TRIP DATE: March 13-15, 2015
TRIP
LOCATION: Zealand Falls Hut in NH
MEETING
TIME: 11:00 am on Friday for hike into hut
NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING LEADERS): 17
TOTAL HIKING
TIME (IN HOURS): hike into hut on
Friday – app. 4 hours, hike from hut to Zealand Mountain on Saturday – app. 4
hours, alternate hike from hut to Thoreau Falls on Saturday – app. 3 hours
LENGTH IN
MILES: hike into hut on Friday - app.
6.7 miles with app. 1,100 feet elevation gain, hike from hut to Zealand
Mountain on Saturday – app. 5.8 miles r.t. with app. 1,600 foot elevation gain,
alternate hike from hut to Thoreau Falls on Saturday – app. 5 miles r.t. with
negligible net elevation gain
TOTAL
ELEVATION GAIN (IN FEET): see above
DIFFICULTY: Strenuous due to length and full
winter packs
LEADER
NAME(S): Leslie Carson, Wayne
Anderson, Mike Woessner, Paul Miller
TRAILHEAD
PARKING LOCATION & DESCRIPTION: Parked
at hiker/snowmobiler parking lot on Rte. 302 at western end of Crawford Notch. Had to walk across Rte. 302 from roadside parking
area and follow snowmobile trailhead for short distance to Zealand Rd. (closed to
traffic in winter). Important to use caution
when crossing road!
CAR SPOTTING
REQUIRED?: No TIME REQUIRED TO SPOT CARS:
WAS TRIP
WITHIN WHITE MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST? Yes
BRIEFLY DESCRIBE
SPECIFIC TRAILS HIKED AND TRAIL CONDITIONS ENCOUNTERED: Zealand Rd. hardpacked snow and barebootable. Zealand Trail also barebootable as long as
you stayed in middle of trail. Used
snowshoes for hikes from hut and for return hike to trailhead at Rte. 302
WEATHER
CONDITIONS FOR HIKE: Sunny with temps
in high 20s and light wind on Friday; high 20s to low 30s on Saturday with increasing
cloudiness throughout afternoon and snow in evening; same temps on Sunday, but
with steady light snowfall
OTHER
COMMENTS (problems, views, terrain, etc.) – Excellent views on Friday, ok views
early Saturday, very pretty hiking out from hut in snow on Sunday, which also
made the first part of the drive home a little dicey. Snow turned to rain further south…
