While my two little mountain goats were not disappointed to skip Mt. Zealand last weekend, I was. I have a difficult time lowering my ambitions sometimes. But climbing mountains is frequently a lesson in humility. Especially in the deep seasons one must be honest in evaluating how much energy and daylight are needed to complete a route. So skipping a run out to Mt. Zealand after trekking over Mt. Hale was a good choice, but that meant we still had another peak to claim.
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| heading back up the Zealand Trail |
We enjoyed the sometimes muddy walk out down the Zealand Trail last Sunday. The conditions this weekend were a few degrees closer to full winter. Where there had been leaves and bare ground at the trail head prior there was now ice and snow. We bare booted the first mile up until we found a solid sheet of flow ice covering the trail. The spikes went on at that point and stayed on for the rest of the day. We walked confidently on frozen ground instead of sliding across the mud as we had 8 days earlier. The kids stopped to see how much ice had formed in a week on Zealand Pond.
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| Zealand Pond was iced over |
We arrived at Zealand hut still full of energy, a sharp contrast to the prior week. A large group of Boy Scouts were making their way slowly down from the hut after a night out. We took off our spikes to go in for a snack. The hut was near empty and the quiet of almost winter had settled in. After double checking the weather forecast we geared up for the ascent to Mt. Zealand. The creek crossings were also radically different than the prior week. The water was lower at each and ice had formed thick enough to stand on some banks. The boy took a courageous leap across White Wall Brook into a snow bank.
The route up to Mount Zealand is not difficult but for one stretch. Immediately after crossing White Wall Brook the trail climbs 800 feet in the next mile. While that is not severe in the White Mountains, the gentle grades of the Zealand Trail can lull a walker into a false sense of ease before climbing this ascent. I got into a steady rhythm kicking steps into the snow and ice. To my surprise the kids were struggling to match my pace, so I slowed the tempo. Then it struck me, neither of them had hiked in crampons on a sustained ascent before. We spent a few minutes learning the basic techniques for walking with crampons. Once we practiced a few steps they were right with me.
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| the look at the top of the A-Z ascent |
After topping out on the Twin Way we took the short diversion to a look out over the notch. A pair of young men were relaxing on the open ledge and enjoying the view. A solo hiker came up as we headed back to the Twin Way. The final spur to the Zealand summit itself is underwhelming. A few short steps from the main trail with minimal elevation gain and we arrived at the summit sign. After a few pictures we sat down for lunch, watched over by a pair of grey jays.
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| the view from the hut |
The kids practically skipped down the trail on the way back. By the time we returned to the hut we all needed a little rest. While the kids sat on the porch I enjoyed one last good view down the notch to the east. The cold start to November means that winter has come early to the White Mountains. And up high, a little winter can make all the difference.
