| Hiking Trail Conditions Report |
 | Peaks |
Zealand Mountain, Mt. Guyot, West Bond, Mt. Bond, Bondcliff, NH |
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 | Trails: |
Zealand Trail, Twinway, Zealand Spur, Bondcliff Trail, West Bond Spur, Guyot Tensite Spur |
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 | Date of Hike: |
Sunday, September 24, 2023 |
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 | Parking/Access Road Notes: |
We parked a car at North Twin trailhead and another car at Zealand. Plenty of parking at both, despite this being a fall weekend! |
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 | Surface Conditions: |
Dry Trail, Mud - Minor/Avoidable |
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 | Recommended Equipment: |
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 | Water Crossing Notes: |
No issues |
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 | Trail Maintenance Notes: |
Zealand Trail: thanks for the new stepping stones in the muddy bits!
Twinway: no concerns on the ascent to Zeacliff and yay for the bog bridge at the Zeacliff Spur junction (that’s not going to be fun this winter - that water is deeper than it was last summer!). From this point to the Zealand summit spur there are two duck unders and one is already a head-knocker. Just ask PackFlag, he will tell you. Both are > 8” diameter, dag nabbit. The ladder looks good to go for the winter. The Zealand spur still has the excessive mud that it had in August, and there is quite the ugly herdpath around that spot. From the Zealand spur to Bondcliff Trail there are some significant muddy spots that are mostly rock hoppable.
Bondcliff Trail: No significant blowdowns. There is an odd herdpath that reduces the Bondcliff Trail by approximately 12’. Very odd. Between Bond and Bondcliff things are in good shape, as are the West Bond and Guyot shelter spurs.
Bring on Fall!! |
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 | Dog-Related Notes: |
Saw lots and they were all well behaved. Yay! |
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 | Bugs: |
Nooooooo!!! Yay for Fall!! |
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 | Lost and Found: |
Nothing this weekend. |
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 | Comments: |
This trip has been on my wishlist for a very long time. We started on Saturday morning from the Zealand trailhead and hiked out to the Guyot tentsite; we had a very casual hike and arrived after 11am. The very kind Caleb (caretaker) helped us to choose platform 10. All of the platforms seem to be amazing and you really can’t make a bad choice. The three bear boxes are centrally located right below the shelter, in a designated kitchen area, and that little area has a wooden table with all of it under two tarps. The spring is located about 20’ away from the bear boxes. There is a privy just below the bear boxes, and about 150 yards away. We set up camp and then slack packed the Bonds in a leisurely way, with lots of time spent talking to other hikers (including Gandalf_AT!!!), and taking photos for people at that spot on Bondcliff. We finished on West Bond for sunset. Both sunset and sunrise were compromised by clouds and light rain; nearly every tentsite at Guyot would have amazing sunrise views (and I will be back to check that out firsthand!!). We had a nice breakfast under the tarps near the bear boxes and met dozens of other weekend adventurers. Though we were originally planning to head out via the Twins, when we got back to the Mt Guyot summit on Sunday morning it was raining and there was wind, so we headed back out via Zealand. A weekend where I got to see Zeacliff twice? I will take it! |
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 | Name: |
Bikecamphikegirl |
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 | E-Mail: |
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| Date Submitted: |
2023-09-24 |
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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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