Zealand: The extended version. August 24, 2019

Eric, Ellie and I went camping over the weekend.
Since we were already ON the Zealand Road, we concluded that it only made sense to hike Zealand.

It seems to be a little talked about Mountain- people seem to tie it in with Hale (smart) or snag it during an extended Pemi (less smart??)

We got up, the weather was decent enough (cold!) we drove a couple miles up the Zealand road to the Zealand Trail lot ($5, packed, typical) We parked in the Zealand lot which connects to the Zealand trail and takes you to the Zealand hut and Mt. Zealand, BECAUSE EVERYTHING AROUND HERE IS CALLED ZEALAND! I think this is very amusing.

And we made a STARTLING DISCOVERY!!!!!

OH MY GOD?!?!?! IT IS??? 

I admit, the Thoreau Bridge closed signs are mostly a joke between Eric and me (and maybe not even a funny one...) But Eric and I find it very amusing, every time we come to a bridge, to politely ask one another if it is the Thoreau Bridge. And then shout "IT IS OUTTTTT!"
We think we are funny.

Anyway. It was like 45 degrees and off we went. 

Zealand Trail was very polite.

Yes please

THEN. Zealand Trail went through a swamp, and I LOVE SWAMPS!!!

Thoreau bridge!!!! Nope...

OMG stop. I love it.

It was a bit cloudy though to be honest. 

Anyway. We chugged along on the flatlands for a few legit miles, and then the trail turned upward by Zealand Falls, and headed to the hut. The trail to the hut which covers 2.8 miles, literally goes up 700 something feet. It is the least hard thing you will do all summer.

The only steep stretch in the first part

After passing by the hut you transition to the Twinway (the AT) which continues to be very reasonable, although somewhat more uphill. You pass over some little flumes, along some pretty rocks and through a lovely forest.
There is a viewpoint just before the Zeacliff trail that should not be passed by! This is right around 3.7 miles, by a sign that says "view". The sign is correct.
From what I understand, this is "Zeacliff" which makes sense, as it is a cliff. This is a tad confusing, since on the actual Zeacliff trail is another perfectly good Zeacliff. who knows.

Beautiful!!!

From there, the trail continued to be so enjoyable! Well marked, so obvious, perfectly maintained. Just delightful.

Doesn't get much better!

There were, as expected, a few uphill stretches but they were broken up perfectly by easier terrain. There were a couple (few) rock hops, the smallest of teeny baby scrambles, and one steeper section with a very doable little climb, and helpful ladder.

Mostly though, it was fun and straightforward.

Ellie approved

And soon: there we were!

YAY!

A pretty low key peak.

Another one in the books

We met several very friendly and interesting hikers at the top, and spent a while talking about our shared  experiences. We were in no rush on this particular day and thus, spent a decent amount of time talking to fellow hikers.

Now one might think that the best choice for the return trip would be the same sensible, enjoyable, easy to follow, pristine trail that we had just taken.

But no. We wanted a view, and some rugged, wild, messy wilderness.
So we took Zeacliff....

It did not disappoint!!

On a cliff. ANOTHER ZEACLIFF WHAT THE HELL. 

In stark contrast to the friendly for all, almost Disneyesque features of Zealand Trail and Twinway, Zeacliff was a wild little adventure. Plummeting into a valley that leaves you staring into the face of whitewall, there is little question that you are taking the path less traveled.

Jurassic Park??

The trail is mostly easy follow but infrequent blazes should merit some caution. The trail is plenty full of adventure- and would be a cardio nightmare to ascend!

After plummeting into the lowest point on the planet, you go up a bit (steeply) cross a river, and come face to face with Whitewall Mountain (which I did NOT want to go up!)

Straight UP

After a bit of "find the cairn" and some rock-hoppity crap:

Rock Hoppity CRAP

...we ended up securely, as planned, on Ethan Pond Trail (actually passing by Thoreau Springs trail- don't tempt us to find the bridge vacancy!!!)

Ethan Pond trail brought us back to a very practical place on a totally sensible path. Very pleasant.

Very nice. 

Back to Zealand trail, back through the glorious swamp, and back to the campsite!!!!

Fun!!!

This was a very enjoyable day. What a great hike!
While I hesitate to call any double digit hike "moderate" this is what a moderate long hike looks like, in my opinion. (probably a great idea to tag Zealand and Hale- another hill I like- together. But I'm actually pretty happy that we did them separately! They can be enjoyed in their own right!)
For the easy route, skip Zeacliff (the trail. not the scenic viewpoint. I know..... ) We had the time/fitness and it was fun. I imagine going up is good workout, and going down could be a bit gross if things are wet. Be mindful of where the trail is in the overgrown places!!


Strava data: (we take this with a grain of salt) 
-elevation climbed: 2,867 (not at all bad for so many miles!)
-miles covered: 12.6
-elapsed time: 6:47- includes all time chit chatting 

Difficulty: Moderate. But only if you skip Zeacliff and the extra mileage 

Views: Nothing from the summit (people hate this!) but a GREAT viewpoint 

Bugs: They seem to be gone

Dog friendly trail? Stick to the basic route- VERY dog friendly! Zeacliff has a pretty good sized slab/scramble/climb which, while very short, could be a pretty big question for most dogs.