Last month, as we strategized how we would finish hiking our remaining White Mountain 4000 Footers before snowfall, we came to the conclusion that an overnight stay would be necessary in order to bag the Bonds along with nearby Mount Zealand and Mount Hale. We could either camp at a wilderness campsite, or…
“Can we stay at the Zealand Falls Hut? Please can we stay at the hut?” I begged Mr. Pinault. I kinda like the idea of staying at the huts because they remind me of summer camp, what with the communal meals, the bunk rooms, and the zany college-aged hut crew. Mr. Pinault knew full well that neither of us, in fact, actually enjoy the hut experience, but he made the reservation and paid the $100/person per night (!!!) rate in advance, so we had no choice but to head to the White Mountains this weekend despite a dismally rainy forecast.
Zealand Falls Hut is probably the most accessible of the 8 AMC huts, and therefore is a popular destination for families, especially (it appears) father-son hiking trips when the father isn’t rugged enough to haul food, supplies, and bedding on his back in order to provide for a real camping experience for his son. Young families also like the huts, as do retirees. There was once a time when the huts were filled with AT thru-hikers and college students, but they’ve been priced out of the huts and into the woods.
We reached the hut at 10:30am on Saturday morning to claim our bunks, drop off our stuff, and consolidate our rain gear and food into one pack before hitting the trail to Mount Zealand and ultimately the Bonds. No major rain, just drizzle and low-hanging clouds.
At Zealand Falls Hut
Mount Zealand was a heckuva climb, and it was disgustingly humid although not hot. We climbed for about an hour before hitting a spectacular viewpoint. The clouds swirled awesomely through Crawford Notch:
Viewpoint from Mount Zealand
We reached the summit of Mount Zealand about 30 minutes later. It was modest and wooded, although there was a pretty sign.
Summit of Mount Zealand
Then the real fun began. We headed to the lovely alpine zone of Mount Guyot (not an official 4000 Footer) en route to the Bonds.
Mount Guyot
We were under a bit of time pressure. It was unlikely that we’d bag both of our remaining Bonds (Bond and Bondcliff) and make it back to dinner at the hut, which begins promptly at 6pm. (Not to point fingers, but had we gotten up at 4:30am that morning like I wanted to, it would have been feasible.) In any event, we decided to go to Bond only, and save Bondcliff for our very last 4000 Footer, because the Bonds are amazing.
Bondcliff
Yes, due to their remoteness and 360-degree views, the Bonds are amazing, and because the weather forecast was so dreadful we had them all to ourselves on a Saturday in the summer. And the rain never even happened.
Bond. Mount Bond.
After bagging Bond, we rushed back the 7 miles to the hut… which we reached at ten minutes to 6pm in near-delirium. The hut dinner was typically hardy, starting with bean soup and bread, which ironically, I could not eat despite having just hiked for 8 hours while everyone else who barely broke a sweat on their leisurely jaunt to the hut dug in with gusto. I got a few strange looks when I loaded my plate with nothing but turkey and salad.
After dinner, we played communal card games before wandering to our bunks and collapsing. I was awoken 3 times over the course of the night by the same man. The first time, he got up to use the bathroom. Okay, I’ll excuse that. The second time, he turned on his headlamp to read… at 3:30am!?! The third time, he was unwrapping some sort of granola bar… at 5:30am?!?
No time for sleep-depraved delirium, we still had Mount Hale to hike. After breakfast, we started the 2.8 mile climb to Mount Hale in a thick mountain mist. Mount Hale affords no real views anyway, although there is a super-large cairn where a fire watchtower used to sit.
Summit of Mount Hale. Hale, yeah!
After bagging Hale, we walked another hour back to the car, pleased that we “beat” the weather forecast and stayed relatively dry while enjoying one of the most scenic areas of New Hampshire…
From Mount Bond
On Mount Bond
