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Ski
Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Zeacliff, Zealand Mountain (attempt), Mt. Hale (attempt), NH
Trails
Trails: Zealand Road, Zealand Trail, Twinway
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Wednesday, December 27, 2017
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Plenty of parking at Lower Ammonoosuc Falls lot on 302 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow - Drifts 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment: Snowshoes, Light Traction 
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: None 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: None 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes:  
Bugs
Bugs:  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found:  
 
Comments
Comments: Our group of five did an overnight at the Zealand Hut with hopes of visiting Zealand and Hale. From the parking lot to Zealand Hut, we packed down 3-6 inches of fresh powder over the existing showshoe track. Several groups came up after us on both 12/26 and 12/27 and it's now well consolidated all the way to the hut. Three of us continued breaking trail on the Twinway to Zeacliff and encountered increasingly deep unconsolidated snow. By the time we got to Zeacliff, it was knee deep with hip-deep drifts. There was no noticeable track to Zealand, so we decided to retreat to the hut. We were planning to return to 302 over Hale, but there was no noticeable track through the deep snow on Lend-a-Hand and our group just wasn't up to it in the cold. Looking up Hale Brook Trail on the way out, it we saw 3-6 inches on top of a snowshoe track. We also passed guy in crampons without snowshoes planning to head up that way, so it's possibly more broken out now.  
Name
Name: Brian S 
E-Mail
E-Mail: newenglandrambling@outlook.com 
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2017-12-27 
Link
Link: https:// 
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