Danielle and I planned a three day backpacking trip to climb the remaining four peaks on our quest to conquer all 48 of the 4,000 footers in New Hampshire. The first mountain we would climb was Mt. Zealand. However to get there we first had to hike down the long, flat Zealand trail to reach the Zealand Hut.  From the hut the trail ascended moderately for one mile to the beautiful views of Zeacliff.

Zeacliff is one of the most beautiful spots in the White Mountains. We were lucky enough to arrive at the cliff on a spectacular day. The views into the valley revealed all the small ponds, hills and mountains in the area. While looking to the east showed  Mts. Tom, Field and Willey. Closer at hand was Whitewall Mountain with an old logging railroad bed still visible. A little further away we could clearly see Mt. Washington and the other Presidential peaks.

After reluctantly leaving the cliff we continued our hike to Mt. Zealand. Most of the trail was easy and on a level grade, but at one point we had to hike up and over several ledges, one with the help of a ladder. Eventually we arrived at the spur trail that would take us to the true summit of Mt. Zealand. Except for the fancy sign nailed to a tree, there wasn't much to see here other than trees. While on the summit we took a well deserved break before we continued our hike to the Guyot Campsite. However, to get there we had to descend a couple hundred feet down the back side of Mt. Zealand, then climb over boulders to reach the summit of Mt. Guyot.

On our return trip two days later we once again stopped at the cliff. This day was much cloudier, but the views were still spectacular. Near the spur path to the view we noticed some bog laurel so we stopped to take a picture. The descent back down to the Zealand Falls hut was uneventful, however this time we decided to take the short hike to the nearby waterfall.