Time for an Epic Traverse
From Mount Bond looking over to Bond Cliff
I had the Zealand Bonds Traverse or 'Zbonds' on my radar for a long while. I was examining routes and a traverse, or point to point hike, was the best way to accomplish. It was 20 miles, so I knew that a one-day hike of that length was never going to happen. I decided on the normal course of action and do 8 miles in to Guyot campsite, run by AMC, and then hike the 12 miles on the second day. I saw that finally after all this rain that there was going to be two good days on the of Thursday and Friday. I had to get it done. So, I moved my work stuff around, put me Out of Office on and hit the trails.
Hiking the White Mountains is like no other I am convinced of that. The sheer amount of epic views and beauty I saw the last couple of days is remarkable. Before that, I had some logistics to figure out. A traverse starts in one place and ends in another, and I have been a solo hiker, so I need to do a car spot. I convinced my oldest daughter, for a pretty penny, to drive up at 7 AM on Thursday, drop my car off at Lincoln Woods and then drive up to the Zealand trailhead. She was great, she even put a note on my windshield to the Forest Service to let them know that I forgot to pay, and I would go I got back the next day to which I did so honorably by the way.
The hike from Zealand trailhead was breathtaking as you walked along a beaver pond with mountains in the background. The sun was shining, and the bees were humming. Then you start hiking up to this amazing waterfall to which after all the rain we have had it was in full effect. Next to the waterfall is the Zealand AMC hut. I have not been actually inside an AMC even though I passed by at least 5 of them because of winter and COVID. I paid for a delicious brownie and then stood outside to talk to an Appalachian Trail (AT) thru hiker - he came almost 2,000 miles to get there from Georgia - pretty incredible. Because some section of my hike was the AT I saw a handful of the thru-hikers, or should I have said, I smelled them. Listen, it’s a fragrance of accomplishment and I stand behind it.
I left the AMC hut and hiked up to Zealand Mountain, which is a wooded summit, but has a really cool old sign that’s still there. I met a party of 3 on Zealand Cliff viewpoint that was doing the same hike as me but was doing it in one day. I also met a know-it-all from Portsmouth that I hiked with me for a half mile or so that I was happy to see keep going as I took a break. From Zealand it was a relatively short hike to Guyot to where I would rest my head that night. It’s probably the most used campsite because it’s along the AT and the Pemi Loop. Luckily, I got there around 1 or so so I found a platform to put up my tent. Towards the end of the day folks were out of luck. Another couple had put up their tent on the same 8x8 platform which was tough because only a tent wall separated us and every time they moved or made a noise, I heard it was inches from me.
At campsite, I filtered some water and cooked some chili. I was tired so I laid in my tent from about 4 PM or so until I went to sleep. I fit in some audio podcasts and a Tom Hanks movie that I downloaded the night before. There was no cell service, but I tried like hell to send some messages to Stephanie. I thought about how fortunate I was to be able to do this adventure and was able to be in peace because of that. However, I was not able to sleep well all night, my hip would hurt so I would need to rollover a lot and every time my neighbor would move, I would wake. It was fine, I expected that from my last overnight trip.
I set my alarm for 6:30 AM and away I went to hit the Bonds which comprises of three 4000 footers along the East side of Pemigewasset wilderness. It so remote and so magnificent. Every time I got to a peak, I just smiled from ear to ear. This is one of the reasons why I did this adventure, to see and experience this beautiful landscape. By far, the greatest view in all of the White Mountains. I feel like the other hikes were a training session for this traverse. The overnight on my first to Lincoln, the rock hopping on Adams, the long miles of Owl's Head, and all the others played a part to me traversing these mountains with delight and courage. Although, the last 5 miles on the very flat Lincoln Woods Trail was maddening and my feet felt like they were going to explode.
So, West Bond, it’s a spur trail out-and-back and relatively close to the Guyot campsite. I was able to drop my very heavy pack and slinky out to the summit. I felt good and I had that nervous-excited feeling because I knew what was coming. I hit West Bond, the only one there, and for 360 degrees just sheer cliffs and mountains as far as you could see. It was epic, it really was, and it actually got better. Mount Bond was next, and it did not disappoint either. And in view was Bond Cliff to which I considered the most epic 4000-footer with the quintessential photograph possible to fully illustrate my adventure. It’s a series of rocks which jetty out over a several thousand feet drop, and the background is Mont Bond. I wanted that photo so bad; I don’t know why. I saw a hiker going up to Bond Cliff and it rain was expect so I am not sure if there would be anyone to take the photo, so I double-timed it to catch up to him. I finally did to which he was gracious enough and I returned the favor of taking the photo of him. It’s kinda like the hiking Disneyland shot of the castle - I mean you have to take it right? After a short conversation and introductions, I realized he was the author of a blog that I like to read and has been instrumental to helping me picking out hiking gear for hiking. He appreciated the feedback and we talked as we hiked for another 7 miles together. He has done a lot of hiking, so I asked him about his experiences. So cool. He stopped to go fishing and then I walked another grueling 4 more miles to the car. As I look back on the photos, I can truly say this has been life changing for me and I will hold in my memory forever - it was epic.
Date
July 23-24th 2021
Distance
20.1 miles
Elevation Gain
4,075
All Trails