North and South Kinsman Hike

Seven of us started out, on what we all agreed to be, among one of the more perfect days for hiking in the mountains – a relaxing temperature, dry air, and a blue sky.

Our hike along the Basin-Cascades Trail was the catalyst to set our moods and energy levels for the entire day.  With the many waterfalls and cascades at nearly every turn, we took our time admiring natures wonders at every opportunity we had.  The slightly muddy and very rooted trail was only an afterthought to us.

More adventure came to us on the Kinsman Pond Trail.  After rock-hopping across several brooks and rivers from the start of our hike we came to a new challenge.  A long leg of this trail was actually a brook.  The trail led us skipping across the tops of the stones that were generally two to three feet in diameter as water trickled and poured between the cracks.  An ambiance of wilderness abound us with the damp, dark rocks and the thick, mossy forest on the steep slopes with short evergreen trees holding on for their dear lives.  Eventually we found ourselves at the Kinsman Pond.  It was a tannic, Lilly pad loaded, rocky shored pond with one duck.  We took a relaxing break on the edge of the pond which offered a great view of the North Kinsman summit.

The Kinsman Ridge Trail to the two summits was much different.  It still had the mossy pine forest theme, but it was much more dry, had ledge to hike and scramble up, and frequently opened up to small, but grand views of the mountains that dot New Hampshire and Vermont.  We met many people and a few thru hikers for the Appalachian Trail.  As we approached the wooded summit of North Kinsman several woman were calling off “47!”, “18!”, “I just started!”…  Hikers in our group started calling “41!”, “36!”, “48 again!”…  These were the call-outs of how many peaks hikers summited for the NH 4000 footer list.  The same women were kind to direct us to the true summit.  A pointed glacial erratic rock that was about eight feet high.  The summit for Kinsman Mountain was much easier to spot.  A very large cairn sitting in the middle of the trail.

We used the Fishin’ Jimmy trail for the bulk of our decent from the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the Lonesome Lake AMC Hut.  The trail proved to be a wise decent with dozens of wood steps mounted right into the steep ledge along the route.  This trail, too, was very rocky with plenty of moss and water.  Our group made quick friends with a pair of AT thru hikers we kept meeting up with since the summits of the Kinsmans.  A few of the guys even offloaded their excess trail snacks, mostly candy bars, to the thru hikers giving them shining smiles even the sun would be jealous of.

Once we made it to the Lonesome Lake AMC Hut we topped off our water bottles and tried some of the snacks the hut cru (not crew) had to offer.  We adsorbed our last scenic view of the mountains from across the lake, then set off for the remainder of our decent.  Eventually we met back up with the Basin-Cascades trail and finished with an hour and half of daylight remaining.

Overall, this is a long, physically demanding hike.  But the right weather and the right company made all the difference between a grueling, agenizing march and a happy-go-lucky weekend adventure.  Thank you to everyone who came along!

Come along with us on a hike in the Franconia region of the White Mountains.  We will summit North Kinsman (4293ft.) and South Kinsman (4358ft.), two 4000 footers in the White Mountain National Forest.  This will be a long hike with rough terrain.

PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE TRIP PLAN BEFORE SIGNING UP:  This will be a long, muddy, and steep hike with a lot of elevation gain.  If you would like to attend you should prepare for it by evaluating your fitness level and testing your gear prior to this trip.  If you have any questions, no matter how simple or complicated they are, please ask.

• Start Time: 9:00am
• Difficulty: strenuous
• Hiking pace: steady and metered
• Distance: 11.7 miles
• Elevation Gain:  3650 feet

Route:  We will start at The Basin parking lot (0.2mi.) and follow the Basin-Cascades Trail to the Cascade Brook Trail (1.0mi., 550ft., 45min.).  We will pass by many cascades and some waterfalls on this moderate portion of trail.  After following the Cascade Brook Trail for a half mile (0.5mi., 200ft., 20min.) we’ll turn left onto the Kinsman Pond Trail.  This trail will be wet, steep, rocky, and rough for its 2.5 mile stretch and 1500 foot climb (2.5mi., 1500ft., 2hr.).  We’ll visit Kinsman Pond then shortly reach Kinsman Junction.  From the junction we will hike the Kinsman Ridge Trail to the North Kinsman summit (0.6mi., 550ft., 35min.), then we will hike to the South Kinsman summit (0.9mi., 350ft., 40min.).  Once we tag the two summits we’ll backtrack to the Kinsman Junction (1.5mi., 300ft., 55min.) where we will descend using the Fishin’ Jimmy Trail to the Lonesome Lake AMC Hut (2.0mi., 200ft., 1hr.35min.).  From the hut we will return using the Cascade Brook Trail (1.3mi., <1hr.) back to the Basin-Cascades Trail (1.0mi., <45min.).

Notes:  Please bring plenty of water.  I’ll be starting off well hydrated and with 3 liters in my pack.  The first safe water source will be the Lonesome Lake hut, a mile and a half before the end of the hike. Sturdy footwear is important and avoiding cotton clothing will greatly improve comfort.  Pack a lunch and plenty of calories.  Please bring a flashlight just in case.  The AMC hut often has some snacks and drinks for sale, so you may want to bring a few small bills.  Bug repellent may help you maintain sanity.

I'll e-mail everyone who signs up more details a few days before the hike.