Zealand Bonds Traverse

20 tough miles. Microspikes were needed at the upper elevations. Fantastic views!

SO GOOD! Did it from Lincoln Woods to Zealand, which was very enjoyable. Trail was very well marked. Even tho it was warm still some snow. Took us 9 hours, and GPS had us at 19.1 miles. Few small water crossings, but they were fairly easy to cross. From Guyot Campground to Zealand Hut (4.2ish miles) theres no water. Overall SUPER enjoyable, and definitely did not feel long.

Up early and ready for my biggest solo journey to date. Arrived at the parking lot at 6:30 and there was plenty of spots. I was a little concerned based on other posts this weekend. I have it set up so my wife will pick me up at Lincoln Woods. Just hoping that I’ll get a signal about half way through so we can time our meeting. Also hoping there is not a lot of ice and that I dressed enough for the weather. It was 33 degrees as the start of the hike with little wind which was good news. The first 2.6 miles was easy and then hike began. I loved hiking alongside the ponds and waterfalls. There was not much ice on the trail but the a couple planks were slippery and I almost whipped. There were some great viewing spots before and after Zealand. Mt Guyot was next and the views were amazing. But the views get better on West Bond. The view of Bondcliff was intimidating as I knew I was going over the ridge shortly. Luckily it was not as bad as it looked. Amazing views on Bondcliff too. Once you descent Bondcliff you hit the trees and never see a view again. Other then one rocky area, the hike out was slow grading so not difficult but it is long. Once in the trees it’s 8-9 miles out. The last couple miles never seemed to end. I tracked 19 miles it in just under 10 hours. This hike bumps into my top 3 but not sure which hike is dropped down yet.

This trail was absolutely beautiful. It is definitely for experienced hikers and the map I was using says it’s 19.5 miles total. We started from the Zealand side which was pretty much gradual all the way to the hut. We then went up to Zealand and over to the bonds. Unfortunately it was clouded in but when the clouds would break it was breathtaking especially with the autumn colors. We then went down Bondcliff which I was thinking it was going to be steeper then what it was. We were able to move at a steady pace down. Once we got to Lincoln woods trail it was all flat. Overall it took us 13 hours. We took many breaks and we felt like we took our time. This was one of my favorite hikes I’ve ever done and will be doing it again someday.

Great hike that is a repeat from almost 2 months ago as it was the "Flags on the 48" commemeration of 911 . I forgot to hit the recorder button until almost 2 miles into the hike but regardless it's a long hike but well worth it. Beautiful views at Zeacliff, Guyot, West Bond, Bond and Bondcliff with 4 of those NH 4ks (viewless Zealand being the other 4k). Lots of above treeline time and views on a beautiful late summer/early fall day.

9/7/20: This hike is phenomenal. We spotted a car so that we could start at Lincoln Woods, hike the bonds first and then end at Zealand. This worked out great but adds a bit of time as the spots are about a 45 min drive apart. Overall the distance was tough (we clocked it closer to 20mi) but most of the elevation gain seemed pretty gradual and no particular part was overly challenging. The views are just out of this world for Bondcliff, Bond, and West Bond. Zealand is wooded but there’s a nice outlook coming down the other side. The last mile of Zealand was flat with soft footing and a couple nice pond views which was much appreciated after a long day. Our total time was 9:50 (8:30 moving time). Can’t wait to redo this one!

Gorgeous and worth every second of the journey.

Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful Long but not hard