ZEALAND MOUNTAIN: 7/16/13

On a hot, humid day, Carol and I figured we would head into the Zealand Valley, and if the heat wasn't too bad, we would at least climb to Zeacliff for its incomparable views over the eastern Pemi Wilderness. As it turned out, it was certainly a warm day, but there was enough air movement at higher elevations to keep things reasonably comfortable, and we ended up doing the nice ridge walk out to the summit of Zealand Mountain.

Due to a morning appointment, we didn't hit the Zealand Trail until 10:15. After the rough section near the start, this is one of the nicest walks in the mountains with lots of stream, meadow and pond scenery. At 1.7 mi. we reached the first open beaver meadows with a glimpse of Zealand Ridge ahead.

We took a break after the short, steep climb to the AMC Zealand Falls Hut.

The ledges of Whitewall Brook are a great place to hang out on a hot day.

Looking out at Zealand Pond and Mt. Tom.

Lots of Mountain Avens  (Geum peckii) blooming on the ledges. This buttercup-like flower is found only in the White Mountains and on one island off the coast of Nova Scotia. It is a member of the rose family.

This cascade is found just below the Twinway's crossing of Whitewall Brook.

The crossing on a sluice-like ledge was easy, but was reportedly very difficult during high water in early July.

The climb to Zeacliff is a long, steady, rocky slog.

At midday the views from Zeacliff were pretty hazy, but still inspiring. 

I've always counted this among the "top ten" viewpoints in the Whites. I hung out here for a while while Carol continued up the ridge on the Twinway. I chatted for a while with "Whiteout," a thru-hiker from Missouri, a very nice young man. He was quite impressed with the total absence of civilization in the view from Zeacliff.

From ledges down near the edge, you get a good look at a remote beaver meadow in the valley south of the cliffs.

Keith D'Alessandro and I bushwhacked to this spot in 2006 and found a unique view up to the line of cliffs fronting the south side of Zealand Ridge.

Construction of these bog bridges on the Twinway in 2010 was partially funded by a donation from the AMC Four Thousand Footer Club, thanks to the support of many members who have hiked the 4K peaks.

The cliff-faced knob of Zeacliff Pond Peak in sight ahead.

Nice boreal forest along the Twinway. We love the mostly gentle walk along Zealand Ridge.

A ladder assists hikers on a steep ledgy pitch on Zeacliff Pond Peak. Here I met one of several groups participating in an AMC New Hampshire Chapter eight day hut-to-hut trip.

From a fir wave opening, a peek at the ledges on South Hale (aka Zealand), an interesting bushwhack peak on the NH 100 Highest list. Near this spot I saw a male spruce grouse, who scurried off the trail before I could get a picture.

A view of North Twin and its great eastern slide from Zeacliff Pond Peak.

Along the ridge I ran into Doug and Sue, regular customers at my store. They were doing a big loop over the Twins, Guyot, Zealand and Hale. They had seen Carol at the summit of Zealand.

There are many fir waves along the upper end of Zealand Ridge, more than I remember from a few years ago. Some of these areas are near-impossibly thick for bushwhacking.

Carol met me about 1/4 mile east of the summit and walked back up with me, and we spent a half-hour or so relaxing in the shade. Combined with her previous stop here, she had a summit stay of more than an hour - on Zealand, of all places! While we were hanging out here, we met Jeff and Christina, who were heading to Guyot Campsite and turned out to be near-neighbors of ours in Lincoln. As we were leaving, we saw a juvenile Gray Jay fly over, but it was apparently not yet used to seeking handouts from hikers.

The classic summit sign.

Heading back down the Twinway through a nice patch of firs. Farther along we met another friend, Kat Fiske, who was doing a Garfield Trail to Zealand Trail traverse with her dog.

At Zeacliff Pond Peak, I made a short but thick bushwhack to a clifftop ledge overlooking Zeacliff Pond and the eastern Pemi.

Another angle on the view.

A serious dropoff in front.

Carol and I then went down the side path to pretty little Zeacliff Pond, tucked into a bowl on the south side of Zeacliff Pond Peak.

A rough path leads behind the shore to a view of Mt. Carrigain across the water.

We returned to Zeacliff around 5:30, to find the view bathed in soft evening light.

The profile of the mighty Carrigain, lording it over the eastern Pemi.

To the NE, the Presidentials had broken free from their cloud cover.

The air was clearer than when we were here at noontime. The cliffs and slides of Whitewall Mountain were nicely illuminated.

The sprawling ridges of Mt. Hancock fill much of the southern horizon. The northern flanks of Hancock are completely trailless and are one of the wildest areas in the Whites.

Before heading down, I checked out the view of Mounts Bond and Guyot from the ledgy hump between the two Zeacliff spur paths.

A ferny birch glade down along the Twinway.

After filling up on water at the hut, we continued down past Zealand Falls.

Evening at Zealand Pond.

Last look back at the ridge where we spent a  most enjoyable summer day.

MOUNT GARFIELD: 7/12/13

On the first clear, non-humid day in a long time, Carol watched the store and sprung me free for a hike to an old favorite, Mount Garfield. Due to a morning appointment I got a late start on the Garfield Trail - a bit before 11:00 am - but that was not an issue with the luxurious daylight hours of early summer.

The first 0.7 mi. of the Garfield Trail leads along a mini-ridge with some fine hemlock forest.

A mile in, the trail crosses Thompson Brook, then two parts of Spruce Brook near the point where these two brooks merge. It seems like there's now an extra crossing here where part of Spruce Brook is running down the trail, perhaps caused by Tropical Storm Irene [?].

For a long time the Garfield Trail leads on an easy and occasionally moderate upgrade through a vast area of northern hardwoods.

At 2.6 mi., about halfway to the summit, this flat rock next to a small brook is an inviting break spot.

Above here the trail passes through an area burned in a 1903 forest fire, now grown largely to white birch. A small knob here was once called Burnt Knoll.

The easy to moderate grades continue up through conifer forest along several switchbacks, following the route of an old tractor road that served the fire lookout station on the summit of Garfield (in operation from 1940-1948).

As part of today's hike I wanted to visit pretty little Garfield Pond, tucked into a fold at the western base of the summit cone. I hadn't been there for a few years. I decided to head over to the pond on the way up, in part following the route of the old Garfield Pond Cutoff. This trail led from the Garfield Trail to the old Garfield Pond Shelter and Garfield Ridge Trail. Due to overuse and deterioration of the surrounding area, the shelter was removed in 1971 (to be replaced by the Garfield Ridge Shelter on the east side of the mountain), and the Cutoff was abandoned. I had used this semi-bushwhack route a few times in the 1990s, and wanted to check out its current situation. If you know where to start, the old footway can be followed for much of its length, but several sections are either blocked by blowdown, are completely overgrown, or are under water, so it is now in part a true bushwhack. Not really recommended as a summer route. I came out behind the north shore for a view across the pond to the summit crest of Mt. Lafayette.

Near the shore the terrain is wet with fragile moss, so I whacked through drier (and fairly thick) woods to the west of the pond, eventually picking up a herd path that led to the Garfield Ridge Trail. From the trail, a well-used side path descends rather steeply to a rocky spot on the south shore, where you can get a good view of this peaceful high-country pond. I sat here for a while on a low and rather uncomfortable rock and listened to a chorus of Swainson's Thrushes mixed in with other songsters such as Nashville Warbler and White-throated Sparrow.

Then it was time to tackle the fairly steep and rough 650-ft. climb to the summit of Garfield. This was the only scrambly spot on the ascent.

Above here I made a short, thick bushwhack to a small clifftop with a 180-degree westward view that included a look across the western Garfield Ridge to the Franconia Range...

...and an interesting perspective on Garfield Pond....

....as a raven might see it.

The Garfield Ridge Trail, living up to its reputation.

Approaching the top, a ledge to the right of the trail offers a look ahead to the summit rocks and the foundation of the old fire lookout....

....and out to Owl's Head and the western Pemigewasset Wilderness.

I arrived at the summit around 3:30 pm, expecting that there would be a number of folks enjoying the view. To my surprise - on one. I had this spectacular summit to myself on one of the nicest days of the summer, and no one came by during my entire two-hour summit sojourn. One of the benefits of a late start. Garfield is known among hikers as one of the best viewpoints in the Whites, and today did not disappoint, with 80+ mile visibility under partly sunny skies. One of the classic vistas is the broadside perspective on the Franconia Range, rising from the wild inner recess of the western Pemi.

To the east, the massive and lofty Twins, with several craggy Presidentials peering over in back.

Spotlight on Galehead Mountain.

Looking north to Cherry Mountain and the Pliny and Pilot Ranges. Today's distant views included several 4000-footers in Vermont and Maine.

What a great spot to lounge while gazing at Owl's Head lurking out there between the Franconia Brook and Lincoln Brook valleys.

Ridges flowing off the Bonds into the Franconia Brook valley.

The creased crags of Bondcliff, with the tip of Mt. Chocorua peering over in back.

The Franconia Brook valley all lit up.

Evening shadows creeping in at 5:30; time to head home. As I was leaving the summit, the caretaker for Garfield Ridge Campsite came by for a quick look.

I met one other hiker down at the Garfield Ridge/Garfield Trail junction, making a total of just nine for the entire day. I saw no one on the 4.8 mi. descent from here. Seen below are some mature balsam firs in a ferny glade along one of the upper switchbacks.

Evening sun lighting up some open woods around 3200 ft. With its easy to moderate grades, the Garfield Trail is one of the more pleasant descent routes from a high White Mountain summit. Good trail, great peak.