An oft-returning guest, a fellow that Redline Guide Chase Hall has been companion hiking with, helping him work on his GRID — hiking all the 48 4000-footers every month of the year — needed to get a Zealand-Bonds Traverse done for the month of October. Our guest has been working on “the hard stuff” recently, even though the reality is that it all has to get done. This will be extra critical in November. It’s then, usually as deer hunting season shuts down, that the Forest Service roads close for the winter isolating a few of the trailheads: Hale, Garfield, Galehead, the Twins, Carrigain (though it’s been closed due to a washout), and of course Zealand and the Bonds if doing them as a traverse. As Chase wrote in his summary: “Now with foliage being past peak and the winter frost right around the corner, it’s that time of year when you want to get the tough stuff done before you have to add more miles to your day with the roads being closed.” That said, as Chase also noted: “Zealand is so remote having the ability to hike to it while the road’s open is a gift. Though the GRID is a year ’round challenge of dedication as you have to hike in all the seasons.” Well said. Open or closed, it all has to be done. Chase grabbed some great photos of the day, below.
