BIGEarl
Well-known member
November 22, 2013: The Kinsmans
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
We started this one with a plan to hike The Kinsmans, Cannonballs, and Cannon. Initially, our plan was a counterclockwise loop. Hiking in that direction has a steep and rough descent from Canon to Copppermine Col and a steep descent from Kinsman Junction on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. With a concern over very icy trail conditions we decided to go clockwise. Our thinking being ascending these sections would be better than descending. The forecast for the day wasn’t great; the predicted precipitation was snow showers during the day and possibly some rain late in the afternoon.
Generally on-plan we set off from Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia Notch with gray conditions, a dusting of snow covered everything, a light breeze, and the temperature was ~30 degrees. There were no tracks ahead of us, we were first in. Lonesome Lake Trail was generally ice-free with up to an inch of loose snow. We were able to bare boot the hike to Lonesome Lake Hut with no footing problems at all. We only paused briefly on the way past the hut for a couple pictures and started up Fishin’ Jimmy Trail.
A short distance from the hut the ice became significant. We stopped to pull out the traction and while we were there Sue decided it was time for a snowman. Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, and we got a couple pictures and were on our way.
Fishin’ Jimmy Trail is really iced up and the ice was covered with an inch, perhaps a little more, of wet, sticky snow. I have used MicroSPIKES for several years and never had a problem with snow balling underneath; it was a huge problem on this hike. Once the MicroSPIKES became loaded with snow there was no traction on the wall-to-wall wet ice. It was a constant battle to keep the MicroSPIKES snow-free or go down. We kept scraping our feet on exposed rocks and logs, and worked the sides of the trail where we could find some traction.
In some sections of ledge on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail we had no choice and carefully worked our way through the difficult sections. In other places there were small off-trail herd path bypasses that will see a fair amount of traffic through the winter. The climb to Kinsman Junction was slow but we needed to be careful in the steep sections; a fall wouldn’t be good. Finally we reached the ridge and made our way to Kinsman Junction. Along the way Sue commented about one particular steep, icy, very difficult section “I wouldn’t want to descend that”. I made a quick check of my hike notes and the time and realized the conditions were really costing time.
Above Kinsman Junction the conditions became a little more difficult. With the colder conditions the ice seemed harder and the MicroSPIKES are less-effective on very hard ice. We still had a wet snow cover hiding the ice (and bare ground) and our traction, when clear of balling, wasn’t as effective as it was at the lower elevations climbing Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. We were losing time. Still working on a trackless trail, slowly we made our way past Mount Kinsman Trail and on to North Kinsman. Some of the ledge sections were very difficult. In some places Sue went to one side of the trail and I took the other. By doing this we managed to pick the easiest descent route for our exit.
We reached the summit of North Kinsman and it was time for another snowman. Same routine; Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, we got some pictures and took off for South Kinsman.
We descended from North Kinsman and heard voices approaching from behind. Another pair of hikers came through and we waited for them to pass before continuing. It appeared they were peakbaggers registering November checkmarks for The Kinsmans. We all continued south on Kinsman Ridge Trail to South Kinsman.
The trail to South Kinsman is icy but the terrain is much milder than approaching North Kinsman. We enjoyed an easier time making our way to this peak. As we approached the false summit one of the others passed heading north. We reached the false summit and found the other. It was a little odd they didn’t continue to the summit but maybe that wasn’t their objective, or maybe they were confused. I wouldn’t be surprised if others have thought the false summit was the location of their checkmark. In reality, the false summit is pretty close to the actual; I don’t make the rules, maybe it’s close enough. Sue and I continued on trackless trail to the big cairn on the summit of South Kinsman, got the usual pictures, u-turned, and started our exit hike back to North Kinsman.
The return hike to Kinsman Junction included a re-climb of North Kinsman. We had little trouble to that point but the descent from North Kinsman to Kinsman Junction was interesting, and slow. We were careful, spent a great deal of time on the sides of the trail working any handhold we could find, and avoiding a fall. I expected an improvement after passing the Mount Kinsman Trail junction but the conditions kept fighting us nearly all the way to Kinsman Junction. We reached Kinsman Junction and stopped to discuss our options.
I checked the time and we were running really late versus plan. If we continued to Cannon our completion time would most likely be at least four hours later than planned. We could head to Coppermine Col and descend Lonesome Lake Trail from there. That would eliminate the steep descent on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. The other choice was to simply head down Fishin’ Jimmy Trail and Lonesome Lake Trail to the trailhead the way we hiked in. Neither of us really liked the Fishin’ Jimmy choice but we knew what to expect. There was enough daylight left to get us to the bottom of the steep descent and possibly to the Lonesome Lake Hut. We headed down Fishin’ Jimmy and did one of the descents we were attempting to avoid.
The descent from Kinsman Junction was generally as expected; we spent some time on-trail and some time off trail. Usually the off-trail excursions were on established herd paths, but there was some bushwhacking on the way. Eventually, we were making the stream crossing that’s roughly mid-way between Kinsman Junction and the Lonesome Lake Hut, and at the bottom of the steeps. We both made it and didn’t take a fall along the way. Of course, we gave each other a smile of relief at the crossing.
From the crossing to the hut is roughly a mile with a few PUDs along the way. Compared to the stuff we had already been through, getting past the PUDs wasn’t a big deal. A little more than a quarter mile from the hut we pulled out the headlights and did the final ~2 miles to the trailhead under the lights. At the hut we retired the MicroSPIKES and enjoyed an easy cruise back to the trailhead.
I believe this was the first time I have hiked Lonesome Lake Trail since being able to hear while hiking; there sure is a lot of highway noise from the notch. If my controller was handy I might have turned my hearing aids off, or at least reduced the volume. But, I’m not complaining. We finished with a non-stop cruise to the trailhead. Generally at the planned time but with one fewer peaks we reached the trailhead, packed, and hit the highway south. Cannon remains on the November list but it’s easy to combine with other targets that are also there.
Pictures will follow.
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), and me
We started this one with a plan to hike The Kinsmans, Cannonballs, and Cannon. Initially, our plan was a counterclockwise loop. Hiking in that direction has a steep and rough descent from Canon to Copppermine Col and a steep descent from Kinsman Junction on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. With a concern over very icy trail conditions we decided to go clockwise. Our thinking being ascending these sections would be better than descending. The forecast for the day wasn’t great; the predicted precipitation was snow showers during the day and possibly some rain late in the afternoon.
Generally on-plan we set off from Lafayette Place Campground in Franconia Notch with gray conditions, a dusting of snow covered everything, a light breeze, and the temperature was ~30 degrees. There were no tracks ahead of us, we were first in. Lonesome Lake Trail was generally ice-free with up to an inch of loose snow. We were able to bare boot the hike to Lonesome Lake Hut with no footing problems at all. We only paused briefly on the way past the hut for a couple pictures and started up Fishin’ Jimmy Trail.
A short distance from the hut the ice became significant. We stopped to pull out the traction and while we were there Sue decided it was time for a snowman. Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, and we got a couple pictures and were on our way.
Fishin’ Jimmy Trail is really iced up and the ice was covered with an inch, perhaps a little more, of wet, sticky snow. I have used MicroSPIKES for several years and never had a problem with snow balling underneath; it was a huge problem on this hike. Once the MicroSPIKES became loaded with snow there was no traction on the wall-to-wall wet ice. It was a constant battle to keep the MicroSPIKES snow-free or go down. We kept scraping our feet on exposed rocks and logs, and worked the sides of the trail where we could find some traction.
In some sections of ledge on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail we had no choice and carefully worked our way through the difficult sections. In other places there were small off-trail herd path bypasses that will see a fair amount of traffic through the winter. The climb to Kinsman Junction was slow but we needed to be careful in the steep sections; a fall wouldn’t be good. Finally we reached the ridge and made our way to Kinsman Junction. Along the way Sue commented about one particular steep, icy, very difficult section “I wouldn’t want to descend that”. I made a quick check of my hike notes and the time and realized the conditions were really costing time.
Above Kinsman Junction the conditions became a little more difficult. With the colder conditions the ice seemed harder and the MicroSPIKES are less-effective on very hard ice. We still had a wet snow cover hiding the ice (and bare ground) and our traction, when clear of balling, wasn’t as effective as it was at the lower elevations climbing Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. We were losing time. Still working on a trackless trail, slowly we made our way past Mount Kinsman Trail and on to North Kinsman. Some of the ledge sections were very difficult. In some places Sue went to one side of the trail and I took the other. By doing this we managed to pick the easiest descent route for our exit.
We reached the summit of North Kinsman and it was time for another snowman. Same routine; Sue made a snowman, I had a snack, we got some pictures and took off for South Kinsman.
We descended from North Kinsman and heard voices approaching from behind. Another pair of hikers came through and we waited for them to pass before continuing. It appeared they were peakbaggers registering November checkmarks for The Kinsmans. We all continued south on Kinsman Ridge Trail to South Kinsman.
The trail to South Kinsman is icy but the terrain is much milder than approaching North Kinsman. We enjoyed an easier time making our way to this peak. As we approached the false summit one of the others passed heading north. We reached the false summit and found the other. It was a little odd they didn’t continue to the summit but maybe that wasn’t their objective, or maybe they were confused. I wouldn’t be surprised if others have thought the false summit was the location of their checkmark. In reality, the false summit is pretty close to the actual; I don’t make the rules, maybe it’s close enough. Sue and I continued on trackless trail to the big cairn on the summit of South Kinsman, got the usual pictures, u-turned, and started our exit hike back to North Kinsman.
The return hike to Kinsman Junction included a re-climb of North Kinsman. We had little trouble to that point but the descent from North Kinsman to Kinsman Junction was interesting, and slow. We were careful, spent a great deal of time on the sides of the trail working any handhold we could find, and avoiding a fall. I expected an improvement after passing the Mount Kinsman Trail junction but the conditions kept fighting us nearly all the way to Kinsman Junction. We reached Kinsman Junction and stopped to discuss our options.
I checked the time and we were running really late versus plan. If we continued to Cannon our completion time would most likely be at least four hours later than planned. We could head to Coppermine Col and descend Lonesome Lake Trail from there. That would eliminate the steep descent on Fishin’ Jimmy Trail. The other choice was to simply head down Fishin’ Jimmy Trail and Lonesome Lake Trail to the trailhead the way we hiked in. Neither of us really liked the Fishin’ Jimmy choice but we knew what to expect. There was enough daylight left to get us to the bottom of the steep descent and possibly to the Lonesome Lake Hut. We headed down Fishin’ Jimmy and did one of the descents we were attempting to avoid.
The descent from Kinsman Junction was generally as expected; we spent some time on-trail and some time off trail. Usually the off-trail excursions were on established herd paths, but there was some bushwhacking on the way. Eventually, we were making the stream crossing that’s roughly mid-way between Kinsman Junction and the Lonesome Lake Hut, and at the bottom of the steeps. We both made it and didn’t take a fall along the way. Of course, we gave each other a smile of relief at the crossing.
From the crossing to the hut is roughly a mile with a few PUDs along the way. Compared to the stuff we had already been through, getting past the PUDs wasn’t a big deal. A little more than a quarter mile from the hut we pulled out the headlights and did the final ~2 miles to the trailhead under the lights. At the hut we retired the MicroSPIKES and enjoyed an easy cruise back to the trailhead.
I believe this was the first time I have hiked Lonesome Lake Trail since being able to hear while hiking; there sure is a lot of highway noise from the notch. If my controller was handy I might have turned my hearing aids off, or at least reduced the volume. But, I’m not complaining. We finished with a non-stop cruise to the trailhead. Generally at the planned time but with one fewer peaks we reached the trailhead, packed, and hit the highway south. Cannon remains on the November list but it’s easy to combine with other targets that are also there.
Pictures will follow.
