BIGEarl
Well-known member
July 26, 2007: Cannon, Northeast Cannonball, N. Kinsman, S. Kinsman
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Hi Cannon Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Lonesome Lake Trail
Distance – Elevation: 12.6 miles, 4,600 feet
This hike was initially planned for Sunday, 7/22/2007 but was cancelled. Interest developed for a mid-week hike so I posted it. Vegematic and Sweeper joined in the fun.
We planned to meet at Lafayette Place Campground at 7:30am. I arrived a little early and found that Sweeper had arrived a lot early. We got our things ready and waited for Vegematic to arrive. Promptly at 7:30am she arrived. We loaded up and set off on a hot and thirsty day in the mountains.
The hike started on the Lonesome Lake Trail. We followed it a short .4 miles to the junction with the Hi Cannon Trail, which we followed to the summit of Cannon Mountain. Along the way we passed by many blowdowns that appeared to be recent casualties of storms. The trail crews have done a great job in keeping this and other trails open. Overall, the Hi Cannon trail is in great shape and a pleasure to hike, but be prepared for a good workout. The last time I hiked this trail the weather conditions started off with rain and fog. With an increase in elevation the rain turned to sleet and the fog became freezing fog at the summit. There were no views. On this hike the Hi Cannon views were great. We enjoyed the various viewpoints along the way above the ladders as the trail contoured around the mountain. We stopped frequently for pictures but managed to keep our pace to plan. We encountered no other hikers on the way to Cannon Mountain summit. After a brief stop at the tower we headed to the snack shop at the top of the Tramway for a quick break, refreshments, and to replenish our water and Gatorade supply. After roughly 45 minutes we set off south on the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) to our next targets.
The hike off Cannon Mountain on the KRT is a rough one. In fact, the KRT is a rough hike all the way to South Kinsman. We worked our way down to Coppermine Col and the junction with the Lonesome Lake Trail. Along the way we passed a mother and young girl that were out for a walk from the Lonesome Lake Hut, they were guests there. We reached the trails junction, took a few pictures, swallowed hard, and started working on the Cannonballs. There are four cannonballs, one counts toward the NEHH list. Unfortunately, our hike plan required us to pass all four going over three and just missing the summit of the remaining one. It’s a difficult part of the hike. There seems to be no end to the up and down of the Cannonballs. Finally, we reached Kinsman Junction and knew a tough section of the hike was now behind us. From here it is a short hike to N. Kinsman and then to the S. Kinsman summit, but it was still the KRT and we would have rough conditions.
The major effort in hiking the Kinsmans from Kinsman Junction comes in the initial climb to N. Kinsman. There are a number of scrambles along the way. Much of the trail is steep ledge and slabs. The good news part of the story is elevation comes quickly and we were on the summit of N. Kinsman in a relatively short time. Again, a brief stop for pictures and to enjoy the improving views and we were off for S. Kinsman.
The hike to S. Kinsman is a short .9 miles and 350 feet of elevation, which starts with a hike down of approximately 285 feet (we’ll get to re-hike this on the way back out). A little over 40 minutes from our departure from N. Kinsman we were at S. Kinsman enjoying the views, snapping pictures, and having quick refreshment. After this short break we gathered our things, made the u-turn, and headed back north to Kinsman Junction.
The hike to Kinsman Junction was clear sailing. The small re-climb of N. Kinsman wasn’t bad and we knew it was the end of significant climbing for the day. Finally reaching Kinsman Junction for the second time also meant we were about to enjoy the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail.
There are many opinions of the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, quite a few of them negative. I believe the trail is a pleasant hike on fresh legs and a real test at the end of the day on tired legs. This hike was no different from past experience, perhaps a little worse since the heat and humidity of the day had me consuming liquids at a higher than normal rate and I was running very low. We made it through the climb down from the ridge to the brook crossing. I was out of water and considered pulling out my pump to make some drinking water but decided another mile to the hut was something I could handle. We continued on generally hiking quietly and finally reached the hut. We all re-loaded with water. First I drank a liter of water then made another liter of Gatorade (fourth for the day). My total for the day was four liters of Gatorade and six liters of water. Soon, we were off for the final hike to the trailhead and our waiting vehicles.
The final hike is essentially all downhill and only 1.6 miles. We quietly hiked this last section reaching the waiting vehicles roughly an hour later than planned.
What a hike! The route is a test under ideal conditions. With the added heat and humidity, the conditions were anything but ideal. All things considered, I thought it was a great hike with terrific company. Thanks to Vegematic and Sweeper for the hike. And Happy Birthday to both (Sweeper on 7/26 and Vegematic on 7/27).
I hope we’re hiking together again soon. It was a very enjoyable day.
I have posted pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures index page.
Straight to the slideshow.
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Hi Cannon Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Lonesome Lake Trail
Distance – Elevation: 12.6 miles, 4,600 feet
This hike was initially planned for Sunday, 7/22/2007 but was cancelled. Interest developed for a mid-week hike so I posted it. Vegematic and Sweeper joined in the fun.
We planned to meet at Lafayette Place Campground at 7:30am. I arrived a little early and found that Sweeper had arrived a lot early. We got our things ready and waited for Vegematic to arrive. Promptly at 7:30am she arrived. We loaded up and set off on a hot and thirsty day in the mountains.
The hike started on the Lonesome Lake Trail. We followed it a short .4 miles to the junction with the Hi Cannon Trail, which we followed to the summit of Cannon Mountain. Along the way we passed by many blowdowns that appeared to be recent casualties of storms. The trail crews have done a great job in keeping this and other trails open. Overall, the Hi Cannon trail is in great shape and a pleasure to hike, but be prepared for a good workout. The last time I hiked this trail the weather conditions started off with rain and fog. With an increase in elevation the rain turned to sleet and the fog became freezing fog at the summit. There were no views. On this hike the Hi Cannon views were great. We enjoyed the various viewpoints along the way above the ladders as the trail contoured around the mountain. We stopped frequently for pictures but managed to keep our pace to plan. We encountered no other hikers on the way to Cannon Mountain summit. After a brief stop at the tower we headed to the snack shop at the top of the Tramway for a quick break, refreshments, and to replenish our water and Gatorade supply. After roughly 45 minutes we set off south on the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) to our next targets.
The hike off Cannon Mountain on the KRT is a rough one. In fact, the KRT is a rough hike all the way to South Kinsman. We worked our way down to Coppermine Col and the junction with the Lonesome Lake Trail. Along the way we passed a mother and young girl that were out for a walk from the Lonesome Lake Hut, they were guests there. We reached the trails junction, took a few pictures, swallowed hard, and started working on the Cannonballs. There are four cannonballs, one counts toward the NEHH list. Unfortunately, our hike plan required us to pass all four going over three and just missing the summit of the remaining one. It’s a difficult part of the hike. There seems to be no end to the up and down of the Cannonballs. Finally, we reached Kinsman Junction and knew a tough section of the hike was now behind us. From here it is a short hike to N. Kinsman and then to the S. Kinsman summit, but it was still the KRT and we would have rough conditions.
The major effort in hiking the Kinsmans from Kinsman Junction comes in the initial climb to N. Kinsman. There are a number of scrambles along the way. Much of the trail is steep ledge and slabs. The good news part of the story is elevation comes quickly and we were on the summit of N. Kinsman in a relatively short time. Again, a brief stop for pictures and to enjoy the improving views and we were off for S. Kinsman.
The hike to S. Kinsman is a short .9 miles and 350 feet of elevation, which starts with a hike down of approximately 285 feet (we’ll get to re-hike this on the way back out). A little over 40 minutes from our departure from N. Kinsman we were at S. Kinsman enjoying the views, snapping pictures, and having quick refreshment. After this short break we gathered our things, made the u-turn, and headed back north to Kinsman Junction.
The hike to Kinsman Junction was clear sailing. The small re-climb of N. Kinsman wasn’t bad and we knew it was the end of significant climbing for the day. Finally reaching Kinsman Junction for the second time also meant we were about to enjoy the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail.
There are many opinions of the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, quite a few of them negative. I believe the trail is a pleasant hike on fresh legs and a real test at the end of the day on tired legs. This hike was no different from past experience, perhaps a little worse since the heat and humidity of the day had me consuming liquids at a higher than normal rate and I was running very low. We made it through the climb down from the ridge to the brook crossing. I was out of water and considered pulling out my pump to make some drinking water but decided another mile to the hut was something I could handle. We continued on generally hiking quietly and finally reached the hut. We all re-loaded with water. First I drank a liter of water then made another liter of Gatorade (fourth for the day). My total for the day was four liters of Gatorade and six liters of water. Soon, we were off for the final hike to the trailhead and our waiting vehicles.
The final hike is essentially all downhill and only 1.6 miles. We quietly hiked this last section reaching the waiting vehicles roughly an hour later than planned.
What a hike! The route is a test under ideal conditions. With the added heat and humidity, the conditions were anything but ideal. All things considered, I thought it was a great hike with terrific company. Thanks to Vegematic and Sweeper for the hike. And Happy Birthday to both (Sweeper on 7/26 and Vegematic on 7/27).
I hope we’re hiking together again soon. It was a very enjoyable day.
I have posted pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures index page.
Straight to the slideshow.
Last edited:
