L
LakeClouds
Guest
Did an overnighter on the AT from Lost River (rt 112) to Lafayette Campground (last mile not the AT). The Kinsman Ridge Trail from Gordon Pond Trail to Reel Brook Trail (over Mt. Wolf) was very muddy. There were several stretches of 30-50' that were 1-2 foot deep mud baths. Herd paths or rocks in the mud allowed these areas to be traversed but the going on that stretch was slow. Stayed at Eliza Brook Shelter which was recently rebuilt (Oct 2010) and was in fine shape - I think the old shelter was closer to the stream though and it had a fire pit our front versus the new "no fires" policy. A section hiker was there at the shelter and a group of 9 Harvard students came in who were on a tour leader training for the fall freshman trips.
The trail over the Kinsmans was in pretty good shape (but steep) except for some wet spots. One bog section on the way up to S. Kinsmans had all the wooden pontoon walkways under 6-12 inches of water. The view from the top of the Kinsmans was fantastic - visibility was near 100 miles. Fishin' Jimmy Trail was in good shape with lots of wooden stairs and steps to help get down. There were a few pieces of remnant ice on the side of Fishin' Jimmy. Stopped at the Kinsman Pond Shelter for lunch and it's also a new shelter having been rebuilt in 2007 - funny thing is the entrance faces away from the pond. I took the Lonesome Lake Trail instead of Cascade (AT) but saw a sign saying that the bridge on the Cascade is out and crossing in high water can be dangerous - not sure what the actual situation is as these warnings are sometimes overly cautious.
There were only 5-6 small blowdowns over the 14 mile stretch. Steam crossings were mostly easy rock hops. Blazing was a bit sparse - a few times the trail took a turn and it wasn't clear which direction to head until a blaze was spotted further down the trail. Didn't see one hiker on the first part of the trail. Saw a few day hikers heading up to the Kinsmans and a bunch more heading up to Lonesome Lake.
All-in-all is was perfect conditions for hiking the whites. No snow, temps were in the upper 50s/low 60s during the day and there were no bugs at all. Saw just a few blackflies at the LCG trail head and they hardy seemed interested in bitting. Suspect that will change in 1-2 weeks if the weather stays warm.
The trail over the Kinsmans was in pretty good shape (but steep) except for some wet spots. One bog section on the way up to S. Kinsmans had all the wooden pontoon walkways under 6-12 inches of water. The view from the top of the Kinsmans was fantastic - visibility was near 100 miles. Fishin' Jimmy Trail was in good shape with lots of wooden stairs and steps to help get down. There were a few pieces of remnant ice on the side of Fishin' Jimmy. Stopped at the Kinsman Pond Shelter for lunch and it's also a new shelter having been rebuilt in 2007 - funny thing is the entrance faces away from the pond. I took the Lonesome Lake Trail instead of Cascade (AT) but saw a sign saying that the bridge on the Cascade is out and crossing in high water can be dangerous - not sure what the actual situation is as these warnings are sometimes overly cautious.
There were only 5-6 small blowdowns over the 14 mile stretch. Steam crossings were mostly easy rock hops. Blazing was a bit sparse - a few times the trail took a turn and it wasn't clear which direction to head until a blaze was spotted further down the trail. Didn't see one hiker on the first part of the trail. Saw a few day hikers heading up to the Kinsmans and a bunch more heading up to Lonesome Lake.
All-in-all is was perfect conditions for hiking the whites. No snow, temps were in the upper 50s/low 60s during the day and there were no bugs at all. Saw just a few blackflies at the LCG trail head and they hardy seemed interested in bitting. Suspect that will change in 1-2 weeks if the weather stays warm.
