Ray
New member
I was looking forward to hiking the Kinsmans since I am unfamiliar wiith this area of the Whites. I picked up Marty at 6am and off we went arriving at the Lonesome Lake trailhead at about 8:15. For me these mountains were new additions in my quest for the 48k's; for Marty, who has completed them already, this was a way of keeping his legs in shape for completing his 67 highest, especially the upcoming challenge of Katahdin.
We easily made our way up the Lonesome Lake trail to the hut. The temps were mild with slightly overcast skies. The lake is really gorgeous and makes a great destination for a short hike. However we had bigger things in mind and after a short visit to the hut made our way up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. This is certainly one of the most challenging trails which I have taken! It really angles up steeply in places and the switchbacks are snaky and narrow. Steps are nicely provided on some of the broader granite slabs. The trail had good footing and was generally dry and we were climbing steadily and well, pausing at each opportunity to admire the splendid views of the Franconia Ridge. I really tend to enjoy these steep ledgy trails more than the more gradual hard packed ones, such as the Lonesome Lake Trail which tend to tire my legs a lot sooner. The Jimmy really has character.
We reached the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail and made our way towards North Kinsman. The woody summit made a good place to pause, have some gorp and water down. It was approaching late morning and becoming sunnier and warmer as we made our way down the sag towards South Kinsman. The flies which had not been a factor in our hike so far now seemed to swarm about us. We had begun to notice them more in the higher elevations as we were approaching North Kinsman. By the time we had reached the South Kinsman summit we were ready for the bug juice, applying it to our face, neck arms and legs. The Sawyers which Marty had brought along proved to be a very effective antidote.
We lingered for a while to enjoy the abundant views from South Kinsman. This mountain seemed to offer a special sense of peacefulness. We had met very few people so far on the hike but their numbers increased during our return. We were worried that the descent of the Fishin' Jimmy Trail might be difficult but it proved to be much easier than we thought. On the way we checked out the Kinsman Pond Shelter and campsite. Great place. We paused once again to admire the serenity of the Lake and then headed back down the final stretch reaching the trailhead at about 3:15pm.
The temperature had become remarkably warmer by this time. It had been a wonderful hike and another fine adventure in the mountains topped off with coffee, cold drinks and snacks for the road. Thanks, Marty. You're a great friend and hiking with you is always a great privilege!
Ray
We easily made our way up the Lonesome Lake trail to the hut. The temps were mild with slightly overcast skies. The lake is really gorgeous and makes a great destination for a short hike. However we had bigger things in mind and after a short visit to the hut made our way up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. This is certainly one of the most challenging trails which I have taken! It really angles up steeply in places and the switchbacks are snaky and narrow. Steps are nicely provided on some of the broader granite slabs. The trail had good footing and was generally dry and we were climbing steadily and well, pausing at each opportunity to admire the splendid views of the Franconia Ridge. I really tend to enjoy these steep ledgy trails more than the more gradual hard packed ones, such as the Lonesome Lake Trail which tend to tire my legs a lot sooner. The Jimmy really has character.
We reached the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail and made our way towards North Kinsman. The woody summit made a good place to pause, have some gorp and water down. It was approaching late morning and becoming sunnier and warmer as we made our way down the sag towards South Kinsman. The flies which had not been a factor in our hike so far now seemed to swarm about us. We had begun to notice them more in the higher elevations as we were approaching North Kinsman. By the time we had reached the South Kinsman summit we were ready for the bug juice, applying it to our face, neck arms and legs. The Sawyers which Marty had brought along proved to be a very effective antidote.
We lingered for a while to enjoy the abundant views from South Kinsman. This mountain seemed to offer a special sense of peacefulness. We had met very few people so far on the hike but their numbers increased during our return. We were worried that the descent of the Fishin' Jimmy Trail might be difficult but it proved to be much easier than we thought. On the way we checked out the Kinsman Pond Shelter and campsite. Great place. We paused once again to admire the serenity of the Lake and then headed back down the final stretch reaching the trailhead at about 3:15pm.
The temperature had become remarkably warmer by this time. It had been a wonderful hike and another fine adventure in the mountains topped off with coffee, cold drinks and snacks for the road. Thanks, Marty. You're a great friend and hiking with you is always a great privilege!
Ray
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