Monday, 19 March 2007
I met MtnMagic and GhostDog for 9 this morning on the west side of the Kinsmen, hoping to take the Mt. Kinsman Trail up. It would have been a new trail for me and it is supposed to be a beautiful one. Unfortunately it wasn't packed out after a recent snowstorm and there was no room to park. As we discussed our options a man who lives at the trailhead plowed out a couple spaces for us...very thoughtful and generous of him! But that still didn't eliminate the 3 miles of trailbreaking that two of us would have had to share. We decided to head around to Lafayette Place campground and climb via the standard route; it would be the same route I used this past summer. We thanked the neighbor for his efforts, and then hit the road.
It was near 10 by the time we moved to the other trailhead, got organised, and started walking. It was sunny and warm and we started out under bluebird skies. Along the way we were accosted by numerous "annotated" blazes, trail signs, and even several birch trees along this route, provided by someone who takes issue with AMC's presence in these mountains. I thought it was clever of this person to protest the organisation's less environmental aspects by writing directly on trees with indelible ink. Excellent, dude. Way to prove your point. Graffiti aside, I was feeling much better than on my hike of a week prior but Magic was having a bit of an off day. Nevertheless we made good time up the Lonesome Lake Trail and reached the shore of the pond by 11 o'clock. From this junction it would be a short distance to the hut. We opted for the slightly longer route around the back shore of the pond, knowing that it provided superior views. We were not disappointed. From just below the hut we got another gorgeous view. We also saw two other hikers coming across the pond. This wasn't really a wise choice but fortunately they got away with it. We stopped at the hut to use the privy and ducked inside for a quick snack. The other hikers continued on without stopping. After our short rest we set out up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. I moaned and ground on last week's hike about how steep that trail was, but it was only a warm up for this one. The route is gentle enough leaving the hut but after about a half mile of topographical complacency the path bolts straight up the ridge. Switchbacks? We don't need no stinkin switchbacks! We got wooden steps screwed right into the ledges. And then we got ice to cover them up with. Fortunately only a few spots were tricky and we made it to Kinsman Junction without too much fanfare.
From Kinsman Junction the hiking would be more straightforward. The snowpack was deep enough to give a boost over many of the low trees so the views were a little better than in summer. Time was getting on as we reached the summit of North Kinsman so we didn’t stop. Instead we pressed on for South Kinsman where the views were better and more worth dawdling for. After a steady descent from North the trail leveled off and then gently climbed South. We had lost our blue skies but enjoyed the views anyway. After some photos and a quick snack we headed back over to North Kinsman and then down. The trip down was uneventful. Magic had brought a rope so we were able to self belay over some of the dicier ledges on Fishin’ Jimmy. We stopped in quickly at the hut knowing we had only 45 minutes more walking. The last bit was easy going as it was never very steep and was well packed out.
It was near 10 by the time we moved to the other trailhead, got organised, and started walking. It was sunny and warm and we started out under bluebird skies. Along the way we were accosted by numerous "annotated" blazes, trail signs, and even several birch trees along this route, provided by someone who takes issue with AMC's presence in these mountains. I thought it was clever of this person to protest the organisation's less environmental aspects by writing directly on trees with indelible ink. Excellent, dude. Way to prove your point. Graffiti aside, I was feeling much better than on my hike of a week prior but Magic was having a bit of an off day. Nevertheless we made good time up the Lonesome Lake Trail and reached the shore of the pond by 11 o'clock. From this junction it would be a short distance to the hut. We opted for the slightly longer route around the back shore of the pond, knowing that it provided superior views. We were not disappointed. From just below the hut we got another gorgeous view. We also saw two other hikers coming across the pond. This wasn't really a wise choice but fortunately they got away with it. We stopped at the hut to use the privy and ducked inside for a quick snack. The other hikers continued on without stopping. After our short rest we set out up the Fishin' Jimmy Trail. I moaned and ground on last week's hike about how steep that trail was, but it was only a warm up for this one. The route is gentle enough leaving the hut but after about a half mile of topographical complacency the path bolts straight up the ridge. Switchbacks? We don't need no stinkin switchbacks! We got wooden steps screwed right into the ledges. And then we got ice to cover them up with. Fortunately only a few spots were tricky and we made it to Kinsman Junction without too much fanfare.
From Kinsman Junction the hiking would be more straightforward. The snowpack was deep enough to give a boost over many of the low trees so the views were a little better than in summer. Time was getting on as we reached the summit of North Kinsman so we didn’t stop. Instead we pressed on for South Kinsman where the views were better and more worth dawdling for. After a steady descent from North the trail leveled off and then gently climbed South. We had lost our blue skies but enjoyed the views anyway. After some photos and a quick snack we headed back over to North Kinsman and then down. The trip down was uneventful. Magic had brought a rope so we were able to self belay over some of the dicier ledges on Fishin’ Jimmy. We stopped in quickly at the hut knowing we had only 45 minutes more walking. The last bit was easy going as it was never very steep and was well packed out.
