people wading up to there knees and such, I was hoping the lack of rain for a while would keep the streams running lower, and my hopes came true. This first stream crossing was best done by following a series of rocks from right where the trail entered the water almost straight across to the trail on the other side. It was almost as if they'd been moved to form a hopping path across by hikers before. I didn't mind at all!

The second crossing came shortly after, and was easier than the first. There was a large dry, rocky area in between a split in the flow of the stream, so I was able to tackle this one in two smaller sections. When I got to the other side, it looked as if the trail split in two directions, one to my left and one more straight ahead. The straight ahead route was the correct option as I was soon walking right alongside Lincoln Brook.

From here, the hike began to get much wetter and muddier. Several sections of the Lincoln Brook Trail were thick with mud, and on one step I totally submerged my foot in dark brown "gooey-ness." However, I also found this to be one of the most enjoyable sections of the trail (at least on the way in!) as it was right alongside the brook the whole time. The sound of the rushing water and views of the little cascades let me know I was deep in a beautifully untouched wilderness. Along certain sections of the trail, things did become a little hillier, with care needed not to slip off into the brook in certain spots, but nothing like the challenge to come when I arrived at the Owl's Head Path.

Things got a smidge steep

 When I arrived, two medium sized cairns, about 2-3 ft tall, marked either side of the Lincoln Brook Trail, letting me know I'd reached something. I looked to my right and saw a series of smaller cairns heading up the mountain, confirming I'd reached the Owl's Head Path. From here, things got as steep as I suspected. The trail quickly turned into a slide, with large rocks taking place of dirt and roots. On the way up, the rocks weren't too terribly loose and the footing felt surprisingly sturdy. Unlike the North Tripyramid Slide, which still haunts my hiking dreams, heading up the Owl's Head Path I was never completely laying on rock slabs pulling myself up. I was able to walk up, slowly of course, most of the way with just the aid of my trekking poles. There were also plenty of sturdier trees, roots, and larger rocks to grab onto when the poles wouldn't suffice. The best mountain views of the day were to be had here as well, with fine views of the Franconia Ridge and the deeper sections of the Pemigewasset Wildnerness to the north.

Franconia Ridge from the Owl's Head slide

Looking deep into the Pemigewasset Wilderness from the slide

After a long climb up the slide, the miles I had already logged began to take their mental toll and the ridge of Owl's Head felt like it took forever. Many sections along the ridge were thin and grown in, so plenty of scrub plants were smacking me all over. There was no cairn when I arrived at the flat open area of the "old summit", but there was a clear path straight ahead that continued on to the new summit. There were several blowdowns along the trail that made for some fun limbos. When I arrived at the new summit there was a cairn and few people sitting around to confirm I'd reached my destination.

Heading back, extra caution was needed going down the slide, as now the rocks were much looser with gravity trying to aid me down the path. I took each step slowly, knowing my feet would slide a little in the sandier sections of the slide. There were only a couple places where I fell on my rump, but my gradual pace made for a mostly smooth decent.

And the end to a very long day

Once back on the Lincoln Brook Trail, it was just a fight through exhaustion and pain to make it the long 8 miles back to my car. My feet and shoulders were incredibly sore by the end, and I can safely say that this mountain will be a one and done for me, haha!