The Bonds - Day three and planning

Ever since I first began serious backpacking I've heard of this mysterious thing called "The Bonds." Each mention of it is made with reverence and awe.

"Oh man, have you been to The Bonds?"
"Yeah, I went last year and it was more amazing than I'd remembered"

Or

"I haven't been in years. Really got to go."

And then there were those like me.

"No, but I really, really, really want to go."

And finally I did.

It takes a bit of planning to get to The Bonds. Located in the middle of the Pemigawasett wilderness just sumitting one of the three Bonds involves either a very long day hike or treking in from a base camp. We had planned our trip so that on Day 3 we would be traversing them on our way south to the river.

We started early, leaving Mt. Guyot campsite around 8:00. By 9:00 we had summitted West Bond. It is there, looking North that hikers get a fantastic view of the ridge between Mt. Bond and Bondclift. And boy did we ever get a view.

Looking South west we also got a view of a large, gray, fast approaching cloud. On the summit of Mt. Bond, the cloud was much closer and the wind was picking up. Still, the one mile ridge stretching southeast to Bondclift looked amazing and inviting. We headed down.

The thing about backpacking that has always intrigued me is what I refer to as 'the turtle effect.' In backpacking much like with turtles, everything you have is on your back. If you're out in the middle of no-where, or perhaps on ridge in the middle of nowhere and you need something, it had better be in your pack.

And so it was that I found myself standing, or rather, trying to stand on the ridge between The Bonds, braced against a 40 knot wind with driving rain wondering if, perhaps, I should have packed my raincoat on the top of the pack, and thought to buy a rain cover!

My rain plan had always been that I would stop before the rain hit and repack everything into my dry bag. Dry bags are great. The help compress things, are lightweight, keep everything extremely dry and you can use them kayaking. But there on the ridge, as D. pulled his pack cover out of the bottom pocket and flipped it over his bag, I questioned the wisdom of my plan.

Luckily, the rain didn't get too heavy, and the sun came out later that day so I was spared the agony of sleeping in a wet down bag in wet clothes. But it does make me think, perhaps I should plan a little better.

Good plans don't lock you in but they do give you alternatives. For instance, if you don't have time to repack everything into a dry bag, you can pull up a pack cover. Or...if you are crossing the most beautiful, most coveted ridge in New Hampshire, you can decide whether to wait for a break in the weather, or trudge on through.

Luckily (again) we had planned for the second scenario. There were options on Bondclift but we got a few great views - what is more spectacular than a storm sweeping through a mountain valley? - and had plenty of time to hike down to dry land.

We camped that night beside the Pemigawasett river. It was a beautiful site, and from the bridge nearby we had a clear shot of a place we could now fully appreciate, The Bonds.