BIGEarl
Well-known member
May 23, 2010: Cannon & Kinsmans Loop (CW) + Tecumseh
Trails:
Cannon & Kinsmans Loop: Lonesome Lake Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Hi-Cannon Trail
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Summits: N. Kinsman, S. Kinsman, Northeast Cannonball, Cannon, Tecumseh
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue is once again on vacation and we have a few hikes planned for the week. We decided to start with the largest one on our hike plan for the week. As usual, we met early for the hike. In darkness we made our way to Franconia Notch and the trailhead lot at Lafayette Place Campground for the Cannon & Kinsmans loop. Everything was peaceful until ~400 yards south of the Tripoli Road exit from northbound I-93. Suddenly we were dodging moose, again. This one was right in the middle of the highway and wandering. It looked like he planned to move toward the outside of the road and I stood on the brakes and swerved toward the median. We managed to pass without any damage to the truck or moose. As we passed he looked over his shoulder in our direction. He might have also mumbled something but Sue’s window was closed and we missed it.
At the trailhead it didn’t take long to grab our gear and get started. The campground was pretty busy with tents or trailers in most sites. It was early so we passed through the campground quietly to avoid disturbing anybody. On the trail the conditions were great. There were no blowdowns all of the way to the Lonesome Lake Hut and very little mud. When we reached the lake there was some morning mist over the water – pretty nice site. We made a quick and quiet stop at the hut and were soon on our way.
Fishin Jimmy Trail is a mess. There are many blowdowns between the Lonesome Lake Hut and Kinsman Junction. There is evidence that indicates conditions were much worse. Some of the blowdowns completely block the trail and a bypass herd path is wearing in. The mud pits that are usually found just past the hut and at various places along Fishin Jimmy were nearly gone. Aside from the occasional blowdown we had an enjoyable hike to Kinsman Junction where we made another stop. As we reached the upper part of Fishin Jimmy we also started to run into patches of snow and ice. Sue decided it was time for a Snowman. Another hiker snowman was created, photographed, and the images sent from her cell phone to various friends and family. While this was going on I took advantage of the break for a quick snack (Sue can eat and walk at the same time but that’s a little too complicated for me).
Back in the hike we continued to our first targets for the day – North and South Kinsman. We followed the Kinsman Ridge Trail from Kinsman Junction over North Kinsman and on to South Kinsman. On the way through we stopped for only a couple quick pictures. The trail between The Kinsmans is generally dry with a few small mud pits. Approaching S. Kinsman we started to come into patches of snow and ice on the trail. There was enough to slow progress while trying to avoid postholing or a slip. We made it to the false summit without any real problems and continued across to the actual summit and cairn. We briefly stopped for more pictures, and then we u-turned to hike back over N. Kinsman and on to Cannon. On the way through we decided for an extended break on the open ledges to enjoy the views and terrific conditions. We stayed as long as our plans allowed but soon Sue said it was time to go.
We made the short hike back to Kinsman Junction and continued north on Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon via The Cannonballs. This section of trail was the worse one of the day. There are countless blowdowns between Kinsman Junction and Coppermine Col, some were completely blocking the trail. The job of clearing this mess will be a big one. We worked our way through this section, over a couple of the Cannonballs and around one and finally reached the junction with Lonesome Lake Trail. The trip from Kinsman Junction to the Lonesome Lake Trail junction was costly in terms of time and we were now ~one hour behind our plan for the day. Starting with headlights and finishing with headlights isn’t unusual for us.
We started the final section of Kinsman Ridge Trail for Cannon. My only concern for this section was possible snow and ice that still remained. Fortunately, the trail was clear and we had no trouble in the steep climb. We first reached the junction with Hi-Cannon Trail and knew the trail would moderate for the remaining distance to the summit. Soon we were on the summit but not on the summit tower. The stairs leading to the tower were blocked from both directions and we decided to respect the barricades – others that arrived while we were there ignored them and crawled underneath.
Soon we were on our exit hike back to Lafayette Place. First, we u-turned again on Kinsman Ridge Trail and made our way back to Hi-Cannon Trail junction. There we met a couple guys headed for Cannon. One recognized us and I managed to embarrass myself by not making a proper introduction. We visited for a while but needed to keep moving and were soon on our way.
The upper part of Hi-Cannon is really tight. The growth along the trail is starting to take over. Hopefully the trail receives some attention this summer. Below the Cannon ladder there are quite a few blowdowns that remain from the winter storms. Some are big, and in one case a very large birch completely blocks a large section. We made our way past these obstacles and were soon again on Lonesome Lake Trail headed for the trailhead.
We reached the trailhead still roughly an hour behind plan and quickly packed for our drive to Waterville Valley and Tecumseh. Tripoli Road has been reopened from the winter closure which saved quite a bit of drive time. It looks like the usual spring clean-up of the road wasn’t done this year before re-opening. At least the pothole brigade needs to make a trip through. Tripoli Road is a lot rougher than usual. We made a quick stop at Livermore trailhead and then headed to the ski area and our hike.
As we were removing our gear to hike Sue made some movements to get my attention. She gestured toward the next vehicle in the parking area. Between it and our truck a really nice fox was passing through not more than fifteen feet from us. We didn’t make any noise but I did go for my camera and managed a few nice pictures.
The first part of the day was tiring and we both paused to look at each other. I think we were both wondering if this was something the other one really wanted to do. I was tired but wanted to dig in, Sue indicated the same. We set off. Tecumseh is a short hike. We had plenty of daylight remaining to hit the summit before dark but probably not enough to make it all of the way back to the truck without headlights. That’s not a problem.
Like the other trails the Mount Tecumseh Trail is relatively dry. There is no real problem with blowdowns all of the way to the summit. We made the lower and upper crossings of Tecumseh Brook with dry feet and slowly worked our way to the summit with lots of stops along the way. It was late but there was no breeze and the temperature was fairly warm. Both of us were drenched with perspiration. A few months ago it took time to adjust to the cold temperatures of winter, now we’re faced with the reverse. Surprisingly, we made pretty good time to the summit. After a few summit pictures we made the turn and were on our exit hike.
The hike back down was completely uneventful. Roughly half-way out we switched on the headlights. Our plan was to finish just before dark but we missed. We packed and were soon on the highway south.
Not a bad day! Thanks Sue – I hope the weather holds for the week.
Pictures will follow.
Trails:
Cannon & Kinsmans Loop: Lonesome Lake Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Hi-Cannon Trail
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Summits: N. Kinsman, S. Kinsman, Northeast Cannonball, Cannon, Tecumseh
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue is once again on vacation and we have a few hikes planned for the week. We decided to start with the largest one on our hike plan for the week. As usual, we met early for the hike. In darkness we made our way to Franconia Notch and the trailhead lot at Lafayette Place Campground for the Cannon & Kinsmans loop. Everything was peaceful until ~400 yards south of the Tripoli Road exit from northbound I-93. Suddenly we were dodging moose, again. This one was right in the middle of the highway and wandering. It looked like he planned to move toward the outside of the road and I stood on the brakes and swerved toward the median. We managed to pass without any damage to the truck or moose. As we passed he looked over his shoulder in our direction. He might have also mumbled something but Sue’s window was closed and we missed it.
At the trailhead it didn’t take long to grab our gear and get started. The campground was pretty busy with tents or trailers in most sites. It was early so we passed through the campground quietly to avoid disturbing anybody. On the trail the conditions were great. There were no blowdowns all of the way to the Lonesome Lake Hut and very little mud. When we reached the lake there was some morning mist over the water – pretty nice site. We made a quick and quiet stop at the hut and were soon on our way.
Fishin Jimmy Trail is a mess. There are many blowdowns between the Lonesome Lake Hut and Kinsman Junction. There is evidence that indicates conditions were much worse. Some of the blowdowns completely block the trail and a bypass herd path is wearing in. The mud pits that are usually found just past the hut and at various places along Fishin Jimmy were nearly gone. Aside from the occasional blowdown we had an enjoyable hike to Kinsman Junction where we made another stop. As we reached the upper part of Fishin Jimmy we also started to run into patches of snow and ice. Sue decided it was time for a Snowman. Another hiker snowman was created, photographed, and the images sent from her cell phone to various friends and family. While this was going on I took advantage of the break for a quick snack (Sue can eat and walk at the same time but that’s a little too complicated for me).
Back in the hike we continued to our first targets for the day – North and South Kinsman. We followed the Kinsman Ridge Trail from Kinsman Junction over North Kinsman and on to South Kinsman. On the way through we stopped for only a couple quick pictures. The trail between The Kinsmans is generally dry with a few small mud pits. Approaching S. Kinsman we started to come into patches of snow and ice on the trail. There was enough to slow progress while trying to avoid postholing or a slip. We made it to the false summit without any real problems and continued across to the actual summit and cairn. We briefly stopped for more pictures, and then we u-turned to hike back over N. Kinsman and on to Cannon. On the way through we decided for an extended break on the open ledges to enjoy the views and terrific conditions. We stayed as long as our plans allowed but soon Sue said it was time to go.
We made the short hike back to Kinsman Junction and continued north on Kinsman Ridge Trail to Cannon via The Cannonballs. This section of trail was the worse one of the day. There are countless blowdowns between Kinsman Junction and Coppermine Col, some were completely blocking the trail. The job of clearing this mess will be a big one. We worked our way through this section, over a couple of the Cannonballs and around one and finally reached the junction with Lonesome Lake Trail. The trip from Kinsman Junction to the Lonesome Lake Trail junction was costly in terms of time and we were now ~one hour behind our plan for the day. Starting with headlights and finishing with headlights isn’t unusual for us.
We started the final section of Kinsman Ridge Trail for Cannon. My only concern for this section was possible snow and ice that still remained. Fortunately, the trail was clear and we had no trouble in the steep climb. We first reached the junction with Hi-Cannon Trail and knew the trail would moderate for the remaining distance to the summit. Soon we were on the summit but not on the summit tower. The stairs leading to the tower were blocked from both directions and we decided to respect the barricades – others that arrived while we were there ignored them and crawled underneath.
Soon we were on our exit hike back to Lafayette Place. First, we u-turned again on Kinsman Ridge Trail and made our way back to Hi-Cannon Trail junction. There we met a couple guys headed for Cannon. One recognized us and I managed to embarrass myself by not making a proper introduction. We visited for a while but needed to keep moving and were soon on our way.
The upper part of Hi-Cannon is really tight. The growth along the trail is starting to take over. Hopefully the trail receives some attention this summer. Below the Cannon ladder there are quite a few blowdowns that remain from the winter storms. Some are big, and in one case a very large birch completely blocks a large section. We made our way past these obstacles and were soon again on Lonesome Lake Trail headed for the trailhead.
We reached the trailhead still roughly an hour behind plan and quickly packed for our drive to Waterville Valley and Tecumseh. Tripoli Road has been reopened from the winter closure which saved quite a bit of drive time. It looks like the usual spring clean-up of the road wasn’t done this year before re-opening. At least the pothole brigade needs to make a trip through. Tripoli Road is a lot rougher than usual. We made a quick stop at Livermore trailhead and then headed to the ski area and our hike.
As we were removing our gear to hike Sue made some movements to get my attention. She gestured toward the next vehicle in the parking area. Between it and our truck a really nice fox was passing through not more than fifteen feet from us. We didn’t make any noise but I did go for my camera and managed a few nice pictures.
The first part of the day was tiring and we both paused to look at each other. I think we were both wondering if this was something the other one really wanted to do. I was tired but wanted to dig in, Sue indicated the same. We set off. Tecumseh is a short hike. We had plenty of daylight remaining to hit the summit before dark but probably not enough to make it all of the way back to the truck without headlights. That’s not a problem.
Like the other trails the Mount Tecumseh Trail is relatively dry. There is no real problem with blowdowns all of the way to the summit. We made the lower and upper crossings of Tecumseh Brook with dry feet and slowly worked our way to the summit with lots of stops along the way. It was late but there was no breeze and the temperature was fairly warm. Both of us were drenched with perspiration. A few months ago it took time to adjust to the cold temperatures of winter, now we’re faced with the reverse. Surprisingly, we made pretty good time to the summit. After a few summit pictures we made the turn and were on our exit hike.
The hike back down was completely uneventful. Roughly half-way out we switched on the headlights. Our plan was to finish just before dark but we missed. We packed and were soon on the highway south.
Not a bad day! Thanks Sue – I hope the weather holds for the week.
Pictures will follow.
