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Hiking Trail Conditions Report
Peaks
Peaks Zealand Falls, Thoreau Falls, Ethan Pond, NH
Trails
Trails: Zealand Trail, Twinway, Ethan Pond Trail, Thoreau Falls Trail
Date of Hike
Date of Hike: Sunday, June 17, 2018
Parking/Access Road Notes
Parking/Access Road Notes: Zealand trailhead: first lot was full, but there were plenty of spots at the lot on the side of the road just before the end of the road. Ethan Pond trailhead: when we arrived in the morning, there were a couple spots left in the upper lot. When we got back in the afternoon, a bunch of cars were parked along Rt. 302. 
Surface Conditions
Surface Conditions: Dry Trail, Wet Trail, Standing/Running Water on Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable, Mud - Significant 
Recommended Equipment
Recommended Equipment:  
Water Crossing Notes
Water Crossing Notes: All crossings (and there were a lot of them) were easy. Even the crossing of the North Fork on the Thoreau Falls Trail would have been fairly easy if we were going that way (which we weren't). 
Trail Maintenance Notes
Trail Maintenance Notes: Trails were easy to follow and had no blowdowns. However, the Ethan Pond Trail could use some brushing in spots, and some of the bog bridges on it seemed to be deteriorating. That was never a major obstacle to forward travel, though. 
Dog-Related Notes
Dog-Related Notes: Saw a few. Don't see why not. Plenty of water on the trail. 
Bugs
Bugs: YES. Bugs of all different types were a constant presence throughout the entire hike. I didn't find them quite annoying enough to put my head net on, but others in my group found them very annoying, and we cut short our stop at Ethan Pond due to them.  
Lost and Found
Lost and Found: Somebody left a small purple bag (full of, we suspect, dog shit) on the Ethan Pond Trail below the junction with the Ripley Falls Trail. We hope that whoever left it there packed it out after visiting Ripley Falls. 
 
Comments
Comments: What a great traverse - long, but relatively easy (10.6 miles, ~1,300 mostly gradual vertical feet of climbing). No major sustained climbs, and the Zealand and Ethan Pond trails are both very gentle (at least in the direction we did - starting the hike at Zealand and ending at Ethan Pond). Zealand Falls, Zealand Notch, Thoreau Falls, and Ethan Pond were all beautiful. The weather was hot, but due to the dearth of steep climbing it wasn't too bad. And the major distances of flat and smooth trail were much appreciated.

I'd happily do this hike again - but on a day with cooler temperatures.  
Name
Name: GN 
E-Mail
E-Mail:  
Date Submitted
Date Submitted: 2018-06-17 
Link
Link: https:// 
Bookmark and Share Disclaimer: Reports are not verified - conditions may vary. Use at own risk. Always be prepared when hiking. Observe all signs. Trail conditions reports are not substitutes for weather reports or common sense.

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