Zealand Mtn (4,260 ft) 10-11-14

Distance: 12.6 mi.
Elevation: 2,221 ft (overall) 3,095 ft (total)
Time: 4:01 (Summit) 6:44 (Total)
Trails: Zealand Trail, Ethan Pond Trail, Zeacliff Trail, Twinway

After doing a 3 day Pemi-Loop earlier in the summer, Zealand Mountain was left hanging by itself in the eastern side of the Pemigewasset Wilderness. Knowing the only views would be from Zeacliff, I saved this hike for a day where clear skies wouldn't matter. So hiking it today where it started off cloudy and cleared some would be perfect. I decided on doing a bit longer of a hike so I could go up the Zeacliff Trail rather than just straight up and back past the hut.

The trail starts off on an old railroad grade, so it is pretty easy and goes by quickly. All crossings of the brook through here are on well made bridges. It doesn't seem to take too long before you are getting towards Zealand Pond just below the hut. When I came through this morning, there was a wet path across the trail that headed into the woods. When I got next to the water, I saw that there was a beaver active and swimming around just in front of me. While I took a few pictures of him and of the area, he just kept swimming in circles seemingly waiting for me to leave so he could get back to doing what he was in the woods. He even tried to encourage me some with a few slaps of his tail as he dove under the water.

Zeacliff in site with a beaver swimming around

After passing by the Twinway Trail, it was still more easy walking along the old rail bed. Footing was smooth and the hike was pretty quick. The leaves that were starting to change two weeks ago when I came through here last had now changed and many had already fallen off. This was a bit disappointing, but there were still patches of nice color. Before long I came to the junction of the Zeacliff Trail.

Looking down into Zealand Valley

This trail meanders over the rocks a bit as it works down into the ravine, but is pretty easy to follow if you pay attention. Once into the trees, it drops steeply the last little bit down to Whitewall Brook. The crossing here was easier than I had expected from reading other's trip reports. There were a few large stones you could easy walk across. Once on the other side of the brook, the trail starts to head uphill fast. It gets steep, but doesn't have any hard obstacles. Just some rocky and root covered terrain as it goes straight up the hillside. As you go further, the trail will start to bear to the right and get a bit easier. It also passes through a small stand of Birch trees. Near the upper end, the trail starts to work around the side of Zeacliff and has one tricky obstacle to go over. There is a large exposed rock that the trail goes up. On the far end of it, there was a good place to climb that had a couple small spots for your feet and hands as you pull yourself up and over.

Whitewall Brook

You'll need to climb up and over this

Once up on the Twinway, it's a pretty gentle walk to the summit. One steep section has a large rock to climb up and a short ladder to help you get the last bit of it. Other than that it is just a walk in the woods, albeit a bit of a rocky one at times.

Twinway Trail

At the summit there were a couple people already there, and more kept showing up. Lots of people were on their way to Guyot Campsite today. Hopefully they all found a spot. On the summit it was only 38 degrees, so a jacket or something was nice to have. After a while here, I headed back down the trail on my way out. Since I skipped it the last time I was here, I made sure to take the short spur trail down to Zeacliff Pond. This small pond has a nice view over it to Mt. Carrigain, but the lighting today left me a bit disappointed.

At the summit

Zeacliff Pond

As I got closer to Zeacliff, the sky started to clear up some. The sun was coming out a bit at times and there were views off in the distance. This was great timing as I came to the viewpoint and had some sun while there. I enjoyed the best views of the day and took plenty of pictures. As I headed back down the trail, it was a bit steeper and rockier than I remembered. There weren't any real hard spots though along the route. Before long I came to the hut, which was a popular spot today. I took a short break here and changed my gear up some before taking some more pictures. The view from the hut was pretty nice today looking down into the valley. After leaving the hut, it was a quick and easy walk back out to the car.

Sun starting to come out

View from Zeacliff

View south from Zeacliff

View from the hut

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Katahdin, Hamlin Peak (4,756 ft) 10-4-14

Distance: 10.9 mi.
Elevation: 3,229 ft (overall) 3,884 ft (total)
Time: 2:02 (Chimney Pond) 4:14 (Hamlin Peak) 7:23 (Total)
Trails: Chimney Pond Trail, Saddle Trail, Northwest Basin Trail, Hamlin Ridge Trail, North Basin Trail, North Basin Cutoff

This hike was still needed because I wasn't able to get both Baxter Peak and Hamlin Peak in the same hike earlier in the summer. So this meant a second trip to Baxter State Park. This time I stayed at the Abol Campground and hiked up the mountain starting at Roaring Brook. Any early morning drive got me a good parking spot and also helped me get an earlier finish too.

The trail starting out from Roaring Brook is gentle and easy to follow. No hard obstacles or rough terrain. After a couple bridges and following the river a ways, the trail does get more rocky, but it's still pretty easy going. After a little more, you will see a short side path that leads over to Basin Pond. This is a small pond that has very clear water. Today, there was also a beaver swimming around nearby.

Chimney Pond Trail

Basin Pond

After leaving the pond, you'll come to a nice long boardwalk that has been built over a wet area along the trail. After this, you will also be going past the lower end of Dry Pond. Which right now is just a field of large boulders. I can see this being in the drainage area in the spring and having plenty of snow built up in it, but I don't see it becoming much of a pond. Beyond this, you will come to the Chimney Pond campground area. I made a quick stop her at an outhouse and then headed straight to the pond. Like Basin Pond, the water here is super clear. And even though the ridge and summits were in the clouds, being in front of the pond at the bottom of the basin was impressive. Definitely a cool spot to visit. I can see why many people camp here.

Chimney Pond

Upon leaving the pond, I headed up the Saddle Trail. Things started off being a bit steeper and rockier, but not much. After climbing up through the woods some, the trail levels out a bit and you can see the path you need to take up ahead of you. It looks pretty steep. The trail goes a bit further and then you start the climb. While still at least partly in the trees, there are some large rocks to go over and around. Being damp today, they were a bit trickier than normal I suspect. Soon though, you start to come up out of the trees. While steep, this does mean smaller rocks. Footing can can a bit loose in places, but you just need to look ahead. I found staying to the right helped. Shortly before the top, you'll come to a spot that has a large rock face to climb over. If you follow the blazes pretty closely, you'll have a good route.

Coming into the saddle

Climbing up the saddle

The hike from here to the summit is pretty easy. It doesn't get very steep and just follows along the ridge line. There are a couple larger rocks to go over though. One or two spots required paying attention to my footing, by mainly due to the damp conditions. It seems many people consider the summit of Hamlin Peak to be where the sign is, but to me it looked like a cairn just past it was on slightly higher ground. I took a few pictures in the wind and clouds and measured the temperature and wind speeds. 50 degrees and wind gusting to 23 mph. Then it was down the Hamlin Ridge Trail I went.

Hamlin Peak summit

Hamlin Ridge was interesting to come down. I didn't have any views into the North Basin due to the weather and the wind coming in from my right was blowing the clouds right at me and trying to send me towards the steep descent into the basin. This would be a nice trail to come up when I visit again. With the damp conditions and exposure to the wind, this route was tricky in a couple places. There were a couple short and steep descents and walking near edges with good drop offs. With taking care though, everything went well. With being in the clouds, I couldn't see overly far down the trail and it did seem like I was above treeline longer than I would have thought. Maybe this was just because of the careful pace I was taking.

Along Hamlin Ridge

More of Hamlin Ridge

Once back into the woods, it was a pretty quick descent back down to the car. It didn't take long to the get to the North Basin Cutoff, which I was taking because it looked a bit shorter than going back towards Chimney Pond and also because I figured there would be less people. After coming close to Basin Pond again, you'll pop out back onto the Chimney Pond Trail. From here on down it was pretty quick hiking. Near the end I didn't care much about getting wet anymore, even though the rain had mostly stopped. I also knew the conditions would be good all the way back down.

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Tom (4,051), Mt. Field (4,340), & Mt. Willey (4,285 ft) 9-27-14

Distance: 19.0 mi.
Elevation: 2,260 ft (overall) 3,667 ft (total)
Time: 3:25 (Mt. Tom) 4:21 (Mt. Field) 5:17 (Mt. Willey) 6:53 (Ethan Pond) 10:20 (Total)
Trails: Zealand Trail, A-Z Trail, Mt. Tom Spur, Willey Range Trail, Ethan Pond Trail

I've been thinking about doing this hike since just after I first hiked these peaks just over 3 years ago. For some reason I had the idea of this loop and immediately wanted to do it. With a plan of hiking all the New England Four Thousand Footers in one year, it seemed like the perfect time to do this loop rather than a shorter route from the other side. This would also get me onto even more trails this year that I haven't been on yet.

Knowing this was going be a longer hike, I made sure to get an early start. The parking lot can also fill up quick on a nice day such as this. Starting up the Zealand Trail is pretty easy. There are no major ups or downs as it gradually gains elevation. All brooks also have nice bridges over them. It is a bit rocky and has a number of roots in places due to the heavy traffic to and from the hut.

Before Long I was turning off onto the A-Z Trail and away from other hikers for a while. I suspect this trail doesn't get heavy usage from this side, but it was in good shape and easy to follow. There was one minor brook crossing and a few damp spots with bog bridges. The trail is gradual to begin with, but steeper than the Zealand Trail. After a while, the trail almost completely levels out for a while making it a nice quick section. It then does the main climb up onto the ridge getting steeper and more rocky. Before too long though, you are up on the ridge and at the Mt. Tom Spur. This trail was a nice alternative being quiet and feeling a bit more remote.

A-Z Trail

The hike up to Mt. Tom went quick as the spur trail is relatively short and isn't very hard. There are some muddy sections, some roots, and a couple small rock scrambles, but nothing too difficult. As you get near the summit, the trail appears to split, but there is no sign. To the left is the actual summit with limited views into the Zealand Valley and to the right is a small open area with views of the Presidential Range and Crawford Notch.

View from Mt. Tom

After a quick hike back down the spur trail, it was time to climb up Mt. Field. The trail hear has some small rocks scattered along it, but it stays pretty good. After going through and area with lots of low lying plants to help make the forest even more green, there is a final steep push just before the summit. There is a small open area at the actual summit with another small viewpoint a few feet away that looks back towards the eastern side of Mt. Tom.

View from Mt. Field

After a nice break, some views, and a change of socks, it was time to head off towards Mt. Willey. There are a couple short steep descents, but only one might be tricky for other hikers. The trail does have more small rocks on it though which will make your feet a bit more sore at the end of the day. After the trail levels off a bit before heading up Mt. Willey, you'll come through a patch of trees that saw heavy damage during Tropical Storm Irene. They have been cleaned up nicely, but it's an impressive and localized spot of damage. It might have been due to some of the trees being down, but I felt more wind here than any other spot along the ridge. This could also be part of way so many trees fell over during that storm. The trail works its way around Mt. Willey a bit before coming to the summit. There is a nice view point just before the summit, but an even better one just after the summit.

The view after the summit provides a vantage point to look across Crawford Notch at Webster Cliff, Mt. Webster, and the rest of the Presidential Range. This is one of my favorite views in the Whites so far.

View from Mt. Willey

View from Mt. Willey

Having been here before, I knew the trail heading south off of Mt. Willey would be steep. You quickly loose elevation and soon come to the ladder section. I think I counted 98 steps on the ladders while climbing down them. After the ladders it's still steep for a while with more loose rock. The trail levels out some before reaching the Ethan Pond Trail.

The Ethan Pond Trail goes uphill a bit before leveling off and then gradually heading downhill. Much of this trail was an old railroad track so there won't be anything too steep or sharp along it. After passing though some nice woods and over many bog bridges, I reached the spur trail to the Ethan Pond Shelter. I walked in to check it out. The pond is small but nice. There is a shelter which filled up while I was resting and tent sites that were already packed when I got there. This is a popular place on weekends when the weather is nice (don't forget foliage is starting to change too).

Ethan Pond

Leaving the pond, more hikers were still coming in hoping to find a spot, but they would soon be turned away. The trail stays nice and gentle for quite a while through here. No real surprises, just a long walk through a remote area. After crossing the North Fork of the East Branch of the Pemigewasset River on a nice bridge, the trail starts to curve back in the direction of the parking lot following around the edge of Whitewall Mtn.

After a stretch in the trees, the trail comes out into the open at the base of a rocky side of the mountain. The old rail bed is very clear here and there are nice views through the valley and up the mountain. After heading back into the trees, the trail starts to have a bunch of short ups and downs over some rocky areas. By this time, my feet where starting to get a bit sore and these rocks weren't helping. Eventually the trail smooths back out again. It stays this way all the way to the Twinway Trail near the hut. After a short section and a small crossing of a beaver pond, you get back onto the section of trail hiked at the beginning of the day.

Ethan Pond Trail

On the old rail bed at the base of Whitewall Mtn

Looking up Whitewall Mtn

Nearing sunset now, I was happy to make my way out without needing a headlamp. At the beaver ponds I was able to see a bit of the sunset and the colors it cast onto the trees that are already changing for fall. This was an enjoyable loop and hike, but I wish there was a bit more breeze today to go along with the sun. It felt pretty warm today while hiking with a temp on the summits of 66 degrees. It's hard to believe that just two weeks ago I was on Mt. Moriah where it was 38 degrees, windy, and I was wearing a hat and gloves.

Nearing sunset while hiking the Zealand Trail

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE

Mt. Moriah (4,049 ft) 9-13-14

Distance: 10.4 mi.
Elevation: 3,066 ft (overall) 3,488 ft (total)
Time: 3:25 (Summit) 5:52 (Total)
Trails: Stony Brook Trail, Carter-Moriah Trail

This year for Flags on the 48 I didn't sign up to hike with my normal group. Having a set goal for the year, I didn't want to use up a hiking weekend on a peak I had already done this year. So I just picked a peak I hadn't hiked this year that I wanted to for the event. The group for Mt. Moriah was coming in from another direction than I wanted to, so I decided I would just be a spectator this year.

I got a bit of a delayed start to the Stony Brook Trail head this morning, but since I didn't have to be up to the summit for noon, that was fine. The trail starts about 50 feet up the road from the parking area and immediately crosses the river on a nice bridge. It then works along the side of the river over pretty gentle terrain. It does work uphill away from the river briefly before coming back down to cross it. The crossing today was as easy as could be.

First river crossing

After the crossing, the trail follows an old logging road. This makes for a smooth trail and gentle grades. Higher up this section, the trail crosses a couple small brooks. One crossing looks like it could be slippery when wet as the open rock is covered with moss, but hikers have made a workaround for this spot. After the next crossing, the trial turns to the right and heads uphill more steadily.

Crossing of a currently dry brook

Climbing more steadily now, the trail gets a bit more rocky at times, but not overly bad. It does a little bit of a switchback coming up to the ridge as well. Once on the ridge, the trail goes between short climbs and level spots as it works towards the summit. There are open areas along the trail scattered in here as well that provide good views around.

First open spot on the ridge

Interesting clouds over the Presidential Range

As I was nearing the summit, I was in an open section and could see it. I noticed the flag was just getting raised up. I looked at my watch and saw it was 11:58, two minutes before they flag needed to be raised. Good timing by the group bringing it up.

Flag flying on the summit

Just before the summit is the steepest part of the ascent. The Carter-Moriah Trail quickly climbs up some steep rocks before getting to the short path over to the summit. I spent a fair amount of time at the summit and helped the group take down their flag after chatting with them. I then headed back down the same route I came up. Everything went well knowing what the terrain was like. Further down towards the bottom, it started to rain though. Luckily it wasn't raining too hard and I made it to my car without getting very wet.

For all the pictures from the hike, just go HERE