BIGEarl
Well-known member
April 12, 2014: The Kinsmans
Trails: Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Katie Kirby, Bob Gaylord, and me
A few days earlier I posted a notice for hiking hoping to find some company for the day. Katie and Bob indicated they were interested. Bob also suggested hiking The Kinsmans from the west would be interesting to him. That’s all it took. I hadn’t seen or hiked with Bob for a while and was looking forward to it. I saw Katie and hiked with her the day before so this was no big deal. (just kidding, Katie is a real treat to hike with).
We met at the trailhead, went through the usual pre-hike prep routine, and set off. Hiking Mt. Kinsman Trail was a first time experience for me (getting in a little red-lining). Bob was in the lead; he expressed a concern his speed might be slow. In fact, his speed wasn’t at all slow, it was just about perfect. The trailhead was a busy place with people already there when we arrived and more arriving before we started out.
At the start of our hike there was spotty snow and ice on and along the trail. The conditions were perfect with mild temperature, no wind, and unlimited sun. As we gained elevation we also gained snow cover. Eventually we reached the second crossing and had full cover. We had been on light traction from the start and continued with it. After the second crossing the trail became steeper and we started our climb.
We fell into a fairly comfortable pace for the climb. Along the way we made the usual stops. At one of our stops Bob commented about the Bald Peak Spur wondering how close we might be getting to it. In a couple turns we were there. We didn’t visit Bald Peak but kept heading to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. We weren’t working with any real time pressure but wanted to finish as early as we could and our focus remained on visiting The Kinsmans. A while after passing Bald Peak Spur we made another longer stop; my hearing aids needed new batteries and the sound tubes also needed some attention. Once that distraction was out of the way we settled in to the steep trail leading to the junction with Kinsman Ridge Trail.
Somewhere along the way, Bob decided we needed a change and I landed in the front position and generally stayed there for the remainder of the day. Slowly we continued up to the ridge. After rounding a turn in the trail I could see a notice posted on a tree; it was the Kinsman Pond Campsite protection area boundary marker (1/4 mile from the campsite). I knew the relationship between the Kinsman Ridge Trail junction and the campsite and knew we had a very short distance to the trail junction. In a couple minutes we were making the turn and on the final short climb to North Kinsman.
The area above the trail junction open up in places and Bob suggested we hike ahead to the summit; he was going to hang out in the area and possibly start back down. Katie and I continued on to North and South Kinsman without Bob not knowing if we were to see him again but hopeful he would still be in the area when we returned.
The final climb to North Kinsman was a short one, perhaps only ~.2 mile. We reached the summit, stopped for some pictures, and continued on to South Kinsman. We were still on light traction and the trail was still solid; we were careful to stay on the treadway. We saw evidence of where people on snowshoes ventured off the packed trail and postholed deep. Being careful to follow the packed trail cost some time but it was a pretty nice day and the scenery was terrific, a little time was a small price to pay.
The trip from North Kinsman to South Kinsman didn’t take long; a little over a half hour and we were at the large cairn. We stayed for a while to enjoy the views and get some pictures. Soon we made the u-turn and headed back over North Kinsman hopefully to find our friend Bob.
We cleared North Kinsman and roughly half-way between the summit and the trail junction we found a lump in the snow that appeared to be Bob. He had pulled out an extra layer from his pack, got real comfortable, and took a nap. It was definitely a perfect day for it.
Once again re-grouped in our original form we started for the trailhead together. It was downhill all the way. With an assist from gravity the walk back out went fast. That assist from gravity also made for a higher risk of postholing so we needed to stay focused on the packed trail. Slowly we dropped elevation and snow depth went along with it. Reaching the second crossing I knew we were finished with a concern of postholing and had an easy cruise ahead. The second crossing was deteriorating fast and showed big changes in the course of the day. It wasn’t going to last much longer. We all cleared the stream with dry feet and took off for the trailhead.
Along this final section we enjoyed some ice, snow, mud, and very little dry ground. It was easy to work around the edges of everything and we all made it to the parked vehicles with relatively clean boots.
A little ahead of plan we reached the trailhead, packed our things, and said our goodbyes. We had a really good day in the mountains and it was fun to enjoy it with Bob and Katie. I’m looking forward to more.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Mt. Kinsman Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Katie Kirby, Bob Gaylord, and me
A few days earlier I posted a notice for hiking hoping to find some company for the day. Katie and Bob indicated they were interested. Bob also suggested hiking The Kinsmans from the west would be interesting to him. That’s all it took. I hadn’t seen or hiked with Bob for a while and was looking forward to it. I saw Katie and hiked with her the day before so this was no big deal. (just kidding, Katie is a real treat to hike with).
We met at the trailhead, went through the usual pre-hike prep routine, and set off. Hiking Mt. Kinsman Trail was a first time experience for me (getting in a little red-lining). Bob was in the lead; he expressed a concern his speed might be slow. In fact, his speed wasn’t at all slow, it was just about perfect. The trailhead was a busy place with people already there when we arrived and more arriving before we started out.
At the start of our hike there was spotty snow and ice on and along the trail. The conditions were perfect with mild temperature, no wind, and unlimited sun. As we gained elevation we also gained snow cover. Eventually we reached the second crossing and had full cover. We had been on light traction from the start and continued with it. After the second crossing the trail became steeper and we started our climb.
We fell into a fairly comfortable pace for the climb. Along the way we made the usual stops. At one of our stops Bob commented about the Bald Peak Spur wondering how close we might be getting to it. In a couple turns we were there. We didn’t visit Bald Peak but kept heading to the Kinsman Ridge Trail. We weren’t working with any real time pressure but wanted to finish as early as we could and our focus remained on visiting The Kinsmans. A while after passing Bald Peak Spur we made another longer stop; my hearing aids needed new batteries and the sound tubes also needed some attention. Once that distraction was out of the way we settled in to the steep trail leading to the junction with Kinsman Ridge Trail.
Somewhere along the way, Bob decided we needed a change and I landed in the front position and generally stayed there for the remainder of the day. Slowly we continued up to the ridge. After rounding a turn in the trail I could see a notice posted on a tree; it was the Kinsman Pond Campsite protection area boundary marker (1/4 mile from the campsite). I knew the relationship between the Kinsman Ridge Trail junction and the campsite and knew we had a very short distance to the trail junction. In a couple minutes we were making the turn and on the final short climb to North Kinsman.
The area above the trail junction open up in places and Bob suggested we hike ahead to the summit; he was going to hang out in the area and possibly start back down. Katie and I continued on to North and South Kinsman without Bob not knowing if we were to see him again but hopeful he would still be in the area when we returned.
The final climb to North Kinsman was a short one, perhaps only ~.2 mile. We reached the summit, stopped for some pictures, and continued on to South Kinsman. We were still on light traction and the trail was still solid; we were careful to stay on the treadway. We saw evidence of where people on snowshoes ventured off the packed trail and postholed deep. Being careful to follow the packed trail cost some time but it was a pretty nice day and the scenery was terrific, a little time was a small price to pay.
The trip from North Kinsman to South Kinsman didn’t take long; a little over a half hour and we were at the large cairn. We stayed for a while to enjoy the views and get some pictures. Soon we made the u-turn and headed back over North Kinsman hopefully to find our friend Bob.
We cleared North Kinsman and roughly half-way between the summit and the trail junction we found a lump in the snow that appeared to be Bob. He had pulled out an extra layer from his pack, got real comfortable, and took a nap. It was definitely a perfect day for it.
Once again re-grouped in our original form we started for the trailhead together. It was downhill all the way. With an assist from gravity the walk back out went fast. That assist from gravity also made for a higher risk of postholing so we needed to stay focused on the packed trail. Slowly we dropped elevation and snow depth went along with it. Reaching the second crossing I knew we were finished with a concern of postholing and had an easy cruise ahead. The second crossing was deteriorating fast and showed big changes in the course of the day. It wasn’t going to last much longer. We all cleared the stream with dry feet and took off for the trailhead.
Along this final section we enjoyed some ice, snow, mud, and very little dry ground. It was easy to work around the edges of everything and we all made it to the parked vehicles with relatively clean boots.
A little ahead of plan we reached the trailhead, packed our things, and said our goodbyes. We had a really good day in the mountains and it was fun to enjoy it with Bob and Katie. I’m looking forward to more.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
