1HappyHiker
Well-known member
It was a Friday (05-Dec) and Zman was able to jump-start the weekend by leaving Boston before the crack of dawn in order to arrive in the “Whites” in time for a joint hiking adventure. In keeping with our usual style, we had no firm game plan . . . just playing it by ear as we went! We started up the Lonesome Lake Trail with the thought of taking some snapshots and hanging out at the hut for awhile. Then, depending on the available time, weather conditions, our frame of mind, etc, we would decide what to do next (if anything).
It was barebootable all the way from the trailhead to the Hut, which is what Zman did. However, it was a bit icy even at the trailhead, and so I was the more conservative member of our duo and opted to wear Stabilicers. We made it to the Hut in less than an hour. We took some snapshots, and we hung out for a bit at the Hut. Geez! It was still so early!
Zman suggested that we continue on up to Kinsman Pond via the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. I had never been to Kinsman Pond, nor had I ever been on the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, so it didn’t take much to convince me to do something “new”!! And besides, I had this image rolling around in mind of Kinsman Pond that I taken last winter when descending South Kinsman. This image (as shown below) further nudged me into going to Kinsman Pond and seeing it “up close & personal”!
The Fishin’ Jimmy Trail was in remarkably good shape. Yes, there were certainly many icy spots, particularly on the steep, cliffy segments, but the snow depth was overall less than 6 inches. I continued to wear Stabilicers, but Zman was able to complete the entire trek up to Kinsman Pond without the aid of any foot traction. There was one spot that gave him some “coefficient of friction” issues, but he rose to the challenge and was able to continue in a forward (versus backward) direction!
Kinsman Pond certainly did NOT disappoint! Wow! This frozen pond nestled in a depression at the base of North Kinsman presents a truly beautiful and unique scene. Below is a photo, but it doesn’t nearly do the scene justice . . . you have to be there to get the full effect.
After grabbing a quick lunch at the Kinsman Pond Shelter, we headed back down the way we came. For the descent, Zman opted to put on his crampons. I was wishing I had brought mine, but was able to make do with the Stabilicers. Maybe about 0.2 mile from Kinsman Pond, there’s a viewpoint right on the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail that provides a pretty nice view easterly toward the Franconia Ridge. Below is a photo taken from that spot along the trail.
Upon arrival back at Lonesome Lake, the views over the lake toward the Franconia Ridge were a bit better than what they’d been when we were there a few hours earlier. Many photos similar to the one below have been posted many times before, but nonetheless, here is yet another one!
Although we didn’t get on the trail until around 10:15 AM, we made it back to the car by around 4 PM, just as the sun was setting. It was another great day in the Whites!
And here are just a couple of side-notes related to our trek. We watched one hiker walking across Lonesome Lake (along the periphery) on his way to the Hut. We thought it might be a bit early to do doing this, but he made it OK. And just one other side-note, on our way back down we met several groups of hikers making their way up to the Hut for the weekend. We even met one veteran hiker who was on his way up to the Kinsman Shelter, and yes he knew he’d be doing it by headlamp!
1HappyHiker
It was barebootable all the way from the trailhead to the Hut, which is what Zman did. However, it was a bit icy even at the trailhead, and so I was the more conservative member of our duo and opted to wear Stabilicers. We made it to the Hut in less than an hour. We took some snapshots, and we hung out for a bit at the Hut. Geez! It was still so early!
Zman suggested that we continue on up to Kinsman Pond via the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. I had never been to Kinsman Pond, nor had I ever been on the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, so it didn’t take much to convince me to do something “new”!! And besides, I had this image rolling around in mind of Kinsman Pond that I taken last winter when descending South Kinsman. This image (as shown below) further nudged me into going to Kinsman Pond and seeing it “up close & personal”!
The Fishin’ Jimmy Trail was in remarkably good shape. Yes, there were certainly many icy spots, particularly on the steep, cliffy segments, but the snow depth was overall less than 6 inches. I continued to wear Stabilicers, but Zman was able to complete the entire trek up to Kinsman Pond without the aid of any foot traction. There was one spot that gave him some “coefficient of friction” issues, but he rose to the challenge and was able to continue in a forward (versus backward) direction!
Kinsman Pond certainly did NOT disappoint! Wow! This frozen pond nestled in a depression at the base of North Kinsman presents a truly beautiful and unique scene. Below is a photo, but it doesn’t nearly do the scene justice . . . you have to be there to get the full effect.
After grabbing a quick lunch at the Kinsman Pond Shelter, we headed back down the way we came. For the descent, Zman opted to put on his crampons. I was wishing I had brought mine, but was able to make do with the Stabilicers. Maybe about 0.2 mile from Kinsman Pond, there’s a viewpoint right on the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail that provides a pretty nice view easterly toward the Franconia Ridge. Below is a photo taken from that spot along the trail.
Upon arrival back at Lonesome Lake, the views over the lake toward the Franconia Ridge were a bit better than what they’d been when we were there a few hours earlier. Many photos similar to the one below have been posted many times before, but nonetheless, here is yet another one!
Although we didn’t get on the trail until around 10:15 AM, we made it back to the car by around 4 PM, just as the sun was setting. It was another great day in the Whites!
And here are just a couple of side-notes related to our trek. We watched one hiker walking across Lonesome Lake (along the periphery) on his way to the Hut. We thought it might be a bit early to do doing this, but he made it OK. And just one other side-note, on our way back down we met several groups of hikers making their way up to the Hut for the weekend. We even met one veteran hiker who was on his way up to the Kinsman Shelter, and yes he knew he’d be doing it by headlamp!
1HappyHiker
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Maybe not to you who was actaully there in such great lighting conditions .... It expresses very nicely sense of the expansiveness and verticality. Your shot also shows how low down that saddle between the two Kinsmans is compared to the pond elevation and how the BW down to the south end of the pond is not too hard to do. I've always wanted to do that little loop. With the ice conditions you could have walked the edge of the pond to get back to the trail. We walked the edge of Lonesome Lake last weekend and it felt pretty solid. It froze pretty good during that windy cold snap. Kinsman pond probably froze more deeply being higher and shallower. 
