| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Mt. Hale, Zealand Mountain, Mt. Guyot, West Bond, Mt. Bond, Bondcliff, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Road, Hale Brook Trail, Lend-A-Hand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Lincoln Woods Trail |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Saturday, January 9, 2021 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
none |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Snow - Packed Powder/Loose Granular, Snow - Unpacked Powder, Snow/Ice - Postholes |
|
 | Recommended Equipment: |
Snowshoes, Light Traction |
|
 | Water Crossing Notes: |
Crossing in snowshoes was a breeze (you can center exposed rocks under your crampon). |
|
 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Minor blowdowns - a few. The larger blowdowns had minor detours. |
|
 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Lots of dogs ascending Bondcliff today - all were happy, especially the husky-ish dog on Bondcliff. |
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 | Bugs: |
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 | Lost and Found: |
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 | Comments: |
Spiked it on the Zealand Road and up to Hale, then the snowshoes stayed on until the bitter end (overnighted at the Guyot Motel/Shelter - snowshoes made it soooo much easier to get and out of there).
Lend A Hand had one set of boot tracks, and we quickly donned our snowshoes, since descending in snowshoes is soooo much more energy efficient and gives you extra stride length, plus it leaves the trail in much better condition. So, we beat that out. Twinway wound up being snowshoed out nicely - we passed Hiker Ed and two others descending from Zealand on the Twinway (all in snowshoes, thankfully). There's a brief rocky stretch over Guyot that would tempt you to switch to spikes, but the need is brief, since once you are back in the trees, snowshoes were again de riguer - some fresh snow and with bareboot tracks.
Not until ascending Bondcliff did we briefly go back to spikes (and used them until we got over Bondcliff and then descended that one short, steep drop). Snowshoes after that. Wicked faster than spikes. Once down alongside the Pemi, take your pick - things are beaten down solidly. Crampons not needed anywhere; virtually no ice. |
|
 | Name: |
Ross |
|
 | E-Mail: |
rox-nh@comcast.net |
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| Date Submitted: |
2021-01-09 |
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 | Link: |
 https:// |
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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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