74red
New member
Up via Cascade Brook > Kinsman Ridge. Down via Kinsman Ridge > Fishin' Jimmy > Lonesome Lake.
Angry, dark clouds were creeping up on Kinsman Ridge as I drove into Franconia Notch. I was irritated because the rain wasn't supposed to show up until after 4 PM. However, the strawberry frosted doughnut and caramel latte picked up at the Webster Street Dunkin' Donuts helped keep the edge off.
I met up with my friends at the Lafayette Place campground and we drove over to the Cascade Brook trailhead--a very short car spot. Initially, you walk along the paved bike trail to get to the actual trailhead. Then the trail heads upward along Cascade Brook. An idyllic spot indeed as you follow the brook with its many small waterfalls and scenic outlooks.
At some point we diverged from the trail and ended up doing an impromptu bushwhack on the wrong side of the brook, encountering some sole-sucking mud in several spots along the way. After a short distance we were able to get back on track by crossing the brook, at which point I did soak one of my feet and ended up with a squashy sock for the rest of the hike. Mental note: Trail runners, whether they're Gore-Tex or not, will not repel water if it goes over the top of the shoe. Aarggh.
It was around this time that the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, forcing me to whip out my new 70 SPF suncreen. As we headed farther up the trail, we actually ended up hiking in the brook. The rocks were wet and slippery due to a healthy covering of moss. Mental note #2: Trails with brook in the name are usually wet and slippery, especially if it's raining.
The pond was a welcome distraction, very lovely and full of lily pads rippling in the light wind that also was making me a bit chilly. We had a nice view of the North Kinsman summit as we ate lunch. Unfortunately, no moose were spotted.
The Kinsman Ridge trail was for the most part dry and we had several excellent views off to both sides. At the summit of North Kinsman we had picture perfect views of Franconia Ridge. Then we headed over to South Kinsman. The trail seemed far less arduous then I remembered, but of course the last time I hiked these bad boys was just about 4 years ago and I had thrown in Cannon and the Cannon Balls just for fun. We paid homage to the large cairn on South Kinsman, and then headed back down the Kinsman Ridge trail as ominous gray clouds started to crawl over the horizon. The Fishin' Jimmy trail, albeit wet in places, was also not the beast I remember it being.
We lounged briefly at Lonesome Lake surrounded by wildlife in full frolic--seriously, it was almost like a Disney movie with a very friendly chipmunk, hyper squirrel and seemingly sedated rabbit all hanging out near our log bench. I almost expected them to burst into song. The rabbit was not at all perturbed by our presence and continued to nibble on foliage while we enjoyed Welch's grape fruit snacks--very tasty.
From the lake it was just a hop and a skip to Lafayette Campground. On the way down we passed several families who looked like they were heading up for a weekend at the hut. Most of the parents already looked exhausted. The rain never materialized and the sun came out again as we hit the campground. Yippee, a mental health/vacation day well spent in the mountains.
Angry, dark clouds were creeping up on Kinsman Ridge as I drove into Franconia Notch. I was irritated because the rain wasn't supposed to show up until after 4 PM. However, the strawberry frosted doughnut and caramel latte picked up at the Webster Street Dunkin' Donuts helped keep the edge off.
I met up with my friends at the Lafayette Place campground and we drove over to the Cascade Brook trailhead--a very short car spot. Initially, you walk along the paved bike trail to get to the actual trailhead. Then the trail heads upward along Cascade Brook. An idyllic spot indeed as you follow the brook with its many small waterfalls and scenic outlooks.
At some point we diverged from the trail and ended up doing an impromptu bushwhack on the wrong side of the brook, encountering some sole-sucking mud in several spots along the way. After a short distance we were able to get back on track by crossing the brook, at which point I did soak one of my feet and ended up with a squashy sock for the rest of the hike. Mental note: Trail runners, whether they're Gore-Tex or not, will not repel water if it goes over the top of the shoe. Aarggh.
It was around this time that the clouds disappeared and the sun came out, forcing me to whip out my new 70 SPF suncreen. As we headed farther up the trail, we actually ended up hiking in the brook. The rocks were wet and slippery due to a healthy covering of moss. Mental note #2: Trails with brook in the name are usually wet and slippery, especially if it's raining.
The pond was a welcome distraction, very lovely and full of lily pads rippling in the light wind that also was making me a bit chilly. We had a nice view of the North Kinsman summit as we ate lunch. Unfortunately, no moose were spotted.
The Kinsman Ridge trail was for the most part dry and we had several excellent views off to both sides. At the summit of North Kinsman we had picture perfect views of Franconia Ridge. Then we headed over to South Kinsman. The trail seemed far less arduous then I remembered, but of course the last time I hiked these bad boys was just about 4 years ago and I had thrown in Cannon and the Cannon Balls just for fun. We paid homage to the large cairn on South Kinsman, and then headed back down the Kinsman Ridge trail as ominous gray clouds started to crawl over the horizon. The Fishin' Jimmy trail, albeit wet in places, was also not the beast I remember it being.
We lounged briefly at Lonesome Lake surrounded by wildlife in full frolic--seriously, it was almost like a Disney movie with a very friendly chipmunk, hyper squirrel and seemingly sedated rabbit all hanging out near our log bench. I almost expected them to burst into song. The rabbit was not at all perturbed by our presence and continued to nibble on foliage while we enjoyed Welch's grape fruit snacks--very tasty.
From the lake it was just a hop and a skip to Lafayette Campground. On the way down we passed several families who looked like they were heading up for a weekend at the hut. Most of the parents already looked exhausted. The rain never materialized and the sun came out again as we hit the campground. Yippee, a mental health/vacation day well spent in the mountains.
