BIGEarl
Well-known member
February 20, 2010: North Kinsman, South Kinsman, Cannon, and Northeast Cannon Ball
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Hi Cannon Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman, Cannon, and Northeast Cannon Ball (NEHH)
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Buellman (Wes), and me
Sue and I have hiked this loop quite a few times. Our approach has always been to hike Cannon first, continue across the Cannon Balls to the Kinsmans, and then hike back to the trailhead. In other words, we hiked the loop counterclockwise. A while ago in a response to a thread on our last attempt at this loop that came up short due to conditions, Bob Cusolito asked:
“I'm curious, have you ever done the Cannon-Kinsmans loop in the other direction - hitting the Kinsmans first?”
Good question. I couldn’t remember the reason that I had for always hiking this loop counterclockwise but knew there was one. We never had hiked the loop clockwise and decided this time was the time.
Sue and I arrived to the trailhead parking at Lafayette Place on schedule to find Buellman (Wes) already there and preparing to get started. Another couple had indicated an interest in the hike but never confirmed if they were also planning to join the fun. We decided to wait for a while just in case. We hung around for a half hour and decided to get started. All three of us started the hike on MicroSpikes (Sue and Wes straight from the parking lot and I waited until getting on the trail to put mine on). Lonesome Lake Trail is solid and easy to hike on light traction without causing any trail damage. At the trailhead lot the wind was coming through Franconia Notch at a pretty good clip but I was sure we would find calm trail conditions once we headed into the trees – and we did. The Northwest wind was completely blocked by terrain as we climbed the early portion of our hike. Hiking at a “book time” pace we reached the Lonesome Lake Hut ahead of plan for the day and made a quick stop. A large group of Boy Scouts was there the previous night and planned to hike to Cannon later in the morning.
From the hut we followed the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail to Kinsman Junction. The general scenery had changed quite a bit from our start with the trees becoming loaded with rime and snow. The higher we climbed the more significant the tree cover. Even though the day was overcast with no distance views we had great scenery to enjoy. We made our way along Fishin’ Jimmy to the base of the first steep pitch headed for the ridge. There we stopped to retire the MicroSpikes and pull out the snowshoes. The trail was getting a little softer and some flotation was a good idea to avoid damage to the surface, plus a little more traction over that provided by MicroSpikes would be helpful for the climb.
Slowly we made our way to Kinsman Junction. The first steep pitch wasn’t bad with limited ice – very nice surprise. We continued on and found there was very little ice all of the way to the ridge. What a strange year for snow and ice – lacking the usual amount of each. We all had no real difficulty snowshoeing the climb to Kinsman Junction arriving there still hiking a “book time” pace – another very nice surprise (for me). Our stop at Kinsman Junction was brief doing little more than making note of the conditions and we continued on the Kinsman Ridge Trail toward North Kinsman. The scenery was incredible! Our world was often limited to only a couple hundred yards but what a gift from nature we enjoyed.
Along the way to North Kinsman we met a couple hikers on crampons that were on their way back out, another hiker named Tom came up from behind and hiked with us, and one additional hiker that set off just ahead of us from Lafayette Place was also headed back out. Soon we were on the summit of North Kinsman taking pictures. There were no views and no reason to hang around so we were off for South Kinsman. On our hike to South Kinsman we met our friend Jeremy Clark. He came up the Mount Kinsman Trail and was now on his way back out. We all briefly stopped for a visit but were soon on our way.
The trail continued to be in great shape headed for South Kinsman. Even though it was still early the trail had seen quite a bit of traffic for the day with plenty more to come. We reached the false summit area and continued across to the high point and summit cairn. Still overcast with no views but now the wind was building and we had additional motivation to keep moving. We made the u-turn and headed back for North Kinsman and the remainder of our hike. On the return hike we met more hikers (two couples) headed for the south peak. On the way there were signs of Jeremy passing through the area with freshly cleared branches on the side of the trail. Thanks Jeremy. We reached the north peak a second time and continued our hike north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail – our next milestone was Kinsman Junction for a second visit. We arrived at Kinsman Junction and met three additional hikers on their way to The Kinsmans. Tom provided a little photographic assist and they were on their way.
Here, we stopped to consider our options; bail on the hike and head back out to the trailhead, or continue as planned. The reason for our hesitation was the Kinsman Ridge Trail north of Kinsman Junction wasn’t broken out. We knew about the hikers from the hut that were planning a visit to Cannon and their planned hike would hit the Kinsman Ridge Trail at Coppermine Col, but the trail between Kinsman Junction and Coppermine Col needed to be opened if we were to follow our plans for the day. That’s ~2.5 miles and 700 feet of trail breaking over the Cannon Balls with an unknown amount of drifting to work through. After considering our choices, and knowing we could bail at Coppermine Col if the trail breaking cost too much time, we decided to stay with our original plan. I guessed at three hours to make our way from Kinsman Junction to Coppermine Col. Here Tom said goodbye and took his exit hike to the trailhead – and the three of us continued north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
The trail breaking wasn’t as bad as imagined – I’m not sure it could have been. Each of us spent some time leading the way but clearly Sue was out in front the most. We ran into some drifting, a couple areas of significant drifting. There were quite a few blowdowns – all easy to get past. On the climb to the West Cannon Ball, the snow was drifted in deep and very loose making the steep climb difficult due to poor footing. The trail section that contours around the Middle Cannon Ball had more deep snow and very tight conditions to get through. The approach to the Northeast Cannon Ball had more drifting and difficult climbing conditions. We made the summit of the Northeast Cannon Ball and briefly stopped for a picture. Then, we were on the steep downhill run to Coppermine Col. It turned out the estimate of three hours to complete the trail breaking across the Cannon Balls was a little off. We made the trek from Kinsman Junction to Coppermine Col in a leisurely 2.5 hours – not bad.
Next stop – Cannon Mountain. We’re having fun now! The Kinsman Ridge Trail to the summit of Cannon Mountain is only ~1.1 miles but includes a very steep climb. This section is probably best done with crampons but we stayed with our snowshoes. Slowly we made the climb to the junction with the Hi Cannon Trail making multiple stops along the way. Again, the nearly complete lack of ice on the Kinsman Ridge Trail made snowshoes acceptable. Once we reached this milestone the trail moderated and the final .5 miles to the tower is a relatively easy walk in the woods.
A short time later we were under the rime-covered tower getting summit pictures. The wind was blowing, there were no views, and we were all tired and ready to call it a day. We made the u-turn and started our exit walk. First, back to the Hi Cannon Trail junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail. There we made the turn and started our descent. In the morning when we passed the lower end of the Hi Cannon Trail we could see the trail was not broken out. That wasn’t a real concern because it is almost completely downhill from the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the Lonesome Lake Trail. Now, the trail had seen quite a bit of snowshoe traffic during the day and it was very well tracked out. We quickly made our way to the Hi Cannon ladder, descended on snowshoes without any problems, and roughly half way from the ladder to the Dodge Cutoff junction we pulled out the headlights. The final 1.3 miles would be hiked in the dark – nothing unusual. We hit the Lonesome Lake Trail, made the left and were soon at the Lafayette Place Campground and our waiting vehicles.
Thinking about Bob Cusolito’s question it now seems clear to me why we have always hiked this loop counterclockwise. On all of the prior times through this hike we have never had the need to do any trail breaking. This alone seems like a good reason to do the loop counterclockwise.
After a few minutes we were packed, said our goodbye, and were on the highway south. It was a real pleasure to meet and hike with Buellman (aka Wes). Hopefully you’ll come back for more. Nice to meet Tom as well – perhaps our paths will cross again.
Thanks Sue for another terrific day in the mountains. It wasn’t a crazy day but it sure was interesting.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail, Hi Cannon Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman, Cannon, and Northeast Cannon Ball (NEHH)
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Buellman (Wes), and me
Sue and I have hiked this loop quite a few times. Our approach has always been to hike Cannon first, continue across the Cannon Balls to the Kinsmans, and then hike back to the trailhead. In other words, we hiked the loop counterclockwise. A while ago in a response to a thread on our last attempt at this loop that came up short due to conditions, Bob Cusolito asked:
“I'm curious, have you ever done the Cannon-Kinsmans loop in the other direction - hitting the Kinsmans first?”
Good question. I couldn’t remember the reason that I had for always hiking this loop counterclockwise but knew there was one. We never had hiked the loop clockwise and decided this time was the time.
Sue and I arrived to the trailhead parking at Lafayette Place on schedule to find Buellman (Wes) already there and preparing to get started. Another couple had indicated an interest in the hike but never confirmed if they were also planning to join the fun. We decided to wait for a while just in case. We hung around for a half hour and decided to get started. All three of us started the hike on MicroSpikes (Sue and Wes straight from the parking lot and I waited until getting on the trail to put mine on). Lonesome Lake Trail is solid and easy to hike on light traction without causing any trail damage. At the trailhead lot the wind was coming through Franconia Notch at a pretty good clip but I was sure we would find calm trail conditions once we headed into the trees – and we did. The Northwest wind was completely blocked by terrain as we climbed the early portion of our hike. Hiking at a “book time” pace we reached the Lonesome Lake Hut ahead of plan for the day and made a quick stop. A large group of Boy Scouts was there the previous night and planned to hike to Cannon later in the morning.
From the hut we followed the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail to Kinsman Junction. The general scenery had changed quite a bit from our start with the trees becoming loaded with rime and snow. The higher we climbed the more significant the tree cover. Even though the day was overcast with no distance views we had great scenery to enjoy. We made our way along Fishin’ Jimmy to the base of the first steep pitch headed for the ridge. There we stopped to retire the MicroSpikes and pull out the snowshoes. The trail was getting a little softer and some flotation was a good idea to avoid damage to the surface, plus a little more traction over that provided by MicroSpikes would be helpful for the climb.
Slowly we made our way to Kinsman Junction. The first steep pitch wasn’t bad with limited ice – very nice surprise. We continued on and found there was very little ice all of the way to the ridge. What a strange year for snow and ice – lacking the usual amount of each. We all had no real difficulty snowshoeing the climb to Kinsman Junction arriving there still hiking a “book time” pace – another very nice surprise (for me). Our stop at Kinsman Junction was brief doing little more than making note of the conditions and we continued on the Kinsman Ridge Trail toward North Kinsman. The scenery was incredible! Our world was often limited to only a couple hundred yards but what a gift from nature we enjoyed.
Along the way to North Kinsman we met a couple hikers on crampons that were on their way back out, another hiker named Tom came up from behind and hiked with us, and one additional hiker that set off just ahead of us from Lafayette Place was also headed back out. Soon we were on the summit of North Kinsman taking pictures. There were no views and no reason to hang around so we were off for South Kinsman. On our hike to South Kinsman we met our friend Jeremy Clark. He came up the Mount Kinsman Trail and was now on his way back out. We all briefly stopped for a visit but were soon on our way.
The trail continued to be in great shape headed for South Kinsman. Even though it was still early the trail had seen quite a bit of traffic for the day with plenty more to come. We reached the false summit area and continued across to the high point and summit cairn. Still overcast with no views but now the wind was building and we had additional motivation to keep moving. We made the u-turn and headed back for North Kinsman and the remainder of our hike. On the return hike we met more hikers (two couples) headed for the south peak. On the way there were signs of Jeremy passing through the area with freshly cleared branches on the side of the trail. Thanks Jeremy. We reached the north peak a second time and continued our hike north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail – our next milestone was Kinsman Junction for a second visit. We arrived at Kinsman Junction and met three additional hikers on their way to The Kinsmans. Tom provided a little photographic assist and they were on their way.
Here, we stopped to consider our options; bail on the hike and head back out to the trailhead, or continue as planned. The reason for our hesitation was the Kinsman Ridge Trail north of Kinsman Junction wasn’t broken out. We knew about the hikers from the hut that were planning a visit to Cannon and their planned hike would hit the Kinsman Ridge Trail at Coppermine Col, but the trail between Kinsman Junction and Coppermine Col needed to be opened if we were to follow our plans for the day. That’s ~2.5 miles and 700 feet of trail breaking over the Cannon Balls with an unknown amount of drifting to work through. After considering our choices, and knowing we could bail at Coppermine Col if the trail breaking cost too much time, we decided to stay with our original plan. I guessed at three hours to make our way from Kinsman Junction to Coppermine Col. Here Tom said goodbye and took his exit hike to the trailhead – and the three of us continued north on the Kinsman Ridge Trail.
The trail breaking wasn’t as bad as imagined – I’m not sure it could have been. Each of us spent some time leading the way but clearly Sue was out in front the most. We ran into some drifting, a couple areas of significant drifting. There were quite a few blowdowns – all easy to get past. On the climb to the West Cannon Ball, the snow was drifted in deep and very loose making the steep climb difficult due to poor footing. The trail section that contours around the Middle Cannon Ball had more deep snow and very tight conditions to get through. The approach to the Northeast Cannon Ball had more drifting and difficult climbing conditions. We made the summit of the Northeast Cannon Ball and briefly stopped for a picture. Then, we were on the steep downhill run to Coppermine Col. It turned out the estimate of three hours to complete the trail breaking across the Cannon Balls was a little off. We made the trek from Kinsman Junction to Coppermine Col in a leisurely 2.5 hours – not bad.
Next stop – Cannon Mountain. We’re having fun now! The Kinsman Ridge Trail to the summit of Cannon Mountain is only ~1.1 miles but includes a very steep climb. This section is probably best done with crampons but we stayed with our snowshoes. Slowly we made the climb to the junction with the Hi Cannon Trail making multiple stops along the way. Again, the nearly complete lack of ice on the Kinsman Ridge Trail made snowshoes acceptable. Once we reached this milestone the trail moderated and the final .5 miles to the tower is a relatively easy walk in the woods.
A short time later we were under the rime-covered tower getting summit pictures. The wind was blowing, there were no views, and we were all tired and ready to call it a day. We made the u-turn and started our exit walk. First, back to the Hi Cannon Trail junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail. There we made the turn and started our descent. In the morning when we passed the lower end of the Hi Cannon Trail we could see the trail was not broken out. That wasn’t a real concern because it is almost completely downhill from the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the Lonesome Lake Trail. Now, the trail had seen quite a bit of snowshoe traffic during the day and it was very well tracked out. We quickly made our way to the Hi Cannon ladder, descended on snowshoes without any problems, and roughly half way from the ladder to the Dodge Cutoff junction we pulled out the headlights. The final 1.3 miles would be hiked in the dark – nothing unusual. We hit the Lonesome Lake Trail, made the left and were soon at the Lafayette Place Campground and our waiting vehicles.
Thinking about Bob Cusolito’s question it now seems clear to me why we have always hiked this loop counterclockwise. On all of the prior times through this hike we have never had the need to do any trail breaking. This alone seems like a good reason to do the loop counterclockwise.
After a few minutes we were packed, said our goodbye, and were on the highway south. It was a real pleasure to meet and hike with Buellman (aka Wes). Hopefully you’ll come back for more. Nice to meet Tom as well – perhaps our paths will cross again.
Thanks Sue for another terrific day in the mountains. It wasn’t a crazy day but it sure was interesting.
Pictures will follow.
