BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 3, 2010: Kinsmans
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Our plan was to hike a loop of The Kinsmans and Cannon, clockwise from Lafayette Place with a target on-trail time of 7:00am. After a short distraction at Cannon we completed out u-turn and made our way south to Lafayette Place and our hike. As we entered the parking area Sue said – look, a moose! There was indeed a moose wandering on the far side of the river in the campground. We got our things together and set off. The conditions were great, but a little warm.
We first crossed the river on our way to the trailhead. Sue stopped to take care of a boot issue and I slowly continued toward the location of the moose. He was still in the area with no sign of nervous behavior. Sue was behind me and we slowly made our way toward the moose. I’d estimate we were within twenty yards from it when we stopped. He still seemed relaxed as we took a few pictures. At one point he had one ear pointed forward to us and the other ear pointed to the rear. I started to softly talk to the moose and he immediately turned both ears to be pointed toward us. He was still relaxed. We slowly turned and left him to enjoy the beautiful morning.
The Lonesome Lake Trail is bare and generally dry for the first section leading to the junction with Hi Cannon Trail. We continued from there starting to encounter more frequent patches of ice on the trail. At first they were not a concern but eventually they required some attention. Roughly half way to Lonesome Lake the trail was ice-covered from side to side. We were still bare-booting but that wouldn’t last. We carefully made our way to the lake and found a new sign on the tree at the trails junction. “Warning - Thin Ice – Do Not Cross The Lake” . There’s goes that shortcut. We continued around the lake by way of the trail and were soon crossing the new bridge at the lake’s outflow and then climbing to the Lonesome Lake Hut. Here we made a quick stop.
As we were preparing to leave the hut we decided adding MicroSpikes was a good idea. The trail was pretty icy and a little extra traction would be helpful. A short distance from the hut on Fishin’ Jimmy we came upon the first of several blowdowns that block the trail. All have bypass tracks established and are no real problem. At the bottom of the first steep pitch there is a brook crossing that is generally at the bottom of a small cascade. The stream was flowing at a good rate but we managed to cross without any difficulty and continue with dry boots.
Still on MicroSpikes we continued into the climb to Kinsman Junction. The snow was hard enough and the ice was soft enough to allow the MicroSpikes to get a good bite for the climb. We used the Microspikes for the full climb to Kinsman Junction. Some people might be a little more comfortable with crampons in this area right now. There is quite a bit of ice and we needed to use a couple bypasses to avoid some of it.
From Kinsman Junction we continued on to North Kinsman. Roughly half way between the junction with the Mount Kinsman Trail and the summit of N. Kinsman we met a solo hiker and his dog headed down. This was the first of many hikers we were to meet in the course of the day. Soon we reached North Kinsman, still on MicroSpikes. To this point the trail was solid and we had no problems with postholing. There were two hikers and their dogs in the process of leaving the lookout and heading to South Kinsman. We waited for them to set off and we followed a short distance behind.
The day was getting really warm, we had unlimited sun, and the snow was getting very soft. As we were making our way off the second steep pitch from N. Kinsman I postholed deep. It was time for the snowshoes. We retreated to a level spot on the trail and made the change. With that out of the way we continued our hike to South Kinsman.
For most of the past week I have been working my way through a really good cold but thought I had everything generally under control. I felt pretty good before the hike. The climb to N. Kinsman really did a job on me. I had a pretty tough time on the section from the Mount Kinsman trail junction to the summit. Now I was really starting to notice a problem with lacking energy. The climb to S. Kinsman is relatively mild but I required many more stops than usual along the way. Sue kept pulling and I kept pushing and we eventually made our way to the false summit. From there we could see across to the actual summit and the two hikers with their dogs. We made the short walk through the scrub and found bare ledge just short of the summit. We removed our snowshoes and made our way to the bare summit.
After a few summit pictures we made the u-turn and set off for our re-climb of N. Kinsman with a plan to stop on the outlook for a quick lunch break. On the way to N. Kinsman we met J&J headed south and we stopped for a short visit. Soon we were back in the hike and headed for N. Kinsman. We reached the turn to the view point and headed there for a lunch break. We dumped the packs, snowshoes, and stretched out on the ledge for some lunch and sun. After a quick snack was on my back with my eyes closed. It would have been very easy to take a nap and I think Sue realized this. Sue said it was time to go, we grabbed our things, and set off for Kinsman Junction.
The next target for the day was Cannon via the Cannon Balls. We made it to Kinsman Junction and continued north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail. Between Kinsman Junction and the summit of Cannon there are four significant steep climbs to get through including a little over 1200 feet in elevation gain in a little more than three miles. Normally this would be an easy test but not today. We made our way through the first of the four climbs and stopped. I’m sure Sue knew I was really having a tough time. We talked about it for a while. I was sure there was enough determination in me to complete the hike to Cannon but it wouldn’t be at all pleasant. We decided to call it a hike and start our exit.
The first move was to hike back to Kinsman Junction and the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. The reason we decided to hike the loop clockwise was to avoid a descent from Kinsman Junction on Fishin’ Jimmy. I was sure it would be steep and very icy – and it is. Well, that’s what we have to work through. We’re still on our MSRs and decided to stay with them at least for the early part of the descent. They worked well until we came to the section of ledge with block steps embedded for climbing aids. There, we made the change back to MicroSpikes and completed the descent without any problems.
We arrived to the stream crossing with the cascade and found the water flow had significantly increased since our morning crossing. Remembering past spring visits to the area and a popular bypass, we went a short distance upstream and made a rock-hop crossing at the top of the cascade and then returned to the trail with dry feet. The remainder of the hike to the hut was generally clear sailing. The trail had gotten a lot wetter in the course of the day; mud pits are starting to develop, bridges are still solid but clearly took a hit from the conditions, and we retired the MicroSpikes roughly a quarter mile before reaching the hut because the trail was generally clear in the area. The Fishin’ Jimmy Trail is going to be a wet place for the next few weeks I’m sure.
We made another quick stop at the hut. There, we saw some of the people that we met on the trail hiking the Kinsmans. With some fresh water we were off for the final hike out. We bare booted our return to Lafayette Place. From Lonesome Lake the trail has a good area on one side or the other with bare ground. There still enough ice that is well hidden to require your attention to avoid an accident. Soon we were close enough that even I could hear the noise from the highway. We made the final couple turns and finished our walk through the campground to the trailhead parking.
Bailing when we did cut the hike by roughly 2.5 miles and 1200 feet. It doesn’t seem like much but it was.
Thanks Sue, it’s really nice to have one with lots of sun and little wind. The moose starter didn’t hurt.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Our plan was to hike a loop of The Kinsmans and Cannon, clockwise from Lafayette Place with a target on-trail time of 7:00am. After a short distraction at Cannon we completed out u-turn and made our way south to Lafayette Place and our hike. As we entered the parking area Sue said – look, a moose! There was indeed a moose wandering on the far side of the river in the campground. We got our things together and set off. The conditions were great, but a little warm.
We first crossed the river on our way to the trailhead. Sue stopped to take care of a boot issue and I slowly continued toward the location of the moose. He was still in the area with no sign of nervous behavior. Sue was behind me and we slowly made our way toward the moose. I’d estimate we were within twenty yards from it when we stopped. He still seemed relaxed as we took a few pictures. At one point he had one ear pointed forward to us and the other ear pointed to the rear. I started to softly talk to the moose and he immediately turned both ears to be pointed toward us. He was still relaxed. We slowly turned and left him to enjoy the beautiful morning.
The Lonesome Lake Trail is bare and generally dry for the first section leading to the junction with Hi Cannon Trail. We continued from there starting to encounter more frequent patches of ice on the trail. At first they were not a concern but eventually they required some attention. Roughly half way to Lonesome Lake the trail was ice-covered from side to side. We were still bare-booting but that wouldn’t last. We carefully made our way to the lake and found a new sign on the tree at the trails junction. “Warning - Thin Ice – Do Not Cross The Lake” . There’s goes that shortcut. We continued around the lake by way of the trail and were soon crossing the new bridge at the lake’s outflow and then climbing to the Lonesome Lake Hut. Here we made a quick stop.
As we were preparing to leave the hut we decided adding MicroSpikes was a good idea. The trail was pretty icy and a little extra traction would be helpful. A short distance from the hut on Fishin’ Jimmy we came upon the first of several blowdowns that block the trail. All have bypass tracks established and are no real problem. At the bottom of the first steep pitch there is a brook crossing that is generally at the bottom of a small cascade. The stream was flowing at a good rate but we managed to cross without any difficulty and continue with dry boots.
Still on MicroSpikes we continued into the climb to Kinsman Junction. The snow was hard enough and the ice was soft enough to allow the MicroSpikes to get a good bite for the climb. We used the Microspikes for the full climb to Kinsman Junction. Some people might be a little more comfortable with crampons in this area right now. There is quite a bit of ice and we needed to use a couple bypasses to avoid some of it.
From Kinsman Junction we continued on to North Kinsman. Roughly half way between the junction with the Mount Kinsman Trail and the summit of N. Kinsman we met a solo hiker and his dog headed down. This was the first of many hikers we were to meet in the course of the day. Soon we reached North Kinsman, still on MicroSpikes. To this point the trail was solid and we had no problems with postholing. There were two hikers and their dogs in the process of leaving the lookout and heading to South Kinsman. We waited for them to set off and we followed a short distance behind.
The day was getting really warm, we had unlimited sun, and the snow was getting very soft. As we were making our way off the second steep pitch from N. Kinsman I postholed deep. It was time for the snowshoes. We retreated to a level spot on the trail and made the change. With that out of the way we continued our hike to South Kinsman.
For most of the past week I have been working my way through a really good cold but thought I had everything generally under control. I felt pretty good before the hike. The climb to N. Kinsman really did a job on me. I had a pretty tough time on the section from the Mount Kinsman trail junction to the summit. Now I was really starting to notice a problem with lacking energy. The climb to S. Kinsman is relatively mild but I required many more stops than usual along the way. Sue kept pulling and I kept pushing and we eventually made our way to the false summit. From there we could see across to the actual summit and the two hikers with their dogs. We made the short walk through the scrub and found bare ledge just short of the summit. We removed our snowshoes and made our way to the bare summit.
After a few summit pictures we made the u-turn and set off for our re-climb of N. Kinsman with a plan to stop on the outlook for a quick lunch break. On the way to N. Kinsman we met J&J headed south and we stopped for a short visit. Soon we were back in the hike and headed for N. Kinsman. We reached the turn to the view point and headed there for a lunch break. We dumped the packs, snowshoes, and stretched out on the ledge for some lunch and sun. After a quick snack was on my back with my eyes closed. It would have been very easy to take a nap and I think Sue realized this. Sue said it was time to go, we grabbed our things, and set off for Kinsman Junction.
The next target for the day was Cannon via the Cannon Balls. We made it to Kinsman Junction and continued north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail. Between Kinsman Junction and the summit of Cannon there are four significant steep climbs to get through including a little over 1200 feet in elevation gain in a little more than three miles. Normally this would be an easy test but not today. We made our way through the first of the four climbs and stopped. I’m sure Sue knew I was really having a tough time. We talked about it for a while. I was sure there was enough determination in me to complete the hike to Cannon but it wouldn’t be at all pleasant. We decided to call it a hike and start our exit.
The first move was to hike back to Kinsman Junction and the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. The reason we decided to hike the loop clockwise was to avoid a descent from Kinsman Junction on Fishin’ Jimmy. I was sure it would be steep and very icy – and it is. Well, that’s what we have to work through. We’re still on our MSRs and decided to stay with them at least for the early part of the descent. They worked well until we came to the section of ledge with block steps embedded for climbing aids. There, we made the change back to MicroSpikes and completed the descent without any problems.
We arrived to the stream crossing with the cascade and found the water flow had significantly increased since our morning crossing. Remembering past spring visits to the area and a popular bypass, we went a short distance upstream and made a rock-hop crossing at the top of the cascade and then returned to the trail with dry feet. The remainder of the hike to the hut was generally clear sailing. The trail had gotten a lot wetter in the course of the day; mud pits are starting to develop, bridges are still solid but clearly took a hit from the conditions, and we retired the MicroSpikes roughly a quarter mile before reaching the hut because the trail was generally clear in the area. The Fishin’ Jimmy Trail is going to be a wet place for the next few weeks I’m sure.
We made another quick stop at the hut. There, we saw some of the people that we met on the trail hiking the Kinsmans. With some fresh water we were off for the final hike out. We bare booted our return to Lafayette Place. From Lonesome Lake the trail has a good area on one side or the other with bare ground. There still enough ice that is well hidden to require your attention to avoid an accident. Soon we were close enough that even I could hear the noise from the highway. We made the final couple turns and finished our walk through the campground to the trailhead parking.
Bailing when we did cut the hike by roughly 2.5 miles and 1200 feet. It doesn’t seem like much but it was.
Thanks Sue, it’s really nice to have one with lots of sun and little wind. The moose starter didn’t hurt.
Pictures will follow.
