Home > Hiking > Hiking Trip Reports > Richard, Susan, and John do the Bonds

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

Date: August 21-22, 2001
Trails: Zealand, Twinway, and Bondcliff
Distance: 10+ miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Conditions: Drizzle
Special Required Equipment: Boots, poles, water, and a sense of humor

Trip Report: My wife Susan and I were waiting for our vacation week to arrive so we could hike to Mount Guyot campsite and spend the night after hiking to Mount Bond, Bondcliff, and West Bond. The weather wasn't as ideal as we had hoped with threats of lingering showers, however we couldn't postpone another day for our friend John, who was joining us on our little overnight adventure, had to be back in Connecticut by Wednesday so it was now or never.

The night before we had laid out all our provisions that would see us through the next two days. Not wanting to repeat my earlier sin of over packing when I hiked to Mount Liberty as an overnight earlier in the summer, I weighted both mine and my wife's pack to ensure that we were not overtaxing ourselves with too much weight. Susan hadn't been on an overnighter in 17 years and I wanted her to have an enjoyable experience so she wouldn't object when I next suggested an overnight trip. Don't get me wrong, my wife can hike with the best of them; she just likes to return home after a hike and have a shower and a glass of wine by the river. I too enjoy returning to our house for a nice dinner and glass of wine after a long day; I just wanted to once again return to my younger years when sleeping in a tent was second nature before the ravages of age took their toll.

We parked in the Zealand Hut parking area off of route 302 around 8:00pm Tuesday morning. We were the only ones at the trailhead and naturally assumed all the cars were for people who had spent the night at the hut. We quickly entered the Zealand Trail and headed to the hut. The trail to the hut is an easy walk with no real obstacles to cause any problems. The last 100 yards or so are a little steep but once again nothing to worry about. Once we reached the hut the families who spent the night were milling about readying themselves for their hike out or for their next destination. We refilled one water bottle before entering the Twinway trail.

After the hut, the trail became somewhat steeper as we headed to Bondcliff trail. Although the hike over Mount Zealand wasn't difficult, it was a tad more taxing than the hike into the hut. Our packs were not causing any problems since we had acclimated to their weight earlier so my only disappointment was that the weather was not cooperating as I had hoped. The low-lying clouds that seem to hover just over our heads for most of the morning continued to obscure the Zealand ridge whenever we passed an overlook. We would occasionally get a glimpse of the ridge when the clouds momentarily broke as the weather gods continued to toy with us. After an hour or so we came to the spur trail that leads to the actual summit of Mount Zealand and were slightly disappointed that the summit didn't offer us a view. Undaunted by the lack of scenery, we trudged onward towards Mount Guyot where we hoped to get a view of our ultimate destination, namely the Bonds.

I was a few minutes ahead of Susan and John so I arrived first at the ridge just before you ascend Mount Guyot. I put down my pack and walked around looking to see how the trail continued since it seem to disappear into a valley of scrub bushes before emerging towards the summit. I could see a group of hikers milling around where the Twinway trail separates from the Bondcliff trail and continues towards the Galehead hut. After Susan and John caught up with me we rested a bit before heading south alone the Bondcliff trail and towards the Mount Guyot campsite.

After a brief hello to the hikers in question we ascended the summit of Mt Guyot and sat for a while before heading to the campsite. It was our first decent opportunity to have a view of the Bonds and we wanted to enjoy it as long as possible. We knew we couldn't wait too long for we wanted to arrive at the campsite and secure a platform before heading to the Bonds for the rest of the day. We picked up our packs and headed into the trees towards the campsite which we hoped would not be too crowded given it was a Tuesday and the weather was iffy at best.

NEXT>>>

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3