Breaking Trail in the Belknaps: Whiteface Mountain

Panoramic view from the summit of Whiteface

This past Sunday the temperatures finally crept around 10ºF (balmy, compared to the negative temps and brutally cold wind chills of the days and weeks before), so I decided to get out my snowshoes and head up to the lakes region of New Hampshire to revisit one of my favorite lesser known summits, Whiteface Mountain in the Belknaps. It is overshadowed in both size and recognition by the New Hampshire 4000-footer of the same name and the well known summit in the Adirondacks, but it provides a great view of the Squam Lake area and the southern Whites from its exposed summit for not too much effort.
I had never made the trek to this mountain in winter before, so I was excited to see how the Whites would look with their snow-capped peaks from the summit. The "bomb cyclone" that roared through the state on Thursday dumped a tremendous amount of fresh snow on the trail, and with it being a lesser-visited summit, I knew I might have to break trail to the summit, yet another first experience for me.

Go as Gumby tells you

I arrived at the parking pullout at the end of Belknap Mountain Road just before 1 p.m. and walked up to the trailhead where it became clear my snowshoes were going to be required. As usual, I saw the big brown "Whiteface Mountain Trail" sign on one of the trees at the start, but just below it was a tinier arrow-shaped "Trail Hike" sign pointing me into the woods. What I loved about it was that a Gumby figure was sitting atop the sign as well, pointing me the same way. I know it may have been someone's that was lost along the trail, but its positioning here was a humorous way to start the trip.

At the very beginning the trail was roughly broken out, most likely by the folks in the house next door to this first section entering the woods. A short ways past their backyard the trail had snowmobile tracks on it from them as well, but quickly the trail turned into untouched powder. It looked like they may have bare-booted a little ways up the trail, but once past the Lakes Region Conservation Trust kiosk, I was breaking fresh snow most of the rest of the trip.

Blue blazes made route finding easy the whole way up

The trail was well-blazed, so there were no issues in keeping track of it even with the fresh snow blanketing the usual path. For the majority of the stretch up to the saddle between Piper and Whiteface mountains, the snow ran about 6-10" deep, making my footsteps feel like I was walking on pillows and waterbeds along the way. I learned quickly that breaking a trail gets the quads working overtime. This made me happy that I had picked a smaller mountain with shorter mileage for this first experience.

As I neared the saddle between the two peaks I ran into my first significant snow drifts of the trip, ranging in depth from about 2-3 ft. It was no fun watching my snowshoes sink into deep, soft snow with all my weight sinking with them. This made the final pitch up to the right turn to continue on the Whiteface Mountain Trail even more difficult than the trail breaking that led up to it.

From the saddle, I turned right to continue on the Whiteface Mountain Trail to the summit of Whiteface. Along this section, the trail ran the whole gamut from a crusty 2-3" to more 2-3 ft. drips. The deepest drifts came right where the trail heads into a small open field before continuing along the ATV route to the summit. Once I crossed the field, I was able to hike along some snowmobile tracks some of the way to the summit, while still breaking trail when the tracks would disappear in the blown over snow from the previous few days.

Snow capped peaks of the White Mountains in the distance

At the summit, the snow was covered in a thin icy crust and not deep at all. There were several snowmobile tracks running along it that had broken the snow pack down to form a path. The view to the north was magnificent, with several snow-capped peaks in the Whites standing out. I enjoyed an hour on the summit all to myself before heading back down. As I had about a half-mile left to get back to the trailhead I ran into the only other hiker I saw that day. He thanked me for breaking trail as he continued to pack down the work I started. The descent from there was wonderful, gliding on my snowshoes on fluffy white snow, smoothing and packing the trail further the whole way down.

The trail was much more enjoyable on the way down!

It was an interesting experience breaking a trail for the first time, one that makes me even more grateful for those folks that do it frequently. It's something I definitely don't have the legs to do on the bigger summits of the Whites, but it was a good to get my first taste of it on this little trip. As always, I can't recommend this lesser-known Whiteface enough. I've visited the summit three times and have never had to share the view with anyone. Happy hiking!

Finishing the Belknap Peaks Challenge: West Quarry and Rand Mountains

With the forecast showing cloudy skies, I figured today would be a good day for my pup and I to finish the last two peaks on the Belknap Peak Challenge list, the viewless summits of West Quarry and Rand Mountain. The recently created parking area off of Reed Rd. in Alton Bay has made these once very remote peaks now much more accessible for a medium-sized day hike, as was our plan for this day.

Entrance sign at the Reed Rd. parking area

We arrived at the new parking area around 9:30 a.m. and started our journey by continuing to walk down the road toward where the Reed Road Trail properly entered the woods. As we got further down the road, the condition of it slowly deteriorated, starting as a rocky, gravel road, then once past a large three-car garage, a completely fallen out pile of rocks and rubble. At this point we came to the SPNHF gate put up to block dirt bikes and ATVs from continuing any further. From there the condition of the road continued to be a pile of rough rocks until we came to our first view over Lake Winnipesaukee, where the ground was a better mixture of hard-packed dirt and small rocks.

Gate blocking ATVs from the roughest section of Reed Rd.

Looking back at the Belknaps and Ossipees from the top of Reed Rd.

As we continued along the road, ascending at a moderate clip, we came to the best mountain view of the day when we reached the staircase into the woods signifying the proper start of the Reed Rd. Trail. Looking back from the rocky staircase the summits of Belknap, Gunstock, and several of the mountains across the lake in the Ossipee Range stretched out before us. It was a nice panorama to take in before we set off into the woods.

The stone steps that felt like entering an arena

The way the stone stairs were laid out, welcoming us into the forest, felt like we were walking into an arena to truly begin hiking. From here, the climb continued to be steady, with a few switchbacks along the way to try and ease the grind of the relentless climb higher and higher. As I've noticed to be common, this was another sneaky tough climb in the otherwise small elevations of the Belknap Range. It would not be our last grind of the day.

The footing on this section of trail was mostly hard-packed dirt, stiffened by all the water collecting and freezing underneath with the cooler temperatures of late fall taking hold. I could feel the ice underneath the dirt crunching beneath my feet in several places, and we even noticed a few "hiking frost heaves" along the way where some of the ice had pushed through to the surface. There were a few spots of actual ice along the trail, but they were few and far between on bare rock slabs, and easily stepped over or walked around.

Electric green moss on the Dave Roberts Quarry Trail

Once we reached the junction of the Dave Roberts Quarry Trail, we turned right onto it to head toward West Quarry and Rand. We had one last, quick steep ascent up a rocky ledge and then the trail finally leveled off for a good long stretch, becoming a peaceful walk in the woods almost all the way to the summit of West Quarry. As we neared it for our first summit of the day, we had a moderate climb to get to the top, and enjoyed a small lookout just before reaching the summit sign. With that peak, it was eleven Belknap peaks down, and only one more just a mile away. To Rand we went!

View from the lookout just before the West Quarry summit

It was a quick drop off the summit as we headed down West Quarry into the col between it and Rand. We came to a split in the trail where we could go by the Quarry Ledges or take a bypass into the col for our descent. My pup headed toward the bypass and thus I followed, happy we chose this as a descent after going up the ledges to change things up on our return. Especially as the weather gets colder and more ice builds up, I would not recommend the ledges for descents, as one slip could result in some nasty injuries and lots of bare rock.

My favorite trail signs, the rustic, hand-painted arrows in the Belknaps

The bypass had much better footing with soft forest floor the whole way, albeit steep. Once in the col, it was another nice walk in the woods before things turned into a mixture of tough elevation gain mixed with a blank of dead leaves and big rocks for the final climb up to the summit of Rand. This was yet another sneaky tough climb in this small mountain range that had me huffing and puffing as we approached the summit sign of our final peak of the challenge list. We took a quick break at the summit to bask in our "glory" before retracing our steps and heading back down the way we came.

My pup using the summit of Mt. Rand as his victory throne

While the 4000 Footers get all the love here in New Hampshire, the overlooked challenge of the Belknap peaks is definitely a fun one that is suited for a wider range of abilities. I highly recommend it for someone who finds the 4000 Footers or 52 With a View a little daunting, and the Belknaps are great training ground for those bigger mountains as well while still packing their own gorgeous views in many spots (Mt. Major, Straightback, and Whiteface being my favorites). Even with the peak challenge completed, I'll still be coming back to these peaks to enjoy the views and keep my hiking legs primed for the bigger challenges in the Whites.

Exploring the Cardigan Subpeaks

Taking in Mt. Cardigan a different way

Mount Cardigan gets a lot of love, as well it should, for the dramatic views from its bare, windy summit. I hadn't been up that way in a couple years, and with the nice forecast for Saturday, I decided to return. When I arrived at the parking area on the west side of the mountain it was packed as I expected, with cars streaming down the road into every nook and cranny to create a spot. When I got out of my car and realized just how crowded it was, with several large groups getting ready to head up, I decided to change my route for the day, skip the big draw of Cardigan's summit, and make a loop to check out three of its subpeaks instead: Rimrock, Orange Mountain (Gilman Mountain), and the South Peak. This plan ended up giving me exactly what I wanted, a longer day on the trails, and dramatic views all to myself from three peaks that I argue rival the draw of Cardigan itself.

The 6-mile loop I created for myself involved 6 trails all around Cardigan, so rather than trying to write it out in as thorough a story form as possible, I'm going to break this hike down by trail and summit, bullet pointing the highlights of each section; so, without further ado, let me begin where I...um...began:

West Ridge Trail (orange blazes, 0.5 mi, 14 min.)

• A moderate half mile climb to to junction with the South Ridge Trail
• Trail was still soggy most of the way from the rains on Wednesday and Thursday, with long stretches of mud, some standing water, small puddles, and slick leaves, but no deep sections of mud cake to sink into

Up to Rimrock

South Ridge Trail (orange blazes, 0.7 mi., 33 min.)

•  The first short portion up onto the South Ridge trail was tough to follow, but after finding a set of rocks looking like stairs, the first blazes appeared and it was smooth sailing from there.
• Started as a moderate climb for the majority of the 0.7 miles to the Rimrock summit
• Longer stretches of wet leaves, standing water, and mushy footing here as compared to the West Ridge Trail
• A steep, slick, rocky switchback section requiring extra care with my footing led to the final drier ridge walk to the Rimrock summit

Panoramic view from Rimrock summit

Trail junction sign on summit. Mount Gilman is the direction for Orange Mtn (same peak)

Scenic view of Orange Mountain (dark hump furthest left) as the descent began over the ridge in the foreground

Skyland Trail (Rimrock to Orange Mtn., white blazes, 1.1 mi., 44 min.)

• Unlike sections of this trail further south, this portion between Rimrock and Orange Mountain was well-blazed and the foot path was easy to see and follow the whole way.
• Dramatic, scenic, steep descent to start over more smooth ridges (would have been treacherous if they were still wet from the rains, but thankfully this section was dry) with a view of Orange Mountain in the foreground 
• Trail then dipped into a long forested col, with softer, easier footing and electric green moss bordering both sides of the trail
• From the col it was a moderate short climb up to the ledges of Orange Mountain, with the views of Mount Cardigan getting progressively better until my favorite spot of the trip, a large open ledge just below the summit with 180º views stretching from Cardigan to Newfound Lake

Typical forest floor along much of the Skyland Trail

Looking back at first peek of Cardigan summit heading up to Orange Mountain ledges

Panoramic view from large ledge just below the summit of Orange Mountain

Vistamont Trail (yellow blazes, 1.0 mi., 43 min.)

• Another descent down a smooth rocky ridge to start. However, this one was still wet from the rains the previous few days, making the footing iffy in spots
• Once in the forest again and below the conifers, the footing became even slipperier as the trail was completely covered in wet fallen leaves. Luckily, I could still make out the path along the forest floor and the trees were well blazed all the way down as well. Slipping every couple steps on a pile of leaves, however, was not the most enjoyable part of the hike.

Trail sign at the top of the Vistamont Trail

View from one of the ridges while descending the Vistamont Trail

A thick blanket of leaves covering the Vistamont Trail

An unnamed brook in full force that I crossed shortly before reaching the Clark Trail junction

Trail sign at Clark Trail junction. It was straight ahead from the viewpoint of this photo to head up the Clark Trail

Clark Trail (yellow blazes, 0.7 mi., 27 min.)

• Nothing on the trail junction sign noted I had met up with the Clark Trail, but I knew from my map that it was 0.7 miles from the Grand Junction noted on the sign; so I knew it was the correct spot to turn back uphill
• This section of the trail was still covered in leaves, but much drier as it was being hit by the sun the whole way up, making for a much easier ascent compared to the slipping and sliding down the Vistamont Trail.
• The trail did become wetter and muddier as it neared PJ's Ledge.
• Trail was well blazed and signed up to PJ's Ledge, where I then took a left to go onto the Hurricane Gap Trail.

View from PJ's Ledge

Hurricane Gap Trail  (0.4 min. to South Peak, 15 min.)

• 1st half of this trail just past the AMC High Cabin was some of the wettest of the day, with large slippery rocks, large puddles, and small streams running on the trail
• After about halfway the trail turned to much drier footing on a soft forest floor with more rich green moss bordering the edges like the Skyland Trail until it met up with the South Ridge Trail

AMC High Cabin along the Hurricane Gap Trail

South Ridge Trail to South Peak

• A short climb up a dry rocky ridge to the best view of the approaches to the Cardigan summit and the firetower (and loads of people) at the top

View of Mount Cardigan from South Peak cairn

Panoramic view to the southeast from the South Peak. Orange Mountain is at center, with Rimrock at the right edge.

From South Peak it was another descent along a rocky ridge back down to Rimrock where I decided to take the Skyland Trail over to its junction with the West Ridge Trail for my descent, rather than trying to navigate the wet, rocky switchbacks of the South Ridge Trail I had gone up in the morning. The first half mile of my descent down this portion of the West Ridge Trail was particularly damp, muddy, slippery on its rockier stretches.

As I said at the start, I got to enjoy the views from these three peaks all to myself, as I saw dozens and dozens of folks heading up to the main Cardigan summit while resting at each peak. The loop I took was an enjoyable challenge, climbing and descending multiple peaks in a day while traversing rocky ridges and rich forest floors. It really couldn't have ended up being a much better day out on the trails, and I highly recommend this loop to anyone wanting to experience the Mount Cardigan area in a little different way.

Get out there and explore!

Kidder Mountain: A Fantastic Wapack Trail Side Trip

Spur of the moment, into the woods we went

I didn't plan on hiking anywhere yesterday after having gone up Kearsarge with my wife and pup the day before for some fantastic late afternoon views. However, as I was outside in the morning cleaning out our cars, looking at the magnificent clouds in the sky matched against the fall colors with the unseasonably warm temperatures making it all feel just perfect, I knew it was too nice a day not to go hiking; so I settled in front of my computer after eating lunch the find a hike quick enough to fit into a spur of the moment afternoon trip. Eventually, I ended up at one of my favorite trails in southern New Hampshire, the Wapack Trail. Looking for a section of it I hadn't tackled yet, I found the spur trail off of it up to Kidder Mountain. At 3 miles round-trip, I knew I could fit it into the afternoon, so off my pup and I went!

I decided to start from the parking area for the Wapack Trail off of NH-123/124. However, as I quickly learned after arriving, there are two parking areas for this section of the trail. The first one I stopped at was directly across from the Windblown XC Skiing sign along the highway. When I pulled in I saw a couple other cars there, so I figured I was in the right place...except for the fact that I didn't see a trail or signage anywhere in the parking area. After looking a little harder, I found what looked like a small footpath at the back of the parking area, so we headed up that way into the woods. We quickly turned around, however, when I didn't notice any of the traditional yellow triangle blazes (the Wapack Trail has always been very well blazed in every other portion I've hiked) and the "path" I had first followed dissolved into nothing but overgrowth.

The correct parking area off of Old Rindge Rd.

Back in the parking area, the other folks who had parked there happened to have come back from their hike, and they informed me that the correct parking area/trail start was back down the highway directly off of Old Rindge Rd; so we walked out of the parking area we were at, turned left and started walking south down NH-123/124 until I saw the street sign for Old Rindge Rd. and, lo and behold, another parking area complete with yellow traingle blazes and a Wapack Trail sign. From there, we were on our way!

The yellow triangle blazes of the Wapack Trail

This hike kept us on the Wapack Trail for just over half a mile, with much of it just being a gentle meander through some gorgeous autumn woods. The trail was well-blazed as I expected, and very dry from having no rain in quite some time. A brief portion of the trail opened up into to what seemed like someone's backyard, but was back in the woods after some quick elevation gain up a short rocky stretch.

Turn LEFT here

At about a half mile, there was a T-junction, with a sign denoting a left turn to stay on the Wapack Trail, and nothing noting what a turn right meant. I knew from my quick research beforehand that we had a right turn around this area to go up the Kidder Mountain Trail, so we took this one...only to be wrong again! Thankfully I'd read we should have hit the power lines quickly, and once we didn't I knew this turn was a wrong one. Therefore, we backtracked, got back on the Wapack Trail, and shortly thereafter ran right into the power lines with a clear sign marking our right turn to head towards Kidder Mountain.

Kidder Mountain trail sign on the gravel road

Similar to the Wapack Trail blazes, Kidder Mountain blazes are blue triangles

From here, there was no more confusion from the signage and blazes and the path to the summit of Kidder was well-marked. It was a quick walk along the gravel road running alongside the power lines before another sign directed us to cross back into the woods. Once in the forest, the trail was much like the Wapack section had been, adding in several elevation gains I would call the easy side of moderate. The footing changed from a forest floor of pine needles, fallen leaves, and dirt to a rockier path as the trail climbed to small ridge for a good stretch. After a couple more easy climbs, including walking by what looked like some very fancy bird baths–especially for how far into the hike we were!–we arrived at the open directional views of the Kidder summit.

Interesting "bird baths" along the way

The summit was dominated by a long, low stone wall that almost sliced the mountain in half. There were several cairns all along this area that led up to a small one at what was the high point of the summit as far as we could tell. There were a couple smaller side trails that led into the woods at the top, but none of them led to anywhere in particular as far as I could tell. I had seen photos of people next to a summit sign for Kidder, but I missed it or didn't run into while I was there.

Fantastic views from the summit

The view from Kidder was fantastic, especially for such a small peak. Most all of southern New Hampshire stretched out in view. I had read that on a clear day folks have claimed to have seen the Boston skyline from the summit, but with a bit of haze on the distant horizon, I couldn't verify the claims. It didn't matter though, as the views of the nearby peaks set again the unbelievable sky were plenty enough for me.

Enjoying a cairn's-eye view

 For a last minute trip, Kidder very much exceeded my expectations. It was an easy hike that I thoroughly enjoyed with a huge payoff of a view at the end making the whole trip worthwhile. Knowing all the corrections now, I'm guessing I'll enjoy it even more the next time I get around to visiting. I can't recommend the Wapack Trail enough, as this hike made that path that much better. If you haven't gotten around to checking this mountain out I highly recommend it. It is a great bang-for-your-buck hike.

Fall in Full Force on Hedgehog Mountain

Greetings from Hedgehog Mountain!

My wife and I had our 5th wedding anniversary this past weekend, and for this year we decided to celebrate it by checking out the fall colors in the White Mountains. After living in New Hampshire for four years, we had yet to even take a hike up there yet during this season, given all we'd heard about how the traffic and crowds could get. Either way, we decided to brave the buses and packed parking areas and set off on a few hikes.

We got up to the mountains Thursday night, giving ourselves a three-day weekend to enjoy as much of the fall colors as we could. Since we knew the crowds would be thin on Friday, we decided to drive down the Kancamagus Highway to hike Hedgehog Mountain. It was listed as one of the best day hikes in two of our guidebooks (Hiking the White Mountains and AMC's Best Day Hikes in the White Mountains), so we thought it was great trip to combine a scenic drive and nice hike. I mean, how can you go wrong with a mountain named Hedgehog!?

When we arrived at the parking area around 12:30 p.m. it was about 75% full. The parking area for Hedgehog Mountain also serves as the start of the trail up Mt. Potash and the Downes Brook Trail, so that didn't surprise us. We passed maybe 5 or 6 groups during our whole hike, which made us think the cars were split pretty evenly among the main hikes of Hedgehog and Potash.

The start up the UNH trail was wide, flat, and easy, a gentle stroll in the autumn woods. After 0.2 miles, I had to double check our White Mountain Guide to make sure we continued the right direction, as the signage at this juncture as to what was the cross-country ski trail and what was the hiking trail was little confusing. A quick read reassured us to turn right and we were on our way. From here, the rest of the junctions were clearly marked to make the loop around the UNH Trail easy to follow.

After 0.8 miles, we arrived at the loop junction and decided to follow it clockwise as was recommended by all three books we'd referenced. From here, we finally started to gain elevation at a steady, moderate clip over your traditional New Hampshire rooted, rocky trails. The colors of fall were in full force, with vivid yellows, oranges, and reds in the leaves on the trees and on the ground. There were a few short steep pitches mixed in along the way to really get our lungs and legs going as we headed toward the first views of the day.

Fall in full panoramic splendor from the east ledges

My wife taking in the view from the ledges

Stepping out onto the first ledges on the east side of the mountain, we were overjoyed with the foliage and peaks stretching out before us. The deep reds and oranges of the trees losing their leaves were in stark contrast to the rich dark greens of the conifers holding strong in the higher elevation, creating quite the colorful landscape. By our recollection, these ledges had the best views of the day, and would be worth a trip all to themselves. However, with the full loop in mind, we continued onward for the summit.

Headed into the forest to reach the summit seen at center

From the east ledges it was quick drop back into the forest, followed by a steep climb up some rocky switchbacks to the high point of the mountain. We were thankful for very dry trail conditions, as a day of rain beforehand would have made some of these steep, smooth rocks very difficult to manage.

View near the summit

The view from the summit was basically a different perspective of our first views of the day on the ledges below, along with some views out to the west. We stayed there for a while to eat a late lunch before heading down to complete the loop. The descent off the summit was almost as steep and rough as the climb we'd just done, but more rooted and worn as opposed to smooth and rocky.

View from Allen's Ledge

Just before completing the loop we made the quick side trip to Allen's Ledge. This side trail was clearly marked with a sign, and it was a quick (read steep and rooted) climb to the viewpoint. More fall colors stretched out before us here making both sides of the loop worth the journey.

Hedgehog Mountain was as awesome as a mountain with such a name should be. It mixed in great views with a good variety of hiking over roots and rocks with varying levels of elevation gain to make for a well-rounded hike. As mentioned before, the highlight of the trip was definitely the first set of ledges. I could definitely see taking a hike just to that point and back when you want a quicker trip in the area. Overall, it was a great start to a fall weekend in the Whites.

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