Roxi
Active member
Cannon Mountain 11/5/2005
Sticks suggested hiking Cannon this Saturday and offered to take me up a trail I hadn’t been before - Hi Cannon. The last time I climbed Cannon was three years ago, before they cut a ski trail next to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. On that trip I climbed up through a cloud and had absolutely no view of Franconia Ridge. It was a wonderful hike despite no view, but I was looking forward to seeing what I had missed the last time. I wasn’t disappointed.
Mother Nature is a wonderful lady and she has smiled on Sticks and I many times while hiking. The fog that accompanied our ride up to the trailhead quickly dissipated as we parked at Lafayette Campground. The temperature was a warm 53 degrees, the skies had become blue, and both of us were looking forward to a good workout. What we got was more than that!
Trail conditions in general were dry for the first half of the hike, but wet toward the top and on our way down as the snow continued to melt in the warm temps. The ladder on Hi Cannon Trail was dry and easily climbed. The snow that Dave Metsky skied on recently was all but gone, although we did see a few patches closer to the top. The ski slopes near the tram station still had patches of snow a few inches deep. But what caught my attention were the views! I knew I had missed something special on my first hike up this mountain three years ago, but I didn’t realize how special. Each of the summits of North Lafayette, Lafayette, and Lincoln were still striped with snow, and as the day wore on the stripes shrunk. Lafayette looked like a giant lumbering beast as its broad slopes slid downward in a slow sleepy curve toward the notch. I have fond memories of climbing that mountain earlier this summer, as well as Lincoln and Little Haystack. It was so nice to finally view them from Cannon.
Sticks wanted to explore the area above where the Old Man had been. We found our way to the lookout and gradually made our way down to where we could see 4 cables, in pairs of 2. I was extremely grateful that Mother Nature gave us a dry and almost windless day for our exploration of those rocks. I can see how poor weather conditions would have made being there extremely dangerous. As Sticks moved closer to the edge, there is one image that sticks in my head: he was standing on the edge, I couldn’t see his feet, and all that was behind him was the ridge across the notch. He looked like he was suspended in mid air! It was such an awesome image!
Occasionally we came across a hint of a trail, that often petered out when we followed it. We ended up bushwhacking our way back toward the top, at times feeling like Dorothy trapped in the evil forest of Oz. Once freed of the clingy, tangled branches, we traversed the rocks and met three other hikers who asked us about a “climbers’ trail.” Does anyone else know more about this?
As Sticks had never done the Kinsman Ridge trail, I suggested that we make our way down that. I was surprised when his first response was, “But then we’ll have to walk back to the car.”
I couldn’t help laughing. After hiking up and down Cannon Mountain, I view walking back to a car as a piece of cake. I told him of the Pemi trail that skirts the lake and would take us back to Lafayette Campground, so we’d still be hiking a trail. For reasons I still don’t understand, he trusts me enough to follow me, despite the many times in our hiking trips when I’ve expressed uncertainty about where a trailhead was or if we were even on the right trail. I haven’t gotten us lost yet, although I totally missed the lookout sign as we exited from our side trip to the Old Man and reentered the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
The Kinsman Ridge Trail has changed a lot since three years ago. It was so beautiful then, and I enjoyed hiking up it, even in the fog, which lent a mystical and enchanted atmosphere to the forest. I was so sad and disappointed to see parts of it clawed open as it is now.
Emerging from the base of Kinsman Ridge trail, we relaxed in the sun at a picnic table, and refueled our bodies while listening to various aircraft play strategy games in the sky above us. We leisurely made our way over to the Pemi trail reading various signs along the bike path as went went. At the northern edge of the lake we entered the trail. After enjoying the close up views of the lake’s clear water, I was thrilled to still hear the sound of rushing water and see many small waterfalls along the trail as we made our way back to the campground. I love the sight and sound of water just as much as mountains, and to have the pleasure of both in the same day is exceptionally nice!! We crossed a few small streams, and saw several beaver dams in various stages of construction/repair. One of the coolest sights, however, was of Cannon’s cliffs. The afternoon sun highlighted their steep jagged edges in such a way they looked like a giant artist had begun to do some initial rough cutting for a large stone sculpture.
After returning to the truck and getting out of our hiking boots, we dipped our feet in the stream that flowed under a wooden footbridge, only to take them out again quickly as the water was so cold, it actually hurt! Still our muscles were very relaxed after a great workout, our spirits renewed by the adventure, and our hearts happy to have such wonderful images etched in our memories. I am really glad I revisited Cannon. Many thanks to Sticks for taking me back there.
Sticks suggested hiking Cannon this Saturday and offered to take me up a trail I hadn’t been before - Hi Cannon. The last time I climbed Cannon was three years ago, before they cut a ski trail next to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. On that trip I climbed up through a cloud and had absolutely no view of Franconia Ridge. It was a wonderful hike despite no view, but I was looking forward to seeing what I had missed the last time. I wasn’t disappointed.
Mother Nature is a wonderful lady and she has smiled on Sticks and I many times while hiking. The fog that accompanied our ride up to the trailhead quickly dissipated as we parked at Lafayette Campground. The temperature was a warm 53 degrees, the skies had become blue, and both of us were looking forward to a good workout. What we got was more than that!
Trail conditions in general were dry for the first half of the hike, but wet toward the top and on our way down as the snow continued to melt in the warm temps. The ladder on Hi Cannon Trail was dry and easily climbed. The snow that Dave Metsky skied on recently was all but gone, although we did see a few patches closer to the top. The ski slopes near the tram station still had patches of snow a few inches deep. But what caught my attention were the views! I knew I had missed something special on my first hike up this mountain three years ago, but I didn’t realize how special. Each of the summits of North Lafayette, Lafayette, and Lincoln were still striped with snow, and as the day wore on the stripes shrunk. Lafayette looked like a giant lumbering beast as its broad slopes slid downward in a slow sleepy curve toward the notch. I have fond memories of climbing that mountain earlier this summer, as well as Lincoln and Little Haystack. It was so nice to finally view them from Cannon.
Sticks wanted to explore the area above where the Old Man had been. We found our way to the lookout and gradually made our way down to where we could see 4 cables, in pairs of 2. I was extremely grateful that Mother Nature gave us a dry and almost windless day for our exploration of those rocks. I can see how poor weather conditions would have made being there extremely dangerous. As Sticks moved closer to the edge, there is one image that sticks in my head: he was standing on the edge, I couldn’t see his feet, and all that was behind him was the ridge across the notch. He looked like he was suspended in mid air! It was such an awesome image!
Occasionally we came across a hint of a trail, that often petered out when we followed it. We ended up bushwhacking our way back toward the top, at times feeling like Dorothy trapped in the evil forest of Oz. Once freed of the clingy, tangled branches, we traversed the rocks and met three other hikers who asked us about a “climbers’ trail.” Does anyone else know more about this?
As Sticks had never done the Kinsman Ridge trail, I suggested that we make our way down that. I was surprised when his first response was, “But then we’ll have to walk back to the car.”
I couldn’t help laughing. After hiking up and down Cannon Mountain, I view walking back to a car as a piece of cake. I told him of the Pemi trail that skirts the lake and would take us back to Lafayette Campground, so we’d still be hiking a trail. For reasons I still don’t understand, he trusts me enough to follow me, despite the many times in our hiking trips when I’ve expressed uncertainty about where a trailhead was or if we were even on the right trail. I haven’t gotten us lost yet, although I totally missed the lookout sign as we exited from our side trip to the Old Man and reentered the Kinsman Ridge Trail. The Kinsman Ridge Trail has changed a lot since three years ago. It was so beautiful then, and I enjoyed hiking up it, even in the fog, which lent a mystical and enchanted atmosphere to the forest. I was so sad and disappointed to see parts of it clawed open as it is now.
Emerging from the base of Kinsman Ridge trail, we relaxed in the sun at a picnic table, and refueled our bodies while listening to various aircraft play strategy games in the sky above us. We leisurely made our way over to the Pemi trail reading various signs along the bike path as went went. At the northern edge of the lake we entered the trail. After enjoying the close up views of the lake’s clear water, I was thrilled to still hear the sound of rushing water and see many small waterfalls along the trail as we made our way back to the campground. I love the sight and sound of water just as much as mountains, and to have the pleasure of both in the same day is exceptionally nice!! We crossed a few small streams, and saw several beaver dams in various stages of construction/repair. One of the coolest sights, however, was of Cannon’s cliffs. The afternoon sun highlighted their steep jagged edges in such a way they looked like a giant artist had begun to do some initial rough cutting for a large stone sculpture.
After returning to the truck and getting out of our hiking boots, we dipped our feet in the stream that flowed under a wooden footbridge, only to take them out again quickly as the water was so cold, it actually hurt! Still our muscles were very relaxed after a great workout, our spirits renewed by the adventure, and our hearts happy to have such wonderful images etched in our memories. I am really glad I revisited Cannon. Many thanks to Sticks for taking me back there.
