BIGEarl
Well-known member
June 5, 2008: Kinsman Ridge Trail, End-To-End
Trails: Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: Cannon Mountain, Cannonballs, N. Kinsman, S. Kinsman, Mount Wolf
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue and I both enjoy long, multi-peak hikes and we’ve been talking about a number of longer hikes for this summer. This hike was the first of the bunch. Sue had taken this week as vacation time to take care of her spring cleaning. The hike was a break from the hard work at home.
Since the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) runs from Franconia Notch to Kinsman Notch we needed two vehicles. Sue told me she planned to be passing through Nashua around 4:30am headed north. Sue drives faster than me so I thought if I got on the highway a few minutes earlier she would catch me along the way. By the time I made it to Manchester we were chasing each other north. Along the way to the trailhead in Franconia Notch we made a couple quick stops and dropped Sue’s car at the trailhead in Kinsman Notch. We had planned to be on-trail at 7:00am but were a few minutes early.
The day was cloudy, cool, light breeze, and forecast to improve by mid-morning. The overcast was forecast to be ~3300 feet above ground level but the cover was actually quite a bit lower most of the day.
This hike was one of the toughest I have done. From the start the KRT is a real workout. The climb to the summit of Cannon is relatively short but very steep for much of the distance. Additionally, everything is extremely wet making for slippery conditions. The poor footing made progress a little slower than expected. On the way to Canon we came to the spur path that leads to Cannon Cliffs. There were no views so we continued on our way to the summit. At the summit we found the fire tower adjacent to the observation tower had been dismantled. The workers explained it was done in the past few days. Also, an enclosure was added below the observation deck, which will house the communications systems that were previously exposed to the weather. We made a quick visit to the snack shack and were off on our trek south.
Next targets, the Cannonballs. The KRT is a steep and rough trail as it leaves Cannon giving up 700 feet in elevation along the way. At the trails junction with the Lonesome Lake Trail it heads up to the Northeast Cannonball. The steep ascents and descents had the benefit of no mud pits. On most of the trail where there were relatively level sections there were also mud pits. Some had log bridges that were in great condition, some bridges were approaching the end of their useful life, some were little more than rotting logs in the mud. We noticed evidence in the form of lumber piles at several places along the KRT where new bridges were to be built this year. Along with the boulders and rock slabs, the ladders leading off the Northeast Cannonball were extremely slippery. I learned this the hard way.
We made it to Kinsman Junction by mid-day, stopped only long enough for a few pictures of the area and continued to North Kinsman, where we planned to take a lunch break. A short distance below the summit we came upon the first other hikers of the day. They were two women returning from having hiked both Kinsman peaks. After a brief visit we were on our way. At the summit of N. Kinsman we followed the spur path through the mud pit to the ledges to enjoy the views and some food. While we were there a group of three hikers with a dog passed through and then another pair came through. All others were coming from South Kinsman.
After a break of roughly 30 minutes we were back on the trail south. The next target was South Kinsman. The hike between the peaks is a short one, perhaps thirty minutes. Along the way the clouds started to break up and we had some sunshine and blue sky to enjoy – for a while. The trail south of S. Kinsman is new territory to both Sue and me. We stopped for a while at the open summit to study the afternoon objectives. Mount Wolf certainly appeared to be a long way off.
We set off and immediately found ourselves on an extremely steep and rough descent from S. Kinsman. Add moss and water and you’ve got some interesting hiking. Earlier in the hike Sue picked up a battle scar for the day, here she got another. This section was easily the steepest and roughest I have experienced. I’m sure the AT through hikers voice some interesting comments while passing this section. Finally, we made the bottom of this descent and were treated with the views around Harrington Pond and back toward S. Kinsman.
We still had approximately nine miles to go and kept moving. Soon we came to and crossed Eliza Brook. The trail follows the left bank of the stream. Along the way there are a number of beautiful cascades. We stopped for pictures at a few but I was unable to get Sue to climb the cascades and pose for a photo. I think it would have been a good one. A little over a mile and we arrived at the Eliza Brook Shelter where we found an AMC group that was there for the night. I had thought about reloading with water at the shelter but the group was spread out sitting in the stream for some reason. I didn’t feel like hiking back upstream to get above them for water so we simply continued on our way.
Next target, Mount Wolf. By now it’s getting late and the last thing we need is 7.5 miles of Mount Wolf and endless PUDs combining to total 1700 feet more of elevation. But, that’s what we had ahead of us. We set off south for our next target. Along the way, more mud pits, and lots of them, and more very rough and slippery trail. Slowly we made our way to the summit. No wait, that’s a false summit. Must be the next high spot is our target. Nope, perhaps the next one. We went through this a few times before finally reaching the herd path to the summit clearing. There, we were treated to nothing but the inside of a cloud. Tough day for views. With nothing to enjoy here we were off toward the trails junction with the Gordon Pond Trail and a quick dinner break. Yes, we were moving into the evening and still had 3.5 miles and 500 feet in elevation to go. We had our snacks and prepared for the final hike out, which included pulling out our headlights. I estimate the final three miles were hiked with the lights. The trail is very well blazed and we had no problem with navigation. A couple more PUDs, and a final steep and rough pitch to Kinsman Notch, cross the highway and we were done.
Wow, that was easy! The good news, end-to-end, there is not a single blowdown on the KRT. The trails crew has been there, and based on the evidence have completed a tremendous amount of work. The bad news, end-to-end the KRT is wet and loaded with mud pits (some knee deep, just ask Sue).
Overall, it was an interesting hike and a very hard day. I am happy to have done the hike that I thought about quite a bit last year. And, I’m fortunate to have such an enjoyable hiking partner.
It was another great day in the mountains. Thanks Sue.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
Straight to the slideshow.
BIGEarl's pictures.
Trails: Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: Cannon Mountain, Cannonballs, N. Kinsman, S. Kinsman, Mount Wolf
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Sue and I both enjoy long, multi-peak hikes and we’ve been talking about a number of longer hikes for this summer. This hike was the first of the bunch. Sue had taken this week as vacation time to take care of her spring cleaning. The hike was a break from the hard work at home.
Since the Kinsman Ridge Trail (KRT) runs from Franconia Notch to Kinsman Notch we needed two vehicles. Sue told me she planned to be passing through Nashua around 4:30am headed north. Sue drives faster than me so I thought if I got on the highway a few minutes earlier she would catch me along the way. By the time I made it to Manchester we were chasing each other north. Along the way to the trailhead in Franconia Notch we made a couple quick stops and dropped Sue’s car at the trailhead in Kinsman Notch. We had planned to be on-trail at 7:00am but were a few minutes early.
The day was cloudy, cool, light breeze, and forecast to improve by mid-morning. The overcast was forecast to be ~3300 feet above ground level but the cover was actually quite a bit lower most of the day.
This hike was one of the toughest I have done. From the start the KRT is a real workout. The climb to the summit of Cannon is relatively short but very steep for much of the distance. Additionally, everything is extremely wet making for slippery conditions. The poor footing made progress a little slower than expected. On the way to Canon we came to the spur path that leads to Cannon Cliffs. There were no views so we continued on our way to the summit. At the summit we found the fire tower adjacent to the observation tower had been dismantled. The workers explained it was done in the past few days. Also, an enclosure was added below the observation deck, which will house the communications systems that were previously exposed to the weather. We made a quick visit to the snack shack and were off on our trek south.
Next targets, the Cannonballs. The KRT is a steep and rough trail as it leaves Cannon giving up 700 feet in elevation along the way. At the trails junction with the Lonesome Lake Trail it heads up to the Northeast Cannonball. The steep ascents and descents had the benefit of no mud pits. On most of the trail where there were relatively level sections there were also mud pits. Some had log bridges that were in great condition, some bridges were approaching the end of their useful life, some were little more than rotting logs in the mud. We noticed evidence in the form of lumber piles at several places along the KRT where new bridges were to be built this year. Along with the boulders and rock slabs, the ladders leading off the Northeast Cannonball were extremely slippery. I learned this the hard way.
We made it to Kinsman Junction by mid-day, stopped only long enough for a few pictures of the area and continued to North Kinsman, where we planned to take a lunch break. A short distance below the summit we came upon the first other hikers of the day. They were two women returning from having hiked both Kinsman peaks. After a brief visit we were on our way. At the summit of N. Kinsman we followed the spur path through the mud pit to the ledges to enjoy the views and some food. While we were there a group of three hikers with a dog passed through and then another pair came through. All others were coming from South Kinsman.
After a break of roughly 30 minutes we were back on the trail south. The next target was South Kinsman. The hike between the peaks is a short one, perhaps thirty minutes. Along the way the clouds started to break up and we had some sunshine and blue sky to enjoy – for a while. The trail south of S. Kinsman is new territory to both Sue and me. We stopped for a while at the open summit to study the afternoon objectives. Mount Wolf certainly appeared to be a long way off.
We set off and immediately found ourselves on an extremely steep and rough descent from S. Kinsman. Add moss and water and you’ve got some interesting hiking. Earlier in the hike Sue picked up a battle scar for the day, here she got another. This section was easily the steepest and roughest I have experienced. I’m sure the AT through hikers voice some interesting comments while passing this section. Finally, we made the bottom of this descent and were treated with the views around Harrington Pond and back toward S. Kinsman.
We still had approximately nine miles to go and kept moving. Soon we came to and crossed Eliza Brook. The trail follows the left bank of the stream. Along the way there are a number of beautiful cascades. We stopped for pictures at a few but I was unable to get Sue to climb the cascades and pose for a photo. I think it would have been a good one. A little over a mile and we arrived at the Eliza Brook Shelter where we found an AMC group that was there for the night. I had thought about reloading with water at the shelter but the group was spread out sitting in the stream for some reason. I didn’t feel like hiking back upstream to get above them for water so we simply continued on our way.
Next target, Mount Wolf. By now it’s getting late and the last thing we need is 7.5 miles of Mount Wolf and endless PUDs combining to total 1700 feet more of elevation. But, that’s what we had ahead of us. We set off south for our next target. Along the way, more mud pits, and lots of them, and more very rough and slippery trail. Slowly we made our way to the summit. No wait, that’s a false summit. Must be the next high spot is our target. Nope, perhaps the next one. We went through this a few times before finally reaching the herd path to the summit clearing. There, we were treated to nothing but the inside of a cloud. Tough day for views. With nothing to enjoy here we were off toward the trails junction with the Gordon Pond Trail and a quick dinner break. Yes, we were moving into the evening and still had 3.5 miles and 500 feet in elevation to go. We had our snacks and prepared for the final hike out, which included pulling out our headlights. I estimate the final three miles were hiked with the lights. The trail is very well blazed and we had no problem with navigation. A couple more PUDs, and a final steep and rough pitch to Kinsman Notch, cross the highway and we were done.
Wow, that was easy! The good news, end-to-end, there is not a single blowdown on the KRT. The trails crew has been there, and based on the evidence have completed a tremendous amount of work. The bad news, end-to-end the KRT is wet and loaded with mud pits (some knee deep, just ask Sue).
Overall, it was an interesting hike and a very hard day. I am happy to have done the hike that I thought about quite a bit last year. And, I’m fortunate to have such an enjoyable hiking partner.
It was another great day in the mountains. Thanks Sue.
I've posted some pictures from the day.
Straight to the slideshow.
BIGEarl's pictures.
Last edited:
