BIGEarl
Well-known member
October 29, 2011: The Kinsmans
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Around-The-Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Fitz (for the second half), and me
Originally, Sue and I planned to hike The Kinsmans a week earlier when we hiked Lincoln (Lincoln in the morning, The Kinsmans in the afternoon). The day didn’t go quite the way we had it planned.
This clean-up hike started a little later than planned. On the drive north a car load of friends passed us on I-93 a couple miles south of Lincoln. It was Brian, Greg, Michael, and Joe. For a while we were all headed to the same place – the outhouse at The Basin. We pulled in beside Brian’s car and claimed our place in line. We all visited while waiting for our number to be called. The four of them were headed for some bushwhacking in the Nash Stream area. Eventually it was my turn and they jumped back in the car to continue their trip to the mountains.
With that distraction out of the way, Sue and I headed for Lafayette Place and our day with The Kinsmans. Fitz was planning to join us but he ran into a couple matters that made an early start difficult. We still expected to see him somewhere along the way. The weather forecast for the day indicated we should have started with a mostly cloudy sky and wind of ~10mph. In fact we had terrific sunny conditions with no wind at all. It was a good start. We planned to follow the usual route. First up was Lonesome Lake Trail. There was enough ice on the trail to require attention to foot placement but that’s about all. We enjoyed a pleasant walk to the lake with no surprises along the way. When we arrived at the lake we had a decision to make; follow the usual route along the east side of the lake or take Around-the-Lake Trail and enjoy the early morning views from the west side of the lake. We went west and I’m really glad we did. Franconia Ridge is a beautiful sight early in the morning with its reflection in the lake. The trail of puncheons through the bogs on the west side of the lake is a treat. We paid a brief visit to the Lonesome Lake Hut and were soon hiking Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, (another treat).
It’s probably easier to find people with negative comments about Fishin’ Jimmy than positive, but I only really disliked the trail on my first pass through. I enjoy the place now and think it’s a fun way to Kinsman Junction. There are a few PUDs but unless you’re dog tired they’re not a big deal. This time through we found one blowdown that required an off-trail bypass and a couple icy sections that also required a bypass. Other than these minor detours we completed the bare-boot climb to Kinsman Junction without any real problem. There is a lot of ice along the way and we most likely would have made better time if we went with our MicroSpikes below the steep sections. The way I see it; if Sue doesn’t need traction, I don’t need traction.
We hit Kinsman Junction and stopped for me to pull out a warmer jacket (Sue added a layer a short time earlier so it was okay). I wanted my winter jacket, which had been packed in a nylon bag since it was cleaned after last Winter season. The zipper slide had developed some corrosion since then and I could not unzip the jacket. I was forced to re-pack it and continue with my rain jacket. The forecast predicted ~25 mph wind from the northeast above 4000 feet and I was concerned about being able to stay warm. If we kept moving and generating heat I should be fine.
The hike to North Kinsman is a short .6 miles and a little over 500 feet. This section is loaded with bare slabs that were loaded with ice and snow. Sue was still bare-booting the day, and so was I. Slowly we picked our way around the really bad places and managed to clear each test along the way. Eventually we were standing on the summit of North Kinsman and our MicroSpikes were still in our packs. We got the usual summit pictures and kept moving – I was sure if I got cold I would probably stay cold, for a while. There were a couple others and a dog on the summit enjoying a break and some hot food when we went through. We passed one other solo hiker on our way to South Kinsman.
Leaving North Kinsman required a little extra caution because of the ice but we managed without mishap and were on the short walk to South Kinsman. The usual mud pits along the way are starting to freeze up but there are a couple pits that can be messy. I knew we were moving pretty slow, mainly due to the ice and our stubbornness to avoid the MicroSpikes. I also knew Fitz was probably pushing things a little to catch us and surprised we hadn’t seen him (I was really sure he was in back of us and closing). We finished the climb to the false summit, and then on to South Kinsman and the BIG cairn. There we again took some time for summit pictures. Sue decided it was time for a snowman. While she was busy making a snowman I was enjoying the views. The conditions had gone all clouds but the views underneath the cloud layer were terrific. We had a crystal clear view to Mount Mansfield in northern Vermont. At one point I happened to look at Sue while she was working on her snowy friend. Then, she lifted her head, looked back toward the false summit, and started to smile. Sue looked at me and said “It’s Fitz”. There he was, coming through the scrub between the false summit and us. At one point he stopped to take a picture of me taking a picture of him.
Fitz arrived to South Kinsman about the same time Sue finished with the snowman. We all exchanged greetings and were now the full group we expected to have for the day. We didn’t hang around for long; it was cold with a light northeast wind (fortunately much less than predicted). We made the u-turn and headed back out the way we hiked in. Fitz was a little surprised the two of us were bare-booting the hike. Sue assured him we would have the MicroSpikes out at least for the descent from Kinsman Junction.
The re-climb of North Kinsman went without a hitch and the descent to Kinsman Junction was more of the same. The icy slabs all had adequate handholds to help. We hit Kinsman Junction and without saying a word the packs came off and the MicroSpikes came out. We wanted to avoid using them to limit needless wear on all of the bare rocks but now they were really needed for a safe descent on Fishin’ Jimmy. Sue and I went with MicroSpikes and Fits paid a visit to Kinsman Pond for a few pictures.
Back together we started down Fishin’ Jimmy. At Kinsman Junction and on the descent we met eight backpackers all headed to Kinsman Pond for the night. I’ll bet the storm made things interesting. The MicroSpikes and soft ice got along great and our descent was little more than a walk in the woods. We use the same bypass routes to avoid a couple icy ledge sections and made it down with no trouble at all. We stayed with MicroSpikes and continued the hike through the Fishin’ Jimmy PUDs to the Lonesome Lake Hut where we made another brief stop. Soon we were on the final run to the trailhead. Roughly a third of the way down from the hut we all stopped to remove the light traction. The trail was easy hiking for the remainder of the way out.
By the time we reached the trailhead lot the light snow had started. We packed our things and hit the highway south. As we drove south conditions got bad, and then really bad, and then – we probably shouldn’t have been on the road. I hit the 4WD-Hi button and enjoyed the final mess from Sanbornton to Nashua. Lots of accidents along the way.
Thanks Fitz, I’m really glad you were able to catch us. One of these days we’ll actually enjoy a full hike together again – I’m sure.
We had a fun day – even the drive back was interesting.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
Trails: Lonesome Lake Trail, Around-The-Lake Trail, Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, Kinsman Ridge Trail
Summits: North Kinsman, South Kinsman
Hikers: Trail Trotter (Sue), Fitz (for the second half), and me
Originally, Sue and I planned to hike The Kinsmans a week earlier when we hiked Lincoln (Lincoln in the morning, The Kinsmans in the afternoon). The day didn’t go quite the way we had it planned.
This clean-up hike started a little later than planned. On the drive north a car load of friends passed us on I-93 a couple miles south of Lincoln. It was Brian, Greg, Michael, and Joe. For a while we were all headed to the same place – the outhouse at The Basin. We pulled in beside Brian’s car and claimed our place in line. We all visited while waiting for our number to be called. The four of them were headed for some bushwhacking in the Nash Stream area. Eventually it was my turn and they jumped back in the car to continue their trip to the mountains.
With that distraction out of the way, Sue and I headed for Lafayette Place and our day with The Kinsmans. Fitz was planning to join us but he ran into a couple matters that made an early start difficult. We still expected to see him somewhere along the way. The weather forecast for the day indicated we should have started with a mostly cloudy sky and wind of ~10mph. In fact we had terrific sunny conditions with no wind at all. It was a good start. We planned to follow the usual route. First up was Lonesome Lake Trail. There was enough ice on the trail to require attention to foot placement but that’s about all. We enjoyed a pleasant walk to the lake with no surprises along the way. When we arrived at the lake we had a decision to make; follow the usual route along the east side of the lake or take Around-the-Lake Trail and enjoy the early morning views from the west side of the lake. We went west and I’m really glad we did. Franconia Ridge is a beautiful sight early in the morning with its reflection in the lake. The trail of puncheons through the bogs on the west side of the lake is a treat. We paid a brief visit to the Lonesome Lake Hut and were soon hiking Fishin’ Jimmy Trail, (another treat).
It’s probably easier to find people with negative comments about Fishin’ Jimmy than positive, but I only really disliked the trail on my first pass through. I enjoy the place now and think it’s a fun way to Kinsman Junction. There are a few PUDs but unless you’re dog tired they’re not a big deal. This time through we found one blowdown that required an off-trail bypass and a couple icy sections that also required a bypass. Other than these minor detours we completed the bare-boot climb to Kinsman Junction without any real problem. There is a lot of ice along the way and we most likely would have made better time if we went with our MicroSpikes below the steep sections. The way I see it; if Sue doesn’t need traction, I don’t need traction.
We hit Kinsman Junction and stopped for me to pull out a warmer jacket (Sue added a layer a short time earlier so it was okay). I wanted my winter jacket, which had been packed in a nylon bag since it was cleaned after last Winter season. The zipper slide had developed some corrosion since then and I could not unzip the jacket. I was forced to re-pack it and continue with my rain jacket. The forecast predicted ~25 mph wind from the northeast above 4000 feet and I was concerned about being able to stay warm. If we kept moving and generating heat I should be fine.
The hike to North Kinsman is a short .6 miles and a little over 500 feet. This section is loaded with bare slabs that were loaded with ice and snow. Sue was still bare-booting the day, and so was I. Slowly we picked our way around the really bad places and managed to clear each test along the way. Eventually we were standing on the summit of North Kinsman and our MicroSpikes were still in our packs. We got the usual summit pictures and kept moving – I was sure if I got cold I would probably stay cold, for a while. There were a couple others and a dog on the summit enjoying a break and some hot food when we went through. We passed one other solo hiker on our way to South Kinsman.
Leaving North Kinsman required a little extra caution because of the ice but we managed without mishap and were on the short walk to South Kinsman. The usual mud pits along the way are starting to freeze up but there are a couple pits that can be messy. I knew we were moving pretty slow, mainly due to the ice and our stubbornness to avoid the MicroSpikes. I also knew Fitz was probably pushing things a little to catch us and surprised we hadn’t seen him (I was really sure he was in back of us and closing). We finished the climb to the false summit, and then on to South Kinsman and the BIG cairn. There we again took some time for summit pictures. Sue decided it was time for a snowman. While she was busy making a snowman I was enjoying the views. The conditions had gone all clouds but the views underneath the cloud layer were terrific. We had a crystal clear view to Mount Mansfield in northern Vermont. At one point I happened to look at Sue while she was working on her snowy friend. Then, she lifted her head, looked back toward the false summit, and started to smile. Sue looked at me and said “It’s Fitz”. There he was, coming through the scrub between the false summit and us. At one point he stopped to take a picture of me taking a picture of him.
Fitz arrived to South Kinsman about the same time Sue finished with the snowman. We all exchanged greetings and were now the full group we expected to have for the day. We didn’t hang around for long; it was cold with a light northeast wind (fortunately much less than predicted). We made the u-turn and headed back out the way we hiked in. Fitz was a little surprised the two of us were bare-booting the hike. Sue assured him we would have the MicroSpikes out at least for the descent from Kinsman Junction.
The re-climb of North Kinsman went without a hitch and the descent to Kinsman Junction was more of the same. The icy slabs all had adequate handholds to help. We hit Kinsman Junction and without saying a word the packs came off and the MicroSpikes came out. We wanted to avoid using them to limit needless wear on all of the bare rocks but now they were really needed for a safe descent on Fishin’ Jimmy. Sue and I went with MicroSpikes and Fits paid a visit to Kinsman Pond for a few pictures.
Back together we started down Fishin’ Jimmy. At Kinsman Junction and on the descent we met eight backpackers all headed to Kinsman Pond for the night. I’ll bet the storm made things interesting. The MicroSpikes and soft ice got along great and our descent was little more than a walk in the woods. We use the same bypass routes to avoid a couple icy ledge sections and made it down with no trouble at all. We stayed with MicroSpikes and continued the hike through the Fishin’ Jimmy PUDs to the Lonesome Lake Hut where we made another brief stop. Soon we were on the final run to the trailhead. Roughly a third of the way down from the hut we all stopped to remove the light traction. The trail was easy hiking for the remainder of the way out.
By the time we reached the trailhead lot the light snow had started. We packed our things and hit the highway south. As we drove south conditions got bad, and then really bad, and then – we probably shouldn’t have been on the road. I hit the 4WD-Hi button and enjoyed the final mess from Sanbornton to Nashua. Lots of accidents along the way.
Thanks Fitz, I’m really glad you were able to catch us. One of these days we’ll actually enjoy a full hike together again – I’m sure.
We had a fun day – even the drive back was interesting.
I’ve posted some pictures from the day.
BIGEarl's Pictures
Straight to the slideshow
