hikersinger
Member
Route
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/999297090
Having just finished Peak Above the Nubble, I removed my boots and socks to air out my feet, and made my way to the Lafayette Place Campground hikers lot. I was grateful this was a Friday in the off-season, with just several cars in the lot (the place is a madhouse of sorts on the weekends).
This would be a much more straightforward hike, since I'd be on established trails all the way up and down. But I decided to mix it up just slightly, taking the Hi-Cannon Trail and Dodge Cutoff to Lonesome Lake, instead of the Lonesome Lake Trail all the way. I'd not been on the Dodge Cutoff before, so this was a bit of redlining for me.
Being solo this day, I made good time as I hiked up and along the lake. I'd started at the bottom on the Lonesome Lake Trail, and was now on it again as I left the lake and started up toward the ridge. Footing was excellent, and I encountered only a few trace remnants of a monorail, all easy to walk around.
Soon I was at the col between Cannon and Northeast Cannon Ball, at the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail. I headed up the steep pitch up onto the first of the three Cannon Balls: my destination for this hike. The best I could make out, the summit itself was a flat rock platform you had to take a big step up onto. I could not find any canister or sign marking the summit, though there was a cairn some 50 feet slightly down from this point, heading south toward the next Cannon Ball.
While trying to find the true summit, I came across two ancient "relics" that seemed to unearth themselves: one small glass jar with a half-rusted-away metal lid, and a old-time sardine can with the "key" still intact to roll the cover back. It, too, seemed to be metal, as it was totally rusted metal. I removed them and hiked them out, along with about 20 small pieces of trash I encountered, mostly on the upper section of the Lonesome Lake Trail.
I descended back down to the lake the same way, but decided head over to the AMC hut to stop in. I noticed some recent renovation had taken place, including a new main stairway, and an addition to the simple dock at the lakeshore. This hut and the lake next to it are among the most busy in summer of all places in the Whites, attracting hundreds or even thousands of people each weekend day. It's no wonder they've had to expand, and thankfully they have signs that encourage staying on hardened paths.
I continued around the lake and headed down the Lonesome Lake Trail with good speed. The AMC will be working on the lower half of the trail, thanks to the 4000 Footer Committee and the donations of so many people. It's due to close from June 12 through the end of July, and they're suggesting hikers use the Hi-Cannon/Dodge Cutoff route I used today.
I was back at the car by 5:40pm, making this a 3h 10m elapsed time hike.
~
I was thankful for the relative ease with which I was able to hike both these mountains in one day. I wasn't sure how the bushwhack would go, and it was possible remaining snow could have made things go much slower (as they did on Moosilauke just under two weeks before). But, being done before 6pm, I'd have time to chill at the Notch Hostel for the evening and enjoy the place, and rest up ahead of the Scar Ridge hike the next day.
- Lafayette Campground hikers lot, starting up Lonesome Lake Trail
- Hi-Cannon Trail
- Dodge Cutoff
- Lonesome Lake Trail up to ridge
- Kinsman Ridge Trail out to NE Cannon Ball (first of three) and back
- Lonesome Lake Trail down
- Around the Lake Trail to the hut and around to main junction
- Lonesome Lake Trail down to Lafayette campground
GPS Track: https://www.strava.com/activities/999297090
Having just finished Peak Above the Nubble, I removed my boots and socks to air out my feet, and made my way to the Lafayette Place Campground hikers lot. I was grateful this was a Friday in the off-season, with just several cars in the lot (the place is a madhouse of sorts on the weekends).
This would be a much more straightforward hike, since I'd be on established trails all the way up and down. But I decided to mix it up just slightly, taking the Hi-Cannon Trail and Dodge Cutoff to Lonesome Lake, instead of the Lonesome Lake Trail all the way. I'd not been on the Dodge Cutoff before, so this was a bit of redlining for me.
Being solo this day, I made good time as I hiked up and along the lake. I'd started at the bottom on the Lonesome Lake Trail, and was now on it again as I left the lake and started up toward the ridge. Footing was excellent, and I encountered only a few trace remnants of a monorail, all easy to walk around.
Soon I was at the col between Cannon and Northeast Cannon Ball, at the junction with the Kinsman Ridge Trail. I headed up the steep pitch up onto the first of the three Cannon Balls: my destination for this hike. The best I could make out, the summit itself was a flat rock platform you had to take a big step up onto. I could not find any canister or sign marking the summit, though there was a cairn some 50 feet slightly down from this point, heading south toward the next Cannon Ball.
While trying to find the true summit, I came across two ancient "relics" that seemed to unearth themselves: one small glass jar with a half-rusted-away metal lid, and a old-time sardine can with the "key" still intact to roll the cover back. It, too, seemed to be metal, as it was totally rusted metal. I removed them and hiked them out, along with about 20 small pieces of trash I encountered, mostly on the upper section of the Lonesome Lake Trail.
I descended back down to the lake the same way, but decided head over to the AMC hut to stop in. I noticed some recent renovation had taken place, including a new main stairway, and an addition to the simple dock at the lakeshore. This hut and the lake next to it are among the most busy in summer of all places in the Whites, attracting hundreds or even thousands of people each weekend day. It's no wonder they've had to expand, and thankfully they have signs that encourage staying on hardened paths.
I continued around the lake and headed down the Lonesome Lake Trail with good speed. The AMC will be working on the lower half of the trail, thanks to the 4000 Footer Committee and the donations of so many people. It's due to close from June 12 through the end of July, and they're suggesting hikers use the Hi-Cannon/Dodge Cutoff route I used today.
I was back at the car by 5:40pm, making this a 3h 10m elapsed time hike.
~
I was thankful for the relative ease with which I was able to hike both these mountains in one day. I wasn't sure how the bushwhack would go, and it was possible remaining snow could have made things go much slower (as they did on Moosilauke just under two weeks before). But, being done before 6pm, I'd have time to chill at the Notch Hostel for the evening and enjoy the place, and rest up ahead of the Scar Ridge hike the next day.
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