BIGEarl
Well-known member
January 23, 2012: Tecumseh and Cannon, Double Hit & Run
Trails:
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Cannon: Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: Tecumseh and Cannon
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Tecumseh:
Originally, Sue had planned on taking a week off for some hiking this month. After a while it was clear if we had a week to work with, we would end up skipping at least a couple days for rest between hikes. So, Sue’s solution was to break the vacation into a 2-2-1 split of days through the month. Considering the hikes we want to complete, this is the best approach.
Our Hit & Run started early on Tecumseh. There were no other vehicles in the lot when we arrived. There was a fair amount of activity with the ski area staff preparing for the day; plowing, sanding, etc. It was raining, at times freezing rain, sleet, and windy. It wasn’t a great day, but we had a peak that was very suitable as a bad-weather hike. We wasted no time getting on-trail. Before making a final decision on footwear I wandered across the road to check the lower part of the trail. It was broken out and solid with good traction. We decided to bare boot the hike as far as possible. We pulled out the rain jackets, strapped the snowshoes on our packs, and took off.
The trail is a wide and flat snowshoe track from the trailhead to summit. There is very little ice along the way. We were able to move along with no postholes or other trail damage. The hike to the viewpoint spur went quick. Soon, we found ourselves on the long ramp that leads to the ridge near the junction with Sosman Trail. From there, it’s a short walk to the summit. At the final trail split, the high road (CW) was very well tracked out and the low road (CCW) had one old set of tracks; we went left thinking everybody can’t be wrong.
As we contoured around the west side of the summit cone it was clear we would enjoy no clear views on this hike and probably not for the day. Eventually the trail turned straight up to the summit and we were on mighty Tecumseh getting pictures at the cairn but could only imagine the view to Tripyramids and Osceolas. We had dressed light, the day was wet, the wind was coming across from the west, we knew once we dropped off the ridge we would again be out of the uncomfortable conditions; we took of for the exit.
The hike out was a quick one. There was just the right amount of traction for us to relax and hike as fast as we wanted. Each step had just enough “slide” to cushion the shock and there was no knee abuse on the way out. Initially I was thinking MicroSpikes but very soon it was clear we could safely fly without them. In roughly an hour we were packing our things back into the truck and preparing for the drive to Franconia Notch and our afternoon fun. When we hit the trailhead the lots were generally full. Even on a rainy day the skiers flock to Waterville Valley.
Cannon:
With Tripoli Road closed for the winter the connection from Tecumseh is a little longer; actually a lot longer. We enjoyed some refreshment along the way and noticed the weather was going downhill, fast. When we parked at the hiker area near the tram, the rain/freezing rain/sleet was falling at a pretty good rate and the wind was really coming through Franconia Notch from the south. We decided once we reached the trail we would be sheltered from the wind and have relatively comfortable conditions for our hike. Plus, it’s a relatively short hike.
We knew it’s a steep climb and planned on using the MSR’s with their great traction. We wandered to the Kinsman Ridge Trail start, put on the snowshoes, and started the climb. Cannon is a fun mountain, there is no warm-up allowed – it starts kicking your butt right from the start. We dropped into a relatively comfortable pace and climbed. I planned to raise the Televators when we started into the section that climbed Kinsman Glade. We reached Kinsman Glade and just kept climbing with the bars down. The trail is a solid snowshoe track with no ice. We didn’t find any difficult areas on the climb, it’s just steep, real steep. We could see there has been some skier/snowboarder traffic in Kinsman Glade.
We reached the hiker exit from the upper part of Kinsman Glade, made the left, and continued toward the summit. The conifers that lead to the top of Cannon Cliffs are really loaded with ice-covered snow. In fact, that was the condition all of the way to the summit. We reached the spur to the viewpoint and simply kept headed toward the summit; everything was clouded in. As we neared the open area below the summit it was clear we had some wind to deal with. Out came the headgear.
The open section leading to the final climb to the summit tower is very windblown with a fair amount of drifting. The actual trail is tough to follow. We managed to stay on-trail and make our way across. The most difficult times were when we hiked to the south and had ice blowing in our faces. This was uncomfortable but we didn’t stop to dig out the goggles. Soon we hit Rim Trail, took a left, contoured around to the spur to the tower, and finished our climb. The wind was strong enough to keep us off the tower, plus there were no views at all. In fact, we were within 100 feet of the tower before we actually could see it.
In a few minutes we were focused on reaching the viewpoint spur. I was having a very tough time with the snowshoes and beat-up feet and decided the main descent would be better on MicroSpikes. The MicroSpikes would provide a little less traction than the MSR’s and allow some sliding. They did the job. On the way down we noticed fresh ski or snowboard tracks over ours. Evidently, a couple made a run down Kinsman Glade. Before long we were back to the lower end of the Kinsman Ridge Trail and headed to the truck.
When we arrived earlier in the day, there were not many vehicles around, and none at all in the hiker parking area. Now, it’s a ghost town. We packed our things and took off.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails:
Tecumseh: Mount Tecumseh Trail
Cannon: Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: Tecumseh and Cannon
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue) and me
Tecumseh:
Originally, Sue had planned on taking a week off for some hiking this month. After a while it was clear if we had a week to work with, we would end up skipping at least a couple days for rest between hikes. So, Sue’s solution was to break the vacation into a 2-2-1 split of days through the month. Considering the hikes we want to complete, this is the best approach.
Our Hit & Run started early on Tecumseh. There were no other vehicles in the lot when we arrived. There was a fair amount of activity with the ski area staff preparing for the day; plowing, sanding, etc. It was raining, at times freezing rain, sleet, and windy. It wasn’t a great day, but we had a peak that was very suitable as a bad-weather hike. We wasted no time getting on-trail. Before making a final decision on footwear I wandered across the road to check the lower part of the trail. It was broken out and solid with good traction. We decided to bare boot the hike as far as possible. We pulled out the rain jackets, strapped the snowshoes on our packs, and took off.
The trail is a wide and flat snowshoe track from the trailhead to summit. There is very little ice along the way. We were able to move along with no postholes or other trail damage. The hike to the viewpoint spur went quick. Soon, we found ourselves on the long ramp that leads to the ridge near the junction with Sosman Trail. From there, it’s a short walk to the summit. At the final trail split, the high road (CW) was very well tracked out and the low road (CCW) had one old set of tracks; we went left thinking everybody can’t be wrong.
As we contoured around the west side of the summit cone it was clear we would enjoy no clear views on this hike and probably not for the day. Eventually the trail turned straight up to the summit and we were on mighty Tecumseh getting pictures at the cairn but could only imagine the view to Tripyramids and Osceolas. We had dressed light, the day was wet, the wind was coming across from the west, we knew once we dropped off the ridge we would again be out of the uncomfortable conditions; we took of for the exit.
The hike out was a quick one. There was just the right amount of traction for us to relax and hike as fast as we wanted. Each step had just enough “slide” to cushion the shock and there was no knee abuse on the way out. Initially I was thinking MicroSpikes but very soon it was clear we could safely fly without them. In roughly an hour we were packing our things back into the truck and preparing for the drive to Franconia Notch and our afternoon fun. When we hit the trailhead the lots were generally full. Even on a rainy day the skiers flock to Waterville Valley.
Cannon:
With Tripoli Road closed for the winter the connection from Tecumseh is a little longer; actually a lot longer. We enjoyed some refreshment along the way and noticed the weather was going downhill, fast. When we parked at the hiker area near the tram, the rain/freezing rain/sleet was falling at a pretty good rate and the wind was really coming through Franconia Notch from the south. We decided once we reached the trail we would be sheltered from the wind and have relatively comfortable conditions for our hike. Plus, it’s a relatively short hike.
We knew it’s a steep climb and planned on using the MSR’s with their great traction. We wandered to the Kinsman Ridge Trail start, put on the snowshoes, and started the climb. Cannon is a fun mountain, there is no warm-up allowed – it starts kicking your butt right from the start. We dropped into a relatively comfortable pace and climbed. I planned to raise the Televators when we started into the section that climbed Kinsman Glade. We reached Kinsman Glade and just kept climbing with the bars down. The trail is a solid snowshoe track with no ice. We didn’t find any difficult areas on the climb, it’s just steep, real steep. We could see there has been some skier/snowboarder traffic in Kinsman Glade.
We reached the hiker exit from the upper part of Kinsman Glade, made the left, and continued toward the summit. The conifers that lead to the top of Cannon Cliffs are really loaded with ice-covered snow. In fact, that was the condition all of the way to the summit. We reached the spur to the viewpoint and simply kept headed toward the summit; everything was clouded in. As we neared the open area below the summit it was clear we had some wind to deal with. Out came the headgear.
The open section leading to the final climb to the summit tower is very windblown with a fair amount of drifting. The actual trail is tough to follow. We managed to stay on-trail and make our way across. The most difficult times were when we hiked to the south and had ice blowing in our faces. This was uncomfortable but we didn’t stop to dig out the goggles. Soon we hit Rim Trail, took a left, contoured around to the spur to the tower, and finished our climb. The wind was strong enough to keep us off the tower, plus there were no views at all. In fact, we were within 100 feet of the tower before we actually could see it.
In a few minutes we were focused on reaching the viewpoint spur. I was having a very tough time with the snowshoes and beat-up feet and decided the main descent would be better on MicroSpikes. The MicroSpikes would provide a little less traction than the MSR’s and allow some sliding. They did the job. On the way down we noticed fresh ski or snowboard tracks over ours. Evidently, a couple made a run down Kinsman Glade. Before long we were back to the lower end of the Kinsman Ridge Trail and headed to the truck.
When we arrived earlier in the day, there were not many vehicles around, and none at all in the hiker parking area. Now, it’s a ghost town. We packed our things and took off.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Last edited:
