Pages

Zealand Mountain

Date of Hike: 11/6/11

Zealand Trail: 2.5 miles (450 feet)
Twinway / Zealand Spur: 6.4 miles (1,850 feet)
Zealand Trail: 2.5 miles
Total Miles: 11.4 (2,300 elevation gain)
Click here for trail descriptions 

Trip Report:
- After three weekends off I made my way back up to the White Mountains.  My initial plan was an out n' back of the Bonds on Saturday and the meet up with friends for a quick hike of Zealand on Sunday.  However after last weeks Nor'easter my plans were delayed as I helped Johnny 5 clear massive blowdowns from his back yard on Saturday in Wethersfield CT then heading up to NH to do Zealand on Sunday.
- The weather was perfect for the hike, clear skies, temps in the mid to high 40's, and no wind.
- Zealand is a pretty easy mountain to hike, the first 2.5 miles is relatively flat over an old logging road until you hook onto the Twinway (A.T.) heading south past Zealand Falls Hut.
- The trail was a packed down couple of inches of snow, mixed rocks, and ice which was bare-bootable with care although once the micro-spikes came on you could fly through the trail.
- The Twinway outlook is one of the best viewpoints in all of the White Mountains, sitting high above Zealand Notch and Whitewall Mountain, views over to Carrigain Notch, and across to Mount Tom, Field, and Willey with the Presidential Range looming large in the distance.
-  From the viewpoint the hike is back in the woods and not really exciting with a couple of very minor PUD's (pointless up and downs).  There is one fun short steep section with a well placed ladder step to help hikers up and down.
- The summit of Zealand has the best summit sign in the White's but that's about it, the summit is in the woods and resembles what one finds on Galehead Mountain...just a small pile of rocks!
- After taking a break to refuel and relax we booked it back down to Zealand Falls Hut and took a nice long break in the sun talking to other hikers before heading back to the car.
- It was my eighth time on Zealand Mountain and amazingly my second strait year hiking it on November 6th!  It's a cool little mountain, although it lacks views from its summit the A.T. runs right by it's 0.1 miles spur path, the Zealand Falls and its hut is only a few miles below it, and best of all it's with a short descent and ascent to Guyot where you get great views of the Pemi Wilderness and have the Bonds on one side and the Twin Range on the other.

Pictures: (Click here for all Pictures)

 Boardwalk over beaver ponds on the Zealand Trail
 Presidential Range from Twinway Outlook
 Whitewall Mountain
 Kat looking out to Mount Carrigain and the Hancocks
 Zealand Summit Sign
Carrigain Notch from Zealand Falls Hut

3 comments:

  1. Hi Tom,

    Zealand Mountain, the hut and the surrounding Peaks is one of my favorite places in the White Mountains!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This area is the heart of the Whites, Zealand, Guyot and the Bonds...pure heaven.

    ReplyDelete