It was late spring and time to get out in the woods without snowshoes, crampons, or 90 pound packs. All right, we confess, our winter packs really aren't that heavy but once you throw them off and head out on a "summer" hike it sure feels like they were at least 90 pounds! We lucked out and picked a day that the weather was simply gorgeous for this hike. As most of you know, it sometimes seems like it doesn't usually turn out that way.

      The party consisted of me, Gary, my wife Louise, and a friend, Julie. We had done several hikes with Julie but this one was a bit different because she was headed to a new job in Alaska in a couple of weeks so we knew it may be the last hike together for a while.

      Julie picked us up early and we headed for Zealand Road and the Zealand Trail Head. When we arrived there were only a few cars in the lot as we geared up and got on our way. I couldn't begin to count the number of times I have done this hike but it is still one of my favorites due primarily to the diversity of things to see along the way.

      The trail begins on an old logging road basically following the Zealand River. It shortly makes a sharp right turn and heads towards the first little pond of the many that you'll see on this hike. If you look closely on the left hand side of the first photo you'll notice one of several large bird houses that have been placed in the area. As we traveled along we passed the junction with the A-Z trail on the left and then got our first look at Zealand Pond proper. Next comes a great view of the pond below Zealand Falls. If you look more closely in this picture you can even make out the roof of Zealand Falls Hut.

      This is where we left Zealand Trail and headed down Ethan Pond Trail toward Zealand Notch. If you've never seen this part of the Pemi Wilderness then you really need to get out in this area! The trail slabs along through the notch on the old railroad grade and gives you a great view of Mount Carrigan off in the distance. This part of the trail gets so smooth and flat that you can move right along.

      Eventually we came to the junction with Thoreau Falls Trail. We headed to the right and in a few hundred yards at most we were on the top of the falls. Louise decided this was a great place to enjoy the view of Mount Bond available off in the distance.

      Louise and I rested a bit while Julie explored the rocks at the top of the falls and took some pictures. We stopped, had some lunch and then made our way steeply down to the bottom of the falls so I could hopefully get a picture or two of them from a better angle.

      After we had relaxed long enough we decided it was time to start back down the trail. At this point I insisted that Julie take the lead as she is much younger and faster than either of us! Along the way I got a some more practice with the new digital camera and got some shots of Whitewall Mountain, and the talus field that the trail takes you right through the middle of. This is the part of the notch that I think is the most rugged and beautiful. Even Louise and Julie paused to enjoy the view up to Zeacliff. Yep, it may have been the second week in May but it was still chilly enough that we were all wearing at least a couple of layers and I had to get a picture of Louise standing in some lingering snow.