West Bond

West Bond is a subsidiary peak of Mount Bond, with an elevation of approximately 4,540 feet. It is located in Lincoln, New Hampshire (Grafton County), deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness. West Bond is one of three peaks collectively known as The Bonds (along with Mount Bond and Bondcliff). Although lower than Mount Bond, West Bond is notable for its solitude and the excellent views it offers of the surrounding wilderness, including a close perspective of Bondcliff’s dramatic cliffs. West Bond is a subsidiary peak of Mount Bond, known for its fine vista of Bondcliff’s cliffs and the surrounding wilderness. It is one of the three “Bonds” and, like the others, it was named in honor of Professor George P. Bond (the name simply extending to the western spur of Mount Bond). West Bond itself didn’t receive much specific attention in early accounts – it is more the quiet sibling to Bond and Bondcliff. However, its location deep in the Pemigewasset Wilderness means its history is tied to that of the East Branch logging railroad as well. In the late 19th century, logging camps operated not far from its base in the Hellgate and Franconia Brook areas. By 1900, the forests on the approaches to West Bond were largely cut and then later regenerated. Wilderness designation in 1984 has ensured that West Bond’s environs remain roadless and wild. Requiring a long hike to reach, West Bond was seldom visited until the advent of peak-bagging lists – one early recorded ascent was in 1916 by AMC explorer Arthur L. Goodrich during a grand tour of the new White Mountain National Forest lands. Today, standing on the tiny bare summit of West Bond, one can appreciate the enduring wildness of the Whites and imagine the barren slash lands of a century ago now transformed into unbroken green forest.