In a wet year, such as this, a hike that goes by some impressive waterfalls is a good idea.  The hike to the top of Zeacliff, a 3700' summit in the White Mountains, goes past a series of very pretty falls.  The fact that there are lots of water sources along the way make this an excellent trip for dogs who are up to handling a 7.8 mile journey round trip. 
     We started the trip at 9:33 AM.   Zealand trail is supposed to follow an old railroad grade, but soon we hit an area where the trail is full of boulders and requires a lot of rock hopping.  Had this continued for 7.8 miles we would never have been able to complete the hike, but fortunately the trail later improved.
     There were many hikers out today since this trail is a major entry into all sorts of overnight trips in the wilderness.  Along the way we were asked to take a photo of one group near a beaver pond.  After passing a series of beaver ponds draining north, we came to a pond draining south where there is a good view of the ridge of Zeacliff and Zealand mountains.  From the shore of this pond we could  hear the roaring of Zealand Falls and see an opening in the trees where some of the falls are visible in the distance.   We turned onto a new trail and started climbing more steeply. 
     The trail goes by some of the lower portions of Zealand Falls.  By 11:12 AM we reached Zealand Hut and stopped to rest.  Right in front of the hut we saw and photographed a large garter snake.  A group of young hikers were there but they had not noticed the snake.  After we photographed it, they did too.  They then asked us to take photos of them with two of their cameras, which we did.  After that, one of the young women in the group offered to take a picture of us. 
     We then went to look at some of the falls next to the shelter.  The bare rocks leave many areas for hikers to rest on or go wading or swimming in pools or flumes.  When we continued on our way uphill, we had to leap over one flume area. 
     As we continued up the slopes of Zeacliff, we met a series of seven thru-hikers who had started in Georgia this spring and were well on their way to Mt Katahdin.  We spoke with one hiker from Rochester, NY, and another young man with a trail name of Samwise.  After that we met a young woman with a trail name of Squeegee.  She told us she was from Maine.
     On the way up we crossed a stream and Bruce filled a bottle with water to use for me when we reached the summit. 
     By the time we reached the summit at 12:48 PM all the thru hikers had descended and we had the ledges all to ourselves.  We had lunch and enjoyed the fantastic views. 
     From left to right, we could see Mt Jefferson, Mt Washington (in clouds at first but later the clouds cleared), and some of the peaks to the south of that.  In front of the presidentials were Mt Tom with its spruce wave, Mt Field and Mt Wiley. 
     In front of them, and to the right, were the very dramatic cliffs of Mt Whitewall, a trailless peak which certainly ought to have a trail some day, due to its extensive cliffs. 
     To the south we could see remote Shoal Pond, pointy Mounts Anderson and Lowell, and huge Mt Carrigain looming over everything.  To the right of that we recognized Mt Hancock and Mt Tecumseh.
     For lunch I had a roast beef sandwich and the water that Bruce had collected earlier, while he had a ham and cheese sandwich and some ice tea.  On the top of the mountain were some flowering sheep laurel.  The wind was calm and it was a very pleasant temperature.   The weatherman had predicted sunny but it was more like partly cloudy. 
     At 1:30 PM we left the summit and started back.  As we descended we met other hikers who were all very friendly.  When we came back to the shelter we met our first dog of the day, a lab type named Gypsy who was with a hiker who had come down from Mt Hale.  As we descended further we took more photos of different areas of Zealand Falls.  When we got down to the highest pond we met a small white dog named Tansey,  two young women hikers, and a larger dog.
     When we were about a mile from the end of the hike we were resting on a boulder and a hiker came and sat down and talked with us.  He was a handsome young man from Missouri and he told us he had hiked 19 miles this day.  We talked about the Ozarks.  Although he didn't tell us his entire backpacking itinerary for this trip in the Whites, he did mention that he had visited Thoreau Falls which is further south beyond Zealand notch. 
     After he left we noted that he and another hiker we had met earlier both pronounced Thoreau Falls as if it were spelled THOR-o.  Although I am just a Welsh terrier, and not a lexicographer, this sounded strange to me, as if people were talking about the names of pagan dieties such as Zeus-o, Odin-o, and Thor-o.  If this is how the falls are supposed to be pronounced, they should rename them after some illustrious dog, at least, that's my opinion. 
     We were both out by 4:43 PM.  This makes 7.8 miles in 7 hours, 10 minutes.  A bit longish of a hike but well worth it for the outstanding, dramatic views and the many beautiful waterfalls.  In fact, it is one of our favorite hikes of all time.

What a trek! I'm not sure I'd have picked a hike with so much water this year (deserts might be more fun), but nothing stops the brave team of Dickens and his person.
I remember my grandfather getting annoyed with me when I pronounced Thoreau with the accent on the last syllable. He said (and I believed him) that the philosopher in question always stressed the first syllable, though come to think of it, how did my grandpa know?